Pride Lack of Action Concerns the Community

by Kim Stowell

In late 2019, on the evening that Thom Meredith was elected to the RI Pride Board of Directors, he reports being sexually assaulted, and then physically assaulted by a top-ranking member of the Pride board. When he found the courage, months later, to disclose his story to the executive board members, he hoped for some kind of public restorative justice. But in his view, his allegations were “quietly handled,” and were not disclosed even to the remainder of the board, while the perpetrator was permitted to continue to be a central figure during Pride month. The consequences of Meredith’s disclosure, he went on to say, were decided three weeks later in a closed executive session, where a vote was taken to remove the alleged perpetrator from the board.

In the days that followed, other accusations were aimed at Pride, including a lack of public accountability, other instances of sexual misconduct, financial wrongdoings, and a deliberate cover-up on the part of Pride’s executive board. Within days, several executive board members resigned, each citing their own reasons for doing so.

The community sprang into action. By early July, The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health released a statement saying it would utilize a restorative justice framework to form a “survivor-centered space for those who have been harmed by members of Rhode Island Pride... to foster community healing and determine whether the group wants to ask for accountability from those who have caused harm.” In addition, an online survey was created for community members to document “Harms Done by Rhode Island Pride.”

Meanwhile, new leadership emerged at RI Pride. Most notably Tatiana Renders, the recently appointed Board Secretary, assumed the role of Acting President, becoming the first woman of color to lead the organization. According to Meredith, the remaining board members committed openly to a new period of transparency, and agreed to contract with a restorative justice specialist and institute a forensic financial audit.

In late July, with one day’s notice, a community meeting was called by Renders. Of the many community members attending the Zoom call, several told their stories in what felt like an atmosphere of catharsis. It seemed that perhaps, as damaging as events had been, there was a sense of healing, and of having been heard.

Community members came forward in the days that followed with offers to help the remaining and fairly inexperienced board members. It was clear that the community would be watching Pride’s next steps closely. Suggestions were made for the organization to demonstrate absolute transparency, prepare for an external audit, and involve the larger community in a process of board development. However, the August 12 board meeting opened with the announcement that meetings would no longer be open to the public, which Renders said was meant to keep meetings to a reasonable length of time. Then it was announced that an external audit would not be forthcoming for financial reasons, although a smaller internal audit might be in the works. Last, the group declined to make any statement about the sexual abuse allegations.

The reaction of those community members in attendance was one of dismay, frustration, and wariness. They turned to social media, decrying the lack of public accountability for the allegations of sexual misconduct, the subsequent coverups, and a lack of assurances of transparency. Thom Meredith tendered his resignation from the board shortly after that meeting, citing a loss of confidence in Pride’s leadership.

The future of Pride remains to be seen, and all eyes will be on the current leadership of this decades-old organization.

Note: While our writer did speak with Thom Meredith, some information was found in his Facebook statements. Options made many attempts to reach current leadership at Rhode Island Pride for comment but did not receive a response.