Activist Group to Protest San Francisco's Gay Pride Parade

A group of activists called OccuPride plans to disrupt San Francisco's gay pride parade this Sunday. Their main reason for the disruption is to call out corporations and politicians for their fair-weather support to the LGBT community.

In a report from SFist, Scott Rossi, an OccuPride organizer, explained in more detail who they are and the purpose of their protest.

OccuPride is a grassroots, radical queer response to the commercialization of the LGBTQI community. It is not an attack on Pride itself, nor the Parade, as both are an important symbol of the progress we have made. Speaking for myself, I've wanted to do something like this for years because we shouldn't be celebrating that companies are lining up to sell us stuff and pinkwashing everything under the guise of how much they love us and such. They don't love us or they'd be spending their lobbying dollars on making sure we have access to life saving medicine, food, houses to live in and a planet that's not dying.

At the same time, we shouldn't be deifying companies and politicians that actively work against SF Pride's theme of GLOBAL EQUALITY. Don't forget Willie Brown, the Lifetime Grand Marshall is famous for saying 'anyone who doesn't make $50,000 a year doesn't have a right to live in SF. And even more shocking, many of the companies that are featured sponsors, like Wells Fargo, actively work and lobby against Global Equality at home, abroad and within the LGBTQI community. How many of our people have been displaced due to the economic collapse? How many of our people have been denied lifesaving health insurance because of preexisting conditions? This is why I started Occupying last fall, this is why I helped organize and outreach for OccuPride. We're fighting for those that can't fight for themselves, and fighting for those that will come later. These companies and their poisonous, odious Politician lackeys aren't going to go away and they're only going to get worse.

I find this very interesting. I understand that the community depends on these corporations for sponsorships and what not, however, where is the support before and after the annual pride parades and events?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.