EDGE New England

The same week that gay Army private Bradley Manning faced a military judge, the San Francisco Pride board of directors affirmed its earlier decision: there will be no official honor for the whistle-blower at this year’s parade.

It’s rare for an American to generate more sympathy abroad than at home, but Bradley Manning and his trial are unique in a host of ways.

Pfc. Bradley Manning listened to his attorney argue that the soldier was young and naive and only wanted to enlighten the public about the bitter reality of America’s wars when he gave a massive amount of classified material to WikiLeaks.

Many marchers will not only be celebrating their sexuality, relationships and, with the U.S. Supreme Court’s help, possibly marriage equality, but a large number are expected to march in support of imprisoned gay Army private first class Bradley Manning.

A San Francisco Pride staffer has been fired in the latest fallout over the board’s bungled handling of the Bradley Manning grand marshal controversy.

In a May 7 statement the board of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee said it was reopening the voting by former grand marshals in what’s known as Pride’s electoral college.

LGBT unrest over the San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee’s controversial selection and retraction of imprisoned Army Private First Class Bradley Manning as a Pride grand marshal has now escalated to the legal arena.

The San Francisco Pride board of directors faced off against an angry crowd of about 125 Bradley Manning supporters Tuesday evening at a meeting intended to hear public comments on its reversal of Manning as a Pride grand marshal.

The board that oversees the San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade is facing a backlash after it rescinded a community grand marshal honor for Army Private First Class Bradley Manning, the gay man who leaked 700,000 classified government documents.

Racing to stanch a flow of criticism, the president of San Francisco’s annual gay pride celebration said Friday that the U.S. Army private charged in a massive leak of U.S. secrets to the WikiLeaks website will not be an honorary grand marshal after all.