New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (right) is likely to boycott the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade again this year because of the lack of LGBT groups taking part
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (right) is likely to boycott the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade again this year because of the lack of LGBT groups taking part, reports Irish Central.
It has also been confirmed that a majority of City Council members, including Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito, will not take part. The council boycotted last year's event and withdrew its banner in protest.
Council member Daniel Dromm said:
“I won't march until an Irish gay group can march. And there will be no council banner in this year's parade – of course there won't.”
Dromm added that the decision to allow non-Irish LGBT group OUT@NBCUniversal to take part in this year's parade came about purely for corporate reasons.
Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer joined Dromm in highlighting the parade's non-inclusive stance:
“Once again I will not march in the St. Patrick's Day parade. This parade is still not fully inclusive of the thousands of New Yorkers who have been turned away for decades from representing their heritage.
"Until all New Yorkers are able to represent themselves freely and march as proud members of our city's vibrant Irish and Irish American LGBT community I will continue to boycott this parade.”
De Blasio will march in the St. Pat's for All parade in Queens on Sunday, March 1st. Brendan Fay, a co-founder of the alternative parade, welcomed the decision to allow OUT@NBCUniversal to take part in the main parade but agreed with Dromm that it “is looking increasingly like a trick to maintain the parade's corporate sponsors and ensure that NBC continues to broadcast the parade.”
Ireland's Prime Minister Enda Kenny will not be taking part in this year's New York parade.
Following a boycott by several of NYC's prominent gay bars, last year Guinness announced that it had dropped sponsorship of the parade.
Watch a report on LGBT protests at the 2014 parade, AFTER THE JUMP…
