San Francisco Pride’s board of directors met last week following a vote to ban Google from the event. Though the vote from a small number of the organisation’s members was found to not be legally binding, the board arranged to meet to discuss the issue.
Following the meeting, San Francisco Pride’s executive director, Fred Lopez (pictured), commented: “We have listened to the concerns of a small group of our members, and we take the matter seriously. Pride was built on a foundation of giving everyone a voice and a platform, and it’s a tradition we continue to uphold.
“We have decided as a board there will not be a ban against Google nor the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office at this year’s Pride celebration. Instead, we are saying yes to inclusivity.
“The Alameda County Sheriff’s Department has not had its own contingent in the parade in year’s past, and Google has been a responsive corporate sponsor for more than a decade. We are in agreement that banning those groups is not in the best interest of Pride and its members, who look forward to an inclusive event each year that reflects the diversity of our wonderful community.
“I joined Pride to celebrate our diversity, not to exclude people from our celebration. As a board, we are deeply committed to making sure our 50th event is successful, diverse and inclusive.”
A Twitter account called Ban Google From Pride was created in June 2019 and currently has over 470 followers. It describes itself as “Google employees taking a hard look at YouTube (a Google company) policies.”
San Francisco Pride is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is the largest gathering of the LGBT community in America.
Author: Molly Hookings
Molly joined the editorial team in March 2019. She has several years’ experience working in broadcast and journalism, as well as marketing and PR. Past experience includes working for the BBC and independent publishing houses. If you have a story you think Molly might be interested in, please email: molly@eventindustrynews.com
