Ryan steps aside from role in Regina Pride parade
REGINA Seattle Seahawks punter Jon Ryan will no longer lead the Queen City Pride Parade.
The Regina-raised NFL player was named grand marshal on May 24. Ryan was seen as a vocal ally of the LGBTQ community.
But after the announcement, Queen City Pride faced backlash from some who questioned why an ally was being celebrated over members of the LGBTQ community.
Over the weekend, Ryan withdrew as grand marshal.
“I was so honoured to be asked to be the grand marshal and am so incredibly disappointed that it couldn’t work out,” Ryan told the Regina Leader-post on Sunday.
Pride held a town-hall meeting last week to discuss the concerns.
As a result, Pride created a “Pride in Sports” grand marshal entry for this year’s parade.
The organization is looking for other athletes, teams and sports groups to participate in the parade.
“This additional honorary entry serves to represent the overall goal of raising the profile of LGBTQ athletes in our community — where sports have traditionally been a difficult space for members of our community to feel comfortable and safe in,” a statement released by the Pride board of directors after the meeting read.
“It is important that the focus of the parade remain on members of Regina’s gender and sexually diverse community and therefore the order in which our grand marshals will appear has taken this into consideration.”
The parade will also highlight the work of AIDS Programs South Saskatchewan, an organization some at the town hall suggested wasn’t being given due exposure after it was named a grand marshal alongside Ryan.
“While we appreciate the voices of those in the community who have spoken favourably of our announcement, it is important that we respect and raise up the marginalized voices of our community who have traditionally been silenced or unheard,” said the statement.
“Through this town hall meeting, Regina Pride Inc. was able to develop dialogue and awareness of the needs our community and this will help inform the future growth of the festival and the organization as a whole.”