BOSTON — Organizers of the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade that takes place in South Boston have rejected applications submitted by two LGBT advocacy groups to participate in Sunday’s parade.
The parade organizers — the Allied War Veterans Council — cited a 1995 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Hurley v. Irish-American Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, which held that parade organizers are legally able to exclude lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people from participating.
“The LGBT community in Massachusetts faces many issues more urgent than the ability to participate in a parade – youth homelessness, bullying, anti-transgender discrimination, HIV/AIDS, elder abuse, and more. But public rejection by parade organizers is significant in that it’s emblematic of the more life-altering rejection our community members face every day,” said Kara Suffredini, Executive Director of MassEquality, one of the two groups denied participation.
“It is disappointing that in this climate, parade organizers would choose to reject our application to participate in Sunday’s parade,” Suffredini said, in a statement.
Join the Impact, another LGBT group in Boston, was also denied permission to participate in the main parade this year.
Members of both groups are expected to take part in an alternative march known as the St. Patrick’s Peace Parade, which is scheduled to begin an hour after the main one along the same route.
The alternative parade is organized by the Greater Boston Chapter of the Veterans for Peace, and is in its second year.
Boston is not the only city to ban its LGBT citizens from their St. Patrick’s Day gathering.
The Irish LGBT advocacy group “Irish Queers” plans to hold a protest at New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade because the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish-American Roman Catholic fraternal organization that sponsors the event, has excluded them from participating.
Filed under: Massachusetts
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Everything is bigger in Texas – even the homophobia
..like that’s going to fly..
ikr that is so stupid that they are doing that to us we are people too.
But green is right there in the RAINBOW!! What’s their confounded PROBLEM??
This is nothing news.
they have so much irrational fear….someday they will deal with this karma
Ah ignorance, what an amazing thing!
Irish=white racist, bigots. Ru really surprised?
Same song same verse
?
Here we go again! EQUAL RIGHTS OUR UNALIENABLE RIGHTS GIVE THEM TO US NOW!
yes kevin im glad ur sas open minded as they are.
Booooooooo Hissssss
The Irish have hard heads!
Being prejudiced on an LGBT page is illogical, Kevin.
Shocker!
As far as I know, they have NEVER let gay groups in – this is nothing new.
I don’t understand all the fuss by the LGBTQ. I’m gay and Irish and don’t know what one has to do with the other. We want to be excepted everywhere but as something different then the rest of the group. Gay, straight etc, you’re still Irish so march in the damn parade ane be proud of being Irish. We have a pride parade. Where your kilt then if you want and be a proud gay Irishman.
corrections—–and–and/ Wear–where
you have pride events why is it necessary to now cause problems with an event that has nothing to do with sexual orientation..gee’s we as a comminity need to give our heads a shake with this entilment crap.
EVERY YEAR!
All “Saint Patrick’s Day” events (parades, parties, getting drunk, etc.) in the USA have ABSOLUTELY NO CONNECTION with the Born-in-Britain Patrick who was a Christian missionary to Ireland. PATRICK WAS NOT IRISH!
that enrages me wtf? and Boston of all places that is where i am from well not boston suburbs