LGBT police officer 'disheartened' by Pride Toronto decision to ban police

DanielleBottineausays she's disheartened by Pride Toronto's decision to limit police involvement in its events.

Bottineau,a Toronto Police Service constable and a member of the city'sLGBTcommunity, hasparticipated in Pride for the past seven years as a uniformed officer and an LGBTliaison on the force.

"I've been on arollercoasterof emotions,"BottineautoldMetro Morningon Thursday.

"I'm saddened by it for sure.I'm disheartened by it."

• Pride Toronto AGM vote reaffirms Black Lives Matter request for no police floats at parade

The decision to ban police in uniform effectively from Pride Torontoevents comes after the organization's annual general meeting on Tuesday.

The item was not on the agenda, but was added at the last minute after requests from the crowd. The request was ona list of demands that Black Lives Matter Toronto issued to the organization this past summer duringthe Pride parade.

"I'm not discounting the voices that were in that space.I'm not discounting the voices of Black Lives Matter. I think those are important conversations that we need to have moving forward,"Bottineausaid.

"But I don't know that this is going to remedy any of that in regards to building a relationship.

"It needs to be a dialogue, not a monologue," she said.

Police involvement important to Pride

Bottineausaidpolice officers should be visible participantsin Pride events because their participationsends an importantmessage to youngmembers of the community.

"I'm a proud out gay woman, but I'm also a proud member of Toronto police," she said.

• Ottawa police union head 'troubled' by Pride ban on uniformed officers

"It's important for that 16-year-old kid that's in that gymnasium, that is struggling to come out, for them to see that."

When asked ifBottineauwould attend Pride in 2017 out of uniform,shehesitated."I don't want to make a rash decision," she said.

"It's been a very difficult 24 hours."