Reports of a suspicious object interrupted Baltimore Trans Pride festivities for some in Old Goucher on Saturday afternoon, the second time a local Pride Month event had been disrupted.
Jabari Lyles, coordinator and executive producer for Trans Pride, said law enforcement officials told organizers “there was a suspicious object that was quickly identified as being nonthreatening,” adding “all parties were able to quickly respond to keep attendees safe while not disrupting our event.”
Lyles, who is interim executive director of Blaq Equity Baltimore, said some vendors were asked to move their locations while its team investigated “in the interest of everyone’s safety.”
Brendan Dorr, owner of the gin bar Dutch Courage, said his business closed for three hours as a result of the incident.
“It’s an unfortunate turn of events on what was going to be a day of celebration of a group that truly deserves joy,” Dorr said. “We are grateful that it was a false alarm and no one was hurt.”
This month, a chemical agent disrupted Pride Parade festivities, causing confusion and raising suspicion among many in the Baltimore LGBTQIA+ community. The Baltimore Police Department later said the substance was Mace, adding that it had been released after two groups of people got into an altercation. Three people were treated and released from a nearby hospital because of injuries from the spray.
Many people were already on edge following a global security alert by the State Department warning Americans abroad that terrorists could target lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people and LGBTQ-related events during Pride Month.
The Williams Institute, a think tank at the UCLA School of Law, estimates there are 1.6 million transgender people in the United States, including 24,000 in Maryland.
Lyles estimated that 2,500 people attended the event on Saturday.
“We had a successful march, a full block party and stage performances that were energetic and diverse,” Lyles said.
