Radical Homosexual Agenda
Press Release   April 2007

On April 19th, The Radical Homosexual Agenda (RHA) and our allies will hold a "Parade Without a Permit" at City Hall at 4 pm to protest the recent NYPD ruling on parade permitting. The permit ruling has the support of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Quinn, an out lesbian, claims to be the voice of the LGBTQ community. However, despite public outcry and opposition to the new parade regulations, Quinn has turned her back on civil rights.

The NYPD now requires a permit for any public gathering, or 'parade', of 50 people or more. Section 1A of the city ruling defines a parade as "any march, motorcade, caravan, promenade, foot, or bicycle race, or similar event of any kind, procession or race which consists of a recognizable group of 50 or more pedestrians, vehicles, bicycles, or other devices move by human power, or ridden or herded animals proceeding together upon any public street or roadway."

Giving the NYPD the power to deny permits for any public gathering is a dangerous act. Freedom of assembly is a fundamental right granted to us by the Constitution. As City Council Speaker and a prominent public figure who claims to speak for the queer community, it is Quinn’s responsibility to work against these repressive policies.

Quinn states, "The New York City Police Department's proposed regulations for when and what activities will require parade permits are a substantial improvement over regulations proposed earlier. We are very pleased that the NYPD was receptive to our suggestions for a practical approach to traffic and public safety issues (NYT 10/18/06)."

The Stonewall rebellion that sparked the modern gay liberation movement shattered an environment of police repression and social marginalization. Stonewall veterans and all people who have fought in our struggle have worked tirelessly to reverse the systematic exclusion of LGBTQ people from public life. We, along with all of our allies in the Civil Rights movement - communities of color, immigrant communities, the women's movement - are the ones who paved the way for Quinn to become City Council Speaker. Can one imagine if the gay community had asked the police for a permit in 1970, when we gathered for our first Gay Pride parade to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Stonewall? What would the police response have been? For Quinn to claim to "represent the gay community" and then support the denial of our civil liberties is a level of hypocrisy rarely seen.

As members of the LGBTQ community, we feel it is crucial to show our opposition to Quinn and make it adamantly clear she does not represent us. We will gather on Thursday, April 19 at 4:00 PM at City Hall Park for a "Parade Without a Permit" to let Speaker Quinn and the rest of City Council know that the police are not supposed to write laws. We will let Speaker Quinn know that neither she, nor other City Council members who support this ruling, can take queer and allied support for granted.

Contact:
Radical Homosexual Agenda
www.radicalhomosexualagenda.org
wewantyou@riseup.net