Gay Pride Parade 2016: New York, San Francisco To See Heightened Security In Wake Of Orlando Pulse Shooting

Officials in New York City and San Francisco announced plans for heightened security at Sunday's gay pride 2016 parades in the wake of the deadly Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.

But plans for an increased police presence have resulted in some unintended consequences, with three groups -- Black Lives Matter; the Transgender, Gender Variant and Intersex Justice Project; and a health clinic -- announcing plans to withdraw from the San Francisco gay pride parade.

The Transgender, Gender Variant and Intersex Justice Project and Black Lives Matter had planned to serve as honorary grand marshals for the gay pride 2016 parade in San Francisco, with the St. James Infirmary also participating, the Associated Press reported. But rather than feeling safer with the security boost, some LGBT members instead were uncomfortable with plans for larger numbers of police and metal detectors at the parade.

New York City is also taking additional measures to ensure the safety of more than 20,000 parade participants and more than 1.6 million spectators, the Wall Street Journal reported. The New York Police Department said it will increase the number of officers in and around the parade route. Bomb-sniffing dogs, rooftop patrols and boats are also part of the security plan for Sunday’s parade. More clandestine measures, in addition to an increased public presence, will be integral to the security measures.

“We will, out of caution, be increasing the size of the police detail this year with some degree of focus that we might not have had in years past on the issue of terrorism," NYPD Commissioner William Bratton said at a news conference Thursday. Bratton said there were no specific threats to the parade.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio will be among the parade marchers. Leading the event will be Pulse nightclub owner Barbara Poma, WABC-TV reported. Poma will be on the first of 84 floats.

On Saturday, the gay pride parade in London held a moment of silence for the Pulse nightclub victims, the BBC reported. More than 40,000 people participated in the parade.