RCMP are walking back their position that Steinbach’s first-ever LGBTTQ* Pride parade will have to stick to the sidewalk.

Mounties told organizers of the July 9 Pride march they would have to stay off the road due to possible construction and busy Saturday traffic.

“By all means they can have their march, but they must have it on the sidewalks,” RCMP Sgt. Joanne Ryll said early Wednesday.

The move caused an uproar Wednesday, causing Mounties to later say they would reconsider.

“The RCMP fully supports the LGBT community and the Steinbach pride parade. The Steinbach RCMP has been working with event organizers to find a safe route for the parade and its participants,” a written statement from the RCMP regional headquarters in Winnipeg read.

“While a permit was initially declined for safety reasons, we are re-assessing the request. Our primary concern was and remains the safety of event participants. Our officers will be there to ensure security and are looking forward to walking alongside participants on July 9th.”

Pride Winnipeg president Jonathan Niemcazk said RCMP made the “smart move,” considering the buzz around the event, frequent media stories about controversies, and a social media group of Winnipeggers planning to make the trek. “All of that has brought a lot of attention, Niemczak said. “So a sidewalk wasn’t going to cut it.”

“At the end of the day, it’s a peaceful demonstration, they don’t need a permit … and the RCMP would have had to accommodate them. So I think it’s very smart that they are rethinking that now.”

Michelle McHale, an organizer of Pride March for Equality, noted that the city closes roads for many other celebrations.

“They just closed the city — on that street we requested — last weekend for Summer in the City,” McHale said, referring to the weekend-long downtown festival.

Still, RCMP offered more support than the parade has received from local politicians in recent days.

On Monday, regional Conservative MP Ted Falk said he would not be attending Pride due to personal beliefs. Local MLA Kelvin Goertzen would only say Tuesday he was annoyed at media requests for an answer about his attendance.

Several of Goertzen’s Progressive Conservative colleagues attended the recent Pride parade in Winnipeg, including Premier Brian Pallister. Manitoba Justice Minister Heather Stefanson couldn’t say Wednesday if any caucus members would be joining Steinbach’s march, adding she trusts RCMP to make the right decision.

In the province’s third-largest city, the prevailing attitude both in political circles and online is that Pride organizers are welcome to march, but should not demand that politicians and others attend.

“Council believes that all people, including those who identify as LGBTQ, deserve to be treated with love and respect at all times,” read a statement released by Steinbach’s city council on Wednesday. “Council also recognizes the importance of recognizing the rights of individuals and organizations who hold different beliefs from those in the LGBTQ community.

“Council has not officially endorsed the July 9 pride march. Steinbach residents will decide for themselves whether they wish to attend this event.”

Manitoba’s NDP caucus confirmed interim leader Flor Marcelino and other MLAs will attend it, as will Manitoba Liberals.

In the wake of the tragic shootings at a gay Orlando nightclub, and as threats of violence loom over Toronto Pride, Steinbach Pride is taking security seriously.

Pride Winnipeg is lending some of their team to Steinbach, including their safety and security director Amanda Pratt, and rally and parade director Evan Maydaniuk.

Pratt said she and McHale have spoken to RCMP about patrolling the event, but the police have made it clear they cannot dedicate officers specifically for the parade.

“I only have like seven members working an entire shift from 7 a.m. to midnight, so there could be three members, there could be two members, there could be no members [at the march] for awhile,” Ryll told Postmedia.

Pratt said she doesn’t expect too much trouble during the event, but since police may be unavailable, she is looking into getting volunteers to help watch over the area.

“Given the fact Steinbach is a very conservative community, we want to make sure we are putting in the right steps to make sure people feel safe,” she said.

Parade organizer McHale grew up in the area but didn’t come out until she was 30.

She and partner Karen Phillips recently filed a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission after one of their kids was allegedly bullied at a local school in Hanover School Division for having same-sex parents.

“The community here is quite religious, and the reason they’re opposed to LGBTQ integration and inclusion is religion-based,” McHale said.

“If you’re the kind of person who questions things ... I was one of those people ... you don’t fit in,” she said.

“It’s hard to be a critical thinker in an extremely religious community.”

— With files from the Canadian Press, the National Post, Joyanne Pursaga