In a similar statement, the NYPD also said it found the officers' exclusion "disheartening." "It is demoralizing that Heritage of Pride didn't have the courage to refer to GOAL by name in its announcement, referring to us only as 'Law Enforcement Exhibitors.' The label is not only offensive but dehumanizing for our members," he continued. So their response to activist pressure is to take the low road by preventing their fellow community members from celebrating their identities and honoring the shared legacy of the Stonewall Riots," Downey said. "Heritage of Pride is well aware that the city would not allow a large scale event to occur without police presence. In response, GOAL President Brian Downey said the Heritage of Pride statement-which did not mention GOAL by name-was both "demoralizing" and "dehumanizing." Here, GOAL participates in the 2016 Pride March on 5th Avenue on Jin New York City. NYC Pride organizers said Saturday that LGBTQ police officers will be barred from participating in its festivities, drawing criticism from the Gay Officers Action League (GOAL). "NYC Pride is unwilling to contribute in any way to creating an atmosphere of fear or harm for members of the community," the statement added. "The sense of safety that law enforcement is meant to provide can instead be threatening, and at times dangerous, to those in our community who are most often targeted with excessive force and/or without reason," Heritage of Pride said in a statement. The organization said the decision was informed in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests, and "at a time when violence against marginalized groups, specifically BIPOC and trans communities, has continued to escalate." The statement came after organizers for Heritage of Pride announced that LGBTQ+ members of law enforcement would be barred from attending the annual parade in an effort to curb the event's overall police presence. Heritage of Pride (NYC Pride) has long been a valued partner of our organization and its abrupt about-face in order to placate some of the activists in our community is shameful," the group said. " is disheartened by the decision to ban our group from participating in New York City Pride. The Gay Officers Action League (GOAL) issued a statement condemning a decision by Heritage of Pride, the organizers of the city's annual Pride events, for prohibiting police from joining its festivities until at least 2025. A group representing LGBTQ+ officers within the New York Police Department ( NYPD) said a decision by New York City Pride organizers to block members of law enforcement from participating in its annual events was "shameful."