History will be made today at the St. Patrick’s Day parade as an LGBTQ group for the first time will openly march under its own banner. But it’s a hollow victory. The inclusion of Out@NBCUniversal, LGBTQ employees of the parade’s broadcaster NBCUniversal, brought back Heineken and Guinness as sponsors. The single inclusion was seen by many as a way to bring back the prominent figures and sponsors who dropped out of last year’s parade, but Mayor Bill DeBlasio and the City Council will still not march, they said, because organizers didn’t include other LGBTQ groups. DeBasio says:
“I’ve made very clear that there has to be more progress for me to consider marching in the parade. I think a lot of other leaders feel the same way we do.”
Organizers continue “to marginalize and shame Irish LGBTQ people.” Group member Gaby Cryan said:
“The parade organizers have claimed a right to discriminate against us because they’re running it as a Catholic procession. But even the Cardinal calls it ‘a celebration of all things Irish.”
Irish Queers, an activist group said they plan to protest the parade. So, this inclusion is far from a triumph, more like a trick that got back some advertising dollars and the mayor wasn’t about to fall for it. Many in the city, either protest the exclusion or ignore the parade altogether. (via AM NY)
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