Mayor de Blasio will not yet commit to marching in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Fifth Avenue because parade organizers are only allowing one gay group to march in it.
De Blasio said Sunday he isn’t ruling out his participation on March 17, but that his decision will depend on ongoing discussions he’s having with organizers of the 254-year-old parade.
“I’m not ready to commit to marching because all we’ve heard is that one delegation related to NBC will be allowed to have members of the LGBT community in it,” he said. “That is too small a change to merit a lot of us participating who have wanted to see an inclusive parade.”
The group that will be permitted to march under their own banner is OUT@NBCUNiversal, an LGBT resource group at the network.
De Blasio sloshed through snowy conditions Sunnyside, Queens on Sunday while marching in the ”St. Pat’s for all Parade,” which allows gays and lesbians to march in it.
“Here’s an example of a parade that’s inclusive of all and celebrates Irish heritage in a way that everyone can be a part of,” the mayor said. “I hope for some more progress with the parade in Manhattan but there’s still time.”
Last year, de Blasio’s first as mayor, he skipped the Manhattan parade because it wasn’t inclusive.
Guinness, a prime sponsor of the Manhattan parade which last year pulled out over the issue of gay exclusion, is returning as a sponsor this year.
