Majority of LGBTQ+ people support police marching at pride parades, but 1 in 3 are opposed outright

A national survey conducted by Just.Equal Australia, an Australian LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, reveals that the majority of queer individuals (63.9%) support police participation in pride parades. However, this support is not unconditional, with most supporters wanting strict conditions attached to police involvement, such as training on LGBTQ+ policing issues, greater support for queer police officers, and formal apologies for past police mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ community.

The debate over police participation in pride parades has long divided the queer community. Many pride events, such as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, were originally founded to protest discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, including police violence against LGBTQ+ individuals and other minorities. New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb recently apologized for police failures in handling gay hate crimes, after a scathing report found officers were "indifferent, neglectful, dismissive or hostile" to the issue for four decades. The report, released by the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes, made 19 recommendations, including the reopening of investigations into the deaths of several men.

The survey of 1,516 respondents nationwide also found broad support for the participation of large corporations, religious groups, political parties, and government agencies in pride parades. However, most respondents wanted these groups to meet certain conditions before participating, such as publicly expressing support for the LGBTQ+ community. Dr. Sharon Dane, a researcher and author of the report, stated, "The question of who can participate in pride parades has been divisive within the LGBTIQA+ community for many years. The overall findings of this survey suggest that the LGBTIQA+ community is moving towards a less polarised and more productive way of debating this issue, where participation is contingent on an organisation's record on LGBTIQA+ equality and acceptance."

Despite the high level of support, the issue remains divisive within the queer community, with one-third of respondents explicitly opposing police participation. This opposition is primarily driven by younger generations and gender-diverse participants. Among those aged 18-34, almost 66% opposed police participation, and this figure rose to 73% among non-binary individuals. Earlier this month, Transgender Victoria withdrew from the Midsumma Pride March due to feedback from members regarding police participation. Dr. Thorne Vivian, CEO of Transgender Victoria, attributed this opposition to ongoing police discrimination. "Trans and gender diverse people have historically and currently suffered severe discriminatory treatment at the hands of police," they said, "Many TGD people do not feel safe calling 000 or seeking help for friends in crisis, even as our lives and wellbeing are under attack globally, online and offline."

Nevo Zisin, a trans and non-binary writer and speaker from Melbourne, echoed these sentiments. "I have seen and experienced police brutality firsthand, and although I have been attending pride marches since I was a child, I have felt unsafe to participate in these events for many years," they said. Nevo expressed being tired of "corporate bribes to win over our community" and instead desired deeper, more meaningful solidarity between trans and gender-diverse people and other marginalized groups, such as First Nations people, refugees and asylum seekers, people with disabilities, and people of color. "If we accept the scraps and never ask for more, we will never experience liberation and freedom... For our wellbeing, our freedom and for this land: we only have each other, and we protect each other."

In December, members of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras narrowly voted down a proposal to ban NSW Police from participating in this year's march. But on Wednesday, Victoria Police withdrew from the upcoming Midsumma Pride March after their request to march in uniform was rejected by festival organizers. Acting Commander Adrian Healy, Chair of the Victoria Police Pride Network, said organizers also rejected their request for armed support or security. "This made our position untenable," Acting Commander Healy said. Victoria Police's request for extra security stemmed from last year's march, where a group of anti-police protesters clashed with police participants. Midsumma's decision to ban participants from wearing uniforms is not limited to Victoria Police, and will also affect other organizations, such as St John Ambulance and the Salvation Army. None of the other affected organizations have withdrawn from the march.

Victoria's LGBTIQA+ Community Commissioner, Ro Allen, said the decision by Victoria Police was a missed opportunity to demonstrate inclusivity. "Other groups who are affected have decided to continue to march, just put on a polo shirt or change their uniform, or wear pride uniform or casual wear if you like," Mr. Allen said. Midsumma CEO Karen Bryant said the uniform ban was intended to ensure the march was inclusive for all participants.

While police were the most contentious group in the survey, one-quarter of respondents opposed the participation of large corporations and religious organizations in pride events. Rodney Croome, spokesperson for Just.Equal Australia, said, "The survey makes it clear that most [LGBTQ+] people believe in inclusive pride marches, but also that participation is a privilege that comes with a responsibility to improve policies and practices." Most respondents favored the participation of large corporations and religious organizations, provided they demonstrated a commitment to the LGBTQ+ community. For example, respondents wanted corporations to have LGBTQ+ employee networks and religious organizations to publicly affirm queer people and relationships before being allowed to participate in pride events. Government agencies were the most popular, with one-third of respondents happy for them to participate unconditionally. For those who were wary of government involvement, the most desired outcome was regular reviews of policies and operations to ensure LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

Notably, women were more likely than men to support exclusion. Western Australia was the only state where opinions were split evenly between excluding and including police, while Queensland was the only state where more people supported excluding religious groups than police. Mr. Croome said Just.Equal plans to distribute the report to pride event organizers across Australia to help them decide who can participate in pride events and under what conditions.