NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade Drops Ban on Gay Groups

From: Accidental Bear

Wow, I don’t think I knew about the ban on gay groups from the St Patrick’s Parade in NYC. It’s another obstacle that marriage equality didn’t clear up all by itself.

Pink News has reported:

The New York St Patrick’s Day parade will allow an LGBT contingent to march under their own banner for the first time.

The annual Catholic event – which attracts over a million tourists each year – has a long-held ban on allowing gay groups to march – but the 2014 parade faced a large commercial boycott over the exclusion of LGBT groups.

In 2015, the LGBT groups of one of the parade’s biggest sponsors, OUT@NBCUniversal, was allowed to march as part of NBC’s contingent – but other groups remained banned.

However, ahead of the 2016 event, the organizers of the parade have performed a monumental about-face, and will drop the ban entirely.

Irish LGBT group the Lavender and Green Alliance will be allowed to march in the Parade.

Brendan Fay, the group’s founder, wrote: “We celebrate the welcome! St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2016, will be a great day for hospitality and inclusion.

“The decision to invite an Irish Gay organization, The Lavender & Green Alliance/ Muintir Aerach na hÉireann, by the Board of Directors of the St Patrick’s Day Parade sends a positive message across the Irish Cultural landscape.

“As LGBT Irish Americans we thank John Lahey and the members of the Board for this historic decision which reflects the feelings of most Irish and Irish Americans.

“With the decision we cross a historic threshold and our members will proudly march up Fifth Avenue with our banner.”

Read more at pinknews.co.uk