SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – The stepped-up security surrounding San Francisco’s LGBT pride celebration has caused two honorary grand marshals and a health clinic that serves sex workers to withdraw from the event’s signature parade.
Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Celebration event organizers announced that for the first time in the festival’s 46-year history, attendees will be searched for weapons. This is San Francisco’s response to massacre inside an LGBT nightclub in Orlando on June 12.
The executive director of the Transgender, Gender Variant, and Intersex Justice Project, Black Lives Matter and the St. James Infirmary said Friday that they are pulling out of Sunday’s parade to protest the heavy police presence and metal detectors that will be present that weekend.
Organizers are advising attendees to avoid bringing bags as they could slow down the screening process.
San Francisco’s Office of Emergency Management has created a text alert system so that party-goers can receive information and news updates about the event.
The two-day event will feature live entertainment, food, and a parade on Sunday. The free event is scheduled from noon to 6 p.m. at Civic Center.
The Parade kicks off at 10:30 a.m. at Market and Beale, and ends at Market and 8th Street in downtown San Francisco.