'Repoliticising' Auckland Pride: Moving forward after police uniform ban

Friday, 7 December 2018

In August, police announced a competition to design a T-shirt for staff to wear at the Pride Parade - angering members of the rainbow community, who said the fall-out over the uniform ban could have been avoided.

After surviving a 'no confidence' vote, the Auckland Pride board is here to stay – so what happens next?

On Thursday night, members of Auckland Pride gathered in the city to discuss the board's choice to ban police from marching in uniform.

About 600 members also cast a vote after a motion was put forward expressing 'no confidence' in the board.

That motion was lost, 273 to 325.

The current Auckland Pride board will stay on, following Thursday's special general meeting vote.

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After the results were announced, Pride chairwoman Cissy Rock said the issue had 'taken a terrible toll on our community'.

However, the board 'honoured the democratic process and everyone had a fair chance to have a say' by voting, Rock said.

Looking back on the results of Thursday's meeting, Auckland Pride board member Zakk d'Larté said it was a beautiful moment.

On Thursday, people protested outside the meeting in support of the current Auckland Pride board.

'I'm feeling very reassured. It feels so right to keep our Pride festival and parade in the hands of a community with a vision of a truly inclusive Pride, one that doesn't leave behind those who are vulnerable or considered minorities,' he said.

MOVING FORWARD

The debate exposed a rift in Auckland's LGBTQIA+ community. Those in favour of police marching in uniform said inclusion was a long-standing Pride value, while those opposed cited police mistreated of trans people and people of colour.

Going forward, there were 'so many kōreros to have', d'Larté said.

'We are planning more community hui and will revisit discussions with the New Zealand police.'

A police dog wears a rainbow bandanna at the 2017 Auckland Pride Parade.

A hui has been planned for December 18.

'We are committed to strengthening our relationships and helping those that have never felt like that have a platform or voice within Pride to feel like this is for them.'

The members of People Against Prisons Aotearoa (PAPA) were key players in the push to keep police uniforms out of Pride.

Spokeswoman Emilie Rākete said Thursday's result 'ratified that the people want repoliticisation of Pride not just a hollow celebration of state and corporate power – we are proud to be a part of that call'.

Inspector Tracy Phillips, coordinator of the police's diversity liaison officer service, said police hoped to work with the board to identify specific issues the LGBTQIA+ community had.

Inspector Tracy Phillips said the T-shirts would have been worn by police staff who did not wear uniforms.

They would work on a plan to deal with those problems, she said.

'We've requested a meeting with the board and we're just trying to arrange a date for that.'

THE T-SHIRT ISSUE

When the uniform ban was announced, Rock said police were welcome in the parade but could 'wear T-shirts' instead.

Phillips, in response, said police would pull out altogether as they were not willing to 'go backwards' and march in T-shirts as they had in previous years.

However, d'Larté pointed to a video and Facebook post made by the Auckland City District Police in August encouraging the public to design a T-shirt for the parade.

'The winning design will be worn by police staff and friends during next year's parade in Auckland and you'll get the chance to march alongside them,' it read.

'At the end of the day, no matter where you stand on the Board's decision, just remember the NZ Police were only asked to wear what they were already planning on wearing anyway,' d'Larté tweeted.

Phillips, however, said the T-shirts were for police employees who did not wear uniforms and their friends and whānau.

d'Larté said he took the post to mean that everyone would be marching in t-shirts, including officers, he said.

'Did I jump to conclusions? Maybe.

'But it infuriates me – the pain, grief and irreparable damage to relationships that has been caused, that was completely preventable if the New Zealand police had simply accepted our small gesture of compromise.

'We were being asked to ban them outright and this is not something we were prepared to do, so by asking them to simply march proudly in their T-shirts or whatever else they fancied, we had hoped for a win-win for all.'