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Staten Island St. Pat's Parade Set to Exclude LGBTQs

by Kilian Melloy

EDGE Staff Reporter

Thursday February 20, 2020

It's the same old song in the same old anti-LGBTQ key: Organizers of the Staten Island St. Patrick's Day Parade say that the event is not a "sexual identification parade," and refuse to allow non-heterosexuals to participate.

The issue of gay Irish Americans marching openly alongside their straight kindred in St Patrick's Day events has been a long-simmering one. Evidently, "Kiss Me - I'm Irish" doesn't apply to LGBTQ sons and daughters of the Emerald Isle.

Boston's LGBTQ Irish Americans famously didn't feel the love from local parade organizers for year after long year, with organizers pointedly blocking participation from gay groups and then suggesting that gays were politicizing the event and making it unsuitable for children.

That changed in 2015 when a group for LGBTQ military veterans - Outvets - persuaded organizers of the Boston parade to allow them to participate. The group returned for the parade in 2016, but was almost barred again in 2017 because - news reports noted at the time - the group's logo includes a rainbow, and parade organizers declared the multi-hued symbol of equality to be a "violation" of the event's "code of conduct."

CBS New York reported on the latest round in the ongoing struggle for equality, in which organizers of the Staten Island St. Patrick's Day parade denied permission to two LGBTQ organizations to join in - at least, not if they wanted to identify as non-heterosexual.

The head of Pride Center of Staten Island, Carol Bullock, told CBS, "We were asked if our organization had anything to do with sexual identity. We said yes and we were told that this is not a parade for sexual identification," Bullock said.

She also noted that another group, Gay Officers Action League of New York, was similarly turned away. That group's executive director, Brian Downey, pointed out an essential irony of the situation, telling CBS that "LGBT people are welcome to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade of Ireland."

Ancient Order of Hibernians parade organizer Larry Cummings reiterated that the Staten Island event was not a "sexual identification" parade, reported , saying, "Here's the deal, it's a non-sexual identification parade and that's that, no, they are not marching."

Cummings then went on to add:

"Don't try to keep asking a million friggin' questions, OK?"

"The fact of the matter is that's what it is, OK? And that's that."

Cummings' comments echoed those he made in 2018 on the same subject, when he told the Irish Central Voice that, "Our parade is for Irish heritage and culture. It is not a political or sexual identification parade."

Cummings clarified at the time that, "Gays can march, but not under a banner."

The Pride Center of Staten Island will be leaving its home turf to march in the Manhattan St. Patrick's Day parade, where the group will be welcome, news reports said. New York politicians, including NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio, have said they will boycott the Staten Island event.

Politicians similarly no-showed for last year's Staten Island event, noted Spectrum News NY1, which reported that:

The parade is seen as a kickoff to the campaign season.

Watch the CBS New York news clip below.

Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.