Pride board 'no confidence' vote defeated after controversial police uniform ban

Thursday, 6 December 2018

The Auckland Pride board has survived a 'no confidence' vote over the ban on police marching in uniform in the annual Pride Parade.

A special general meeting was called in central Auckland on Thursday evening after four members expressed a lack of confidence in the board over the ban.

About 600 members cast a vote at the meeting. The vote was 273 for the vote of no confidence, and 325 against.

A special general meeting was held on Thursday to decide the future of Auckland's Pride board.

The result was met with loud applause and cheers.

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Supporters of the uniform ban gathered in central Auckland ahead of the meeting on Thursday evening.

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The ban stirred up controversy throughout the LGBTQIA+ community, with some arguing banning police in uniform went against Pride's values of inclusion and diversity.

Those in favour of the ban cited police mistreatment of transgender people and people of colour.

Police pulled out of the parade over the matter, with Inspector Tracy Phillips saying they 'fought really hard' to march in uniform and were 'not prepared to go backwards'.

A raft of sponsors and participants such as SkyCity, the Defence Force, Westpac and Fletcher Building also pulled out.

James Laverty, also known as drag queen Miss Chocolate, said at the meeting the board and its members had a 'personal agenda' when it came to the ban.

Laverty, who is also a voluntary rainbow communities advisor to the police, said the move was 'more than just a ban.

'It saddens me to genuinely part [with the police] in some kind of way. There are no real winners.'

Dancer Joel Walsham also spoke at the meeting, saying he had absolute confidence in the board.

In the past, the police uniform had represented oppression for many LGBTQIA+ people and going forward, it still represented 'harm to a lot of people', he said.

'I hope to continue to have a board that amplifies these voices and I continue to have support in the board.'

After the vote was counted, Pride chairwoman Cissy Rock said the issue had 'taken a terrible toll on our community'.

However, 'we honoured the democratic process and everyone had a fair chance to have a say', she said.

A hui was planned for December 18, she said.

Pride members Yasmin Prendergast and Ari Lewis voted against the motion of 'no confidence'.

Prendergast said the result made her feel great.

'It shows the vast majority feels strongly about protecting [the community's] most vulnerable people.'

Lewis said while the concerns from the people who brought the motion forward were valid, he believed they missed the point.

'By including police in uniform in the parade, we would be excluding members of our community,' Lewis said.

Independent chairman Mark von Dadelszen said irrespective of what people's votes were, he assumed they had joined Auckland Pride 'for good reasons'.

'I strongly urge the warring parties to reconcile their differences,' he said.