By John Mack Freeman. Thanks to Peter Coyl for the tip!
A long ban on LGBT group participation in the annual New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade has finally ended. On Wednesday, the organizing committee announced that openly gay groups would be allowed to march under their own banners at next years parade. This ends nearly two decades of conflict over the issue which had come to a head this year. Guiness had pulled its financial support from the parade and New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio said that he would not participate in the event as long as it excluded LGBT people. With other businesses threatening to pull support and public opinion turning against them, the organizers made their long overdue decision.
For insight into the history of this conflict, please see the New York Times article here.
