On St. Patrick's Day, everybody wants to be Irish!  

That means the streets of Manhattan will be crowded with rowdy revelers in green from near and far. The New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade is the largest annual parade in New York City, with about 150,000  HETEROSEXUAL MARCHERS. Gay and lesbians  ARE NOT ALLOWED to participate.


GAY CITY NEWS reported this week, the queens will be allowed to march in Queens! Residents of the Queens neighborhoods of Sunnyside and Woodside are way beyond having to choose between celebrating their Irish heritage or embracing their city's diversity. For the better part of a decade, the St. Pat's for All inclusive parade has become firmly established as one of the city's best examples of how New York's diverse communities can celebrate Irish history in a unified and festive fashion.


"What's very moving is the community activism and hope and commitment that made this inclusive parade possible... and now it's another traditional parade in this city," said parade co-chair Brendan Fay. - "It's the most progressive parade in New York; we welcome everybody," added parade co-chair Kathleen Walsh D'Arcy.

 The annual event stands in stark contrast to the centuries-old March 17 walk down Fifth Avenue, organized by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, which bars participation by openly LGBT groups. Dating back to the mayoralty of David Dinkins, Fay was a leader of the to-date unsuccessful effort to integrate that parade. In recent years, Fay refocused his energies on building an inclusive tradition in his home borough.

Sunny skies greeted the many politicians, marchers, and viewers who lined up along Skillman Avenue last weekend for what remains the only St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City that welcomes gays.  - "This parade has changed a lot of attitudes in the city," Fay stated. "For years, protestors being arrested was the annual story around the parade. But this parade, which began with the hopes and dreams of people in Queens, has grown. And it's not just about tagging along LGBT contingents... but literally about rethinking what cultural events and parades are in this city. We weren't just a flash in the pan, reacting to something on Fifth Avenue. This parade is a good that has come out of an experience of discrimination."

Read the full story at GAY CITY NEWS.