Throughout the pandemic (meaning 3 years??), both groups engaged in lengthy negotiations. But they reached an impasse/ stalled in May when the San Francisco Pride organizers/leaders barred off-duty police officers from marching in uniform.
Police said they wouldn't march without their uniforms. Then Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, the Fire Department and Sheriff's Office got into the fray, announcing they would boycott the event in solidarity with the police.
While tensions between the LGBTQ community and the police have existed for decades, the 2019 San Francisco Pride Parade was particularly contentious. A group chained together with rainbow tubes blocked the parade route to protest police brutality and corporate involvement in the parade. The protest resulted in two arrests and calls for the police to be barred from participating in the parade.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused the parades of 2020 and 2021 to be canceled, postponing SF Pride's decision about police involvement in the parade.
