MADISON, WI (Wisocnsin Radio Network- WSAU) Organizers of Madison’s pride parade are not going to allow police to participate.
The board of directors of the OutReach LGBT Community Center are withdrawing applications from the Madison Police Department, the UW-Madison Police Department, and Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney to march in the parade. The action is in response to concerns among the LGBTQ community regarding police presence in the parade.
Parade organizer Michael Ruiz issued a statement: "Our community is facing complex, unprecedented times, where power is a fleeting commodity for our most vulnerable members, especially queer and transgender persons of color...Those whose voices are silenced due to gender and sexual orientation, as well as the intersections of race, class, ethnicity, gender, ability, immigration status, age and lack of institutional power, need us to amplify their voices."
Police employees who want to march will do so in plain clothes or in a special t-shirt.
Police will still be on hand for security.
The parade is August 19.
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