Update on the Status of the Aurora Pride Parade

To all our participants, sponsors, prospective attendees, and supporters;

Good afternoon. As you are likely aware, the Aurora Police Department has said it cannot supply enough sworn officers to provide Parade security, and has tasked us with finding officers from other jurisdictions to close the gap. We were notified that we had until 12PM today to do so, or our Special Events permit would be revoked at that time.

We have not been able to close the gap, despite the tireless efforts of our Safety team lead and many supporters offering their assistance. As a result, our permit is now revoked.

However, we’re not giving up. Our position has been misrepresented, and we’re making every effort to keep the parade as scheduled.

Thank you for your steadfast support, and please hang tight.

Response to Mayor Irvin's Letter

Dear Mayor Irvin;


We appreciate your efforts on behalf of the Aurora Pride Parade, as well as those of the men and women of the Aurora Police Department, who’ve been excellent partners in keeping the events safe and well-organized.


It is for precisely this reason that we are not excluding them, nor anyone else. We encourage participation by any and all LGBTQ and allied law enforcement officers, from the Aurora Police Department or any other local agency.


However, it is our responsibility as organizers to provide the most welcoming environment possible for the largest number of participants we can.


As of this writing, trust between police and LGBTQ people and people of color is remarkably low. I’m sure you find this as distressing as I do, as this makes both residents and officers less safe. Many people belonging to these groups feel a great deal of anxiety simply in the presence of a police car, weapons or uniform. It’s been said that it’s unfair to paint all officers with the same brush, so to speak, and I couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately, the reality on the ground is that there is a perception that though negative incidents with police are the result of a small number of bad officers, it’s not always clear that there is enough being done to address those officers’ actions. Many people of color and LGBTQ people have lived experience that includes frequent negative experiences with police. As a result, the average resident cannot be sure of the intentions, or sadly, the character, of any individual officer, unless they have personally had positive interactions with that officer, as I personally have had with many Aurora Police Department officers.


It is beyond the scope of Aurora Pride’s mission to resolve this situation. It is only within our power, as well as our responsibilities as the hosting organization, to try to reduce the tension and animosity among the participants and attendees of our event. It is with this in mind that we have invited law enforcement officers to participate, but also asked them to refrain from bringing such items as may re- traumatize for other attendees, as we do any other group. I stress that this is not a punitive action toward law enforcement; far from it, and it saddens me that it seems to be perceived that way. A punitive action would have been a ban, which is not what we are discussing.


This is simply an effort to foster goodwill between multiple groups of important Aurorans. Participation by law enforcement officers in civilian clothes, clearly identified as law enforcement officers by signs, banners, t-shirts, and the like, would almost certainly be perceived as an olive branch.


We would like to offer, additionally, that if officers have a “soft uniform”, something like a polo shirt with patch or logo, we would absolutely accept that.


Currently, no municipal law enforcement groups have applied to participate, and I feel that this is a missed opportunity. I truly hope they will reconsider.

Press Release

Part of the mission of the Aurora Pride Parade is, and always has been, to create a safe and welcoming space for celebration by, of, and for the LGBTQ community of Aurora, the surrounding area, and our allies. To do this, we look to have the widest variety of participants possible, from all walks of life, professions, and backgrounds. We’ve had student groups, businesses, supportive religious organizations, medical organizations, government organizations, law enforcement, musical groups, elected officials, and the list goes on. We want to showcase the idea for LGBTQ youth that if you can see it, you can be it. There’s no one way to thrive as an LGBTQ adult.


This year, to further this goal, after much discussion, we made the decision that while we would continue to allow and encourage participation in the Aurora Pride Parade by law enforcement officers, we would ask that they participate without service weapons (our rules forbid all weapons), out of uniform, and without the presence of any official vehicles.


Why did we do that?


In short, many members of the community feel uneasy in the presence of official law enforcement vehicles, as well as uniformed officers, due to negative experiences they themselves or someone they know have had. Some of these experiences may be with the Aurora Police Department, some may be with other departments. APD is absolutely ahead of many other departments, but there's still work to be done. There will already be uniformed officers and vehicles present outside the parade route, and we want the parade route to feel as welcoming as possible for everyone.


Historically, the relationship between police and the LGBTQ community has ranged from oppressive and violent, to contentious, to friendly. At Stonewall, police and LGBTQ people, primarily of color, were in open combat. Today, we’re fortunate to have out LGBTQ people working at all levels of law enforcement.


In the 2018 and 2019 parades, we allowed uniformed officers, and official police vehicles, to be part of marching units. We did this both to welcome our LGBTQ siblings within law enforcement, and as an attempt to build bridges. Closer relationships between police and the community have the potential to build trust, improve police effectiveness, and make both the community and officers safer.


In 2022, the climate has shifted. Relationships between police and community members are more strained than they were 3 years ago, in Aurora and nationwide. There continue to be incidents of harassment and violence, primarily focused on people of color and LGBTQ people. We recognize that these incidents are the result of a minority of officers, but law enforcement organizations as a whole are not addressing these incidents in ways that build trust with the community. APD is absolutely ahead of many other departments, but there's still work to be done. A lack of trust in the people sworn to protect breeds fear, and we feel that we must stand with those in our community who’ve been victimized. Aurora is a majority minority city, and the rights of people of color, LGBTQ people, and those who live both identities need their rights protected. At this time, that means asking our LGBTQ and allied siblings in law enforcement to participate out of uniform. We do not make this decision lightly, or in a vacuum. We are not the first Pride organization, nor I suspect the last, to take this stance this year.


It is not our intention that anyone hide anything about who they are or what they do. It's our hope that law enforcement participants clearly identify themselves with a banner, float, t-shirts, or the like, as we want to show that law enforcement is one of many things LGBTQ+ young people can see themselves becoming one day. We’d see this as a meaningful opportunity to improve community engagement and build trust. We viewed Indivisible Aurora and Aurora Pride's interactions and partnership with APD in past years as very positive, and exercises in bridge building, and I think both the community and APD need this to continue. While we are critical of the actions of some officers and the weaknesses in police organizations, we appreciate the good work done every day by good officers, risking their lives to make everyone safer.


Sadly, as of this writing, only one law enforcement official has applied to participate in the Aurora Pride Parade. We hope more will follow, and we welcome their applications.

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