Bradley Manning: Blow Your Whistle!

This Wednesday, the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee announced that openly gay Army whistleblower PFC Bradley Manning will be honored as a grand marshal for the largest gathering of LGBT (lesbian gay bisexual transgender) people and allies in the United States. SF Pride describes its grand marshals as “individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community.” 

A group of past grand marshals selected PFC Manning as this year’s sole honoree, bestowing one of the LGBT community’s highest accolades on the soldier who helped reveal unpunished war crimes, the Pentagon’s link to Iraqi torture (as publicized in a recent UK Guardian documentary), and other disturbing and previously secret foreign policies.  

Responding to the announcement, Bradley Manning Support Network Steering Committee representative Rainey Reitman stated,

The LGBT community is unique in that being a member requires a willingness to disclose the truth about ourselves to the benefit of those around us and society as a whole. As a longstanding Manning supporter, I’m thrilled to see our community publicly embrace his courage in disclosing classified truths about the war in Iraq and other facts which empower the American public to promote smarter future policy.

PFC Manning, awaiting trial for three years behind bars, cannot attend the Pride celebration in-person.  However, Pentagon Papers’ whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg will attend in his stead, and hundreds are expected to march in support of PFC Manning in the parade...

From Bradley Manning Support Network.

Well done SF Pride for honouring a gay man who's awaiting trial - and possible life imprisonment - for blowing the whistle on US war crimes.
And who did Pride London honour last year... unconvicted American war criminal Hillary Clinton!
Wonder who they'll honour this year?

Update: Queerty headline; Bradley Manning Named San Francisco Pride Grand Marshal, Group Protests. 
That's right - some gay men in the US military have put out a press release saying they're servants of power - better put that in the headline. 
Your balanced gay media at work!