Black Lives Matter Gets Police Banned From Canada’s Gay Pride Parade

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By Amber Randall

A gay organization banned police officers from Toronto’s gay Pride Parade Tuesday, caving to Black Lives Matter demands.

Pride Toronto members gathered to vote on new board members and demands from the Toronto chapter of Black Lives Matter, reports 680 News.

One demand centered around whether police officers should be a part of the parade and other Pride-related events.

Most Pride Toronto members declared that Toronto police can no longer march in the parade or have floats, at the Pride Toronto Annual meeting.

“This is what we’ve been wanting to see. This was the possibility for years,” Ravyn Wngz, a Black Lives Matter member, declared.

Others voice concerned with the ban, saying that it had morphed into a complete ban of police from all Pride affiliated events.

“The police should not have floats in the Pride Parade. That was the demand that was agreed to. The demands have shifted somewhat and went away from reviewing the role of Toronto police to a request to an outright ban,” outgoing co-chair Aaron GlynWilliams said.

BLM Toronto shut down the Pride Parade for about 25 minutes last summer to make a list of their demands known. On top of wanting police officers banned, they also ordered Pride Toronto to hire more ethnic, gay and transgender people. (RELATED: BLM Protesters Shut Down Canada’s Gay Pride Parade)

The Toronto Police Service also expressed confusion over where police stood in the Pride Parade.

“We don’t know what happened. People can’t seem to agree on whether police were excluded or whether it has something to do with uniforms and guns,” Mark Pugash, the police spokesman, said.