NEW YORK – The NorthEast Two-Spirit Society (NE2SS) and Kris Hayashi, Executive Director of Audre Lorde Project were forcefully ejected from this year’s annual Heritage of Pride March in New York City yesterday.

Just before 2PM, Lieutenant Connoly of the Midtown Taskforce demanded that the People of Color Contingent leave the parade. The reason given was that a delay of 6 blocks existed between the People of Color contingent and the contingent in front of them.  NYPD raised the issue of the gap once and POC contingent marshals were in the process of closing the gap.   Kris Hayashi, Executive Director of Audre Lorde Project (ALP), and Loyda Colon also of ALP explained to Lieutenant Connoly, that they were in the process of closing the gap and Lieutenant Connoly refused to listen.  Lieutenant Connoly then insisted that the POC contingent leave the parade, and attempted to arrest both Colon and Hayashi. Lieutenant Connoly then ejected Harlan Pruden, the driver of NE2SS’ support vehicle and co-founder of NE2SS, other members of NE2SS (who led the People of Color Contingent), and Hayashi from the parade. Hayashi was physically dragged off the parade route.

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Come show your PRIDE & SUPPORT once again as we march down 5th Avenue in the NYC Pride Parade

Join us Sunday, June 28, 2009
Meet us at 56th street between 5th and 6th Ave.
(by the Abercrombie and Fitch flagship store)
at 11am

EVERYONE WELCOME!!!

For more details, contact Harlan at 646.351.7360 or at harlan@ne2ss.org

Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation along with NorthEast Two-Spirit released the findings of a first-ever statewide assessment of LGBT health and human services needs. The assessment was undertaken by Somjen Frazer Consulting to identify gaps and disparities in how the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community accesses health and human services. For a copy of this report, click here or click on the above image.

Among issues identified as problems for LGBT New Yorkers are healthcare access, homelessness, hate violence and social isolation. The needs assessment also showed how particular groups within the LGBT community—transgender people, people of color, youth and seniors—are particularly affected in adverse ways.

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