An important dialogue between members of LGBTQ community and Minneapolis Police

By KATHLEEN SULLIVAN

Out In the Backyard (OIBY), All God”'s Children Metropolitan Community Church and Minneapolis South Rotary recently hosted an event to help reduce the gap of understanding between the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer-plus communities and the Mpls. police force. A special community event was organized with the showing of a documentary called STONEWALL UPRISING as a catalyst to raise awareness and conversation about the many complex issues with the police and policing system.

Jeff Hayes, the Minneapolis Police Department”'s new LGBTQ community engagement liaison attended the event and dialogue. He is a civilian gay man recently hired by the police department for this position.

Many questions were asked and discussed: Was it reasonable to use the June LGBTQ+ Pride march as a time to protest the killing of people of color by police? After all, the history of Pride beginning in 1969 IS protest and uprising””protest against violence by police and protest against a social structure that trampled all rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ individuals. How could the Pride organizers better communicate what was happening for those along the line-up route to the many hundreds in the parade who had no idea what the long wait was about?… Read the rest “An important dialogue between members of LGBTQ community and Minneapolis Police”