Seattle Seahawks NFL player Jon Ryan has withdrawn as co-grand marshal of the Regina Pride parade, the organization said in a statement on Sunday.
Ryan was seen as an ally for the LGBTQ community, however, the organization said that Ryan’s presence and participation created “some controversy," with some people questioning why Ryan was being celebrated over members of the LGBTQ community.
During a town meeting on Wednesday June 6, Regina Pride board members met with members of the gender and sexually diverse community (GSD) to hear concerns and comments regarding the decision to make Ryan co-grand marshal of the parade.
“After the meeting of questions and respectful conversation came to a close, the Regina Pride board released a statement outlining plans to invite athletes, teams and other sporting professionals, who identified as part of, or were representative of the GSD community to join the Pride Parade as co-grand marshal group known as ‘Pride in Sports’” Regina Pride said.
The organization said following Ryan's decision, they intend to continue with their plans to showcase the Pride in Sports group as co-grand marshals of the parade.
