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Queer Strike Report of SanFrancisco Pride Meeting on Bradley Manning
On Tuesday May 7, 2013, a crowd gathered outside San Francisco Pride office
for a public meeting on reinstating Bradley Manning as Pride Grand
Marshal. They were responding to SF Pride Board's statement saying that
Bradley Manning could not be the Grand Marshal because only local people
qualified but had promised a public meeting so people could air their
views. The crowd attempted to go to the meeting but there was one
elevator and the front door to the building was locked down. SF Pride
security let five people into the elevator at a time but turned down
anyone with a camera including the press. There was shouting, chanting
– everyone demanding to be allowed into the meeting. Ultimately, the
handful of people who got in and spoke were insulted at being given one
minute each, most were left outside in the cold. Pride promised to find
a larger room, but then turned around and released a statement saying
there would be NO more discussion of this issue till after the Pride
event.
In response ‘Grand Marshal, Not Court Marshal', an ad hoc group of
organizations and individuals called for a ‘Mock SF Pride Board meeting’
on Tuesday May 14. About 75 people arrived outside the Pride office,
with nine empty chairs, each labeled with the name of a Pride Board
member. A lively speak out proceeded with the statements that were
intended for the original public hearing, but as a street theatre. This
Board reinstated Bradley Manning as Pride Grand Marshal, Victory! A
larger crowd then attended a panel on Bradley Manning across the street
called by the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club. The TV cameras
followed us to this meeting.
What was striking about both events was that speakers raised a wide
range of issues, starting with Bradley Manning and the situation of
veterans, suicide, PTSD, the poverty draft, and drug addiction. We were
against war and occupations, homelessness, evictions, for healthcare and
community resources, against NGOs like Pride who have assisted in a
corporate takeover of Pride and the whole city. Lesbian/queer women
spoke about the burden of unwaged work women do taking care of everyone
destroyed by war. Our history as LBGT people starting with Stonewall,
against the Vietnam war, fighting homophobic attacks against us etc.
also came out. Our pain and anger was coming to the surface. In the end
Bradley Manning has become the lightning rod for all of us to come
together and take back the city from “a rich elite who want to turn San
Francisco into a gated community”.
Pressure against SF Pride is building. There are legal actions pending
with the Human Rights Commission and City (saying that elders and people
with disabilities were denied access to a public meeting). Any
non-profit organization, like Pride, must abide by the procedures to
allow the public to participate in their process. There must be
transparency. There are questions being raised about the election
process with city officials. Bradley Manning won the highest number of
votes in the electoral college, the way all grand marshalls are
elected, but an executive decision was made to ignore these results and
have another election. SF Green Party and others have called for the
resignation of the Pride Board president Lisa Williams. David Campos, a
Latino gay supervisor (on SF Board of Supervisors) sent a letter to the
Pride Board to press them about to have a public hearing. City Hall may
be opened for a debate. We are looking at how more pressure can be
applied, from whatever our situation is. We are feeling the impact of
the Occupy movement, which is with us still and grassroots LGBTQ people
are on the move. A big contingent supporting Bradley Manning as grand
marshal is being planned for the Pride march.
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