LGBT LEADERS BACK MANNING; SLAM SF PRIDE BOARD
May 2, 2013
Recently, it was announced that PFC Bradley Manning would be a grand marshal of the 2013 San Francisco Pride Celebration. We felt this decision was a bold and uplifting choice, bestowing a great May honor on a young whistleblower being persecuted for following his conscience.
Much to our disappointment, two days later SF Pride board president Lisa Williams issued a separate announcement that the SF Pride board would not be honoring PFC Manning as a grand marshal after all. It appears the SF pride board’s reversal was affected by criticism from a recently formed gay military rights group.
We want the world to know that the SF Pride board’s decision is not reflective of the LGBTQ community as a whole, and that many of us proudly celebrate PFC Manning as a member of our community. Unfortunately, the statements by Williams, and the group which originally advocated against PFC Manning as grand marshal, continue to perpetuate certain factual inaccuracies with regards to the military prosecution against him.
>>>>snip>>>>>> http://www.bradleymanning.org/uncategorized/lgbtq-leaders-uphold-initial-selection-of-bradley-manning-as-sf-pride-2013-grand-marshal
We are proud to embrace PFC Bradley Manning as one of our icons, and intend to march for him in pride contingents across the country this year, as we have in years past. We think Bradley Manning sets a high standard for what a U.S. serviceperson, gay or straight, can be.
Organizations listed for identification purposes only
Lt. Dan Choi – 2009 SF Pride Celebrity Grand Marshal, anti-DADT activist
Joey Cain – 2008 SF Pride Community Grand Marshal, past Board Member and President of SF Pride
Gary Virginia – 2012 SF Pride Community Grand Marshal
John Caldera – Commander, American Legion Bob Basker Post 315ED & SF Veterans For Peace
John O’brien - Stonewall Rebellion Leading Participant; member, 1970 Inaugatory Pride Committee
Dr. Gray Brechin – author Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin
Susie Bright – Public speaker, educator, and writer
Troy Abraham - President Of Human Equality Organizations
Luke Adams - Community mental health counselor, minister, and organizer
Adele Carpenter – Civilian-Soldier Alliance, SF Chapter
Merrill Cole - Associate Professor of English, Western Illinois University
Gabriel Conaway – Equality activist; Steering Committee of SAME
Salvatore Conti -KS
Dossie Easton – Therapist and author
Leslie Feinberg – Transgender author and activist
Stephen Eagle Funk – Artistic Director, Veteran Artists
Glenn Greenwald – Award-winning journalist
Evan Greer – Radical queer riotfolk musician
Liz Henry – Poet and activist
Lori Hurlebaus – Civilian Soldier Alliance, SF Chapter; Co-founder, Courage to Resist
Pat Humphries – Musician, Emma’s Revolution
Sergei Kostin - Art Director, CODEPINK Women for Peace
Sandy Opatow – Musician, Emma’s Revolution
Malachy Kilbride – Coordinating Committee, National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
Drew Langdon - Lavender Green Caucus; Candidate for Rochester, NY City Council
Jill McLaughlin – World Can’t Wait Steering Committee
David McReynolds – War Resisters League; first openly gay U.S. presidential candidate
Pamela Means – Award-winning OUT musician
Minnie-Bruce Pratt – Award-winning lesbian writer, anti-racist & anti-imperialist activist
Rainey Reitman – Steering Committee, Bradley Manning Support Network
Martha Shelley – Co-founder, Gay Liberation Front; Radicalesbians, NYC
Oliver Shykles – Queer Friends of Bradley Manning
Peter Tatchell – Founder, Peter Tatchell Foundation
Andy Thayer – Co-founder, Gay Liberation Network
Lori Selke – Author and activist
Becca von Behren - Staff Attorney, Swords to Plowshares Veterans Service Organization
Kit Yan – Queer & trans Asian-American poet
Orus Barker -Bradley Manning supporter
Russell Zellers - Former Assistant Director, HIV Health Services AIDS Office, SFDPH
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