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STATEN ISLAND: The Richmond County St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee at Willowbrook’s Holy Family Church has once again banned gay groups from their parade.
The group says that the Staten Island St. Patrick Parade, set to take place on March 6 this year, is an event meant to respect and honor Irish heritage and the Roman Catholic faith.
The contend that allowing LGBTQ groups to openly march under their banners would be an violation of that.
The local parade’s position reminds many of controversies across the nation that have mostly been resolved in the last decade or so.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade that marches down Manhattan’s 5th Avenue saw its first openly gay group in 2015 after years of obstinance.
The Rev. Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the head of the Archdiocese of New York, welcomed the decision when it was announced.
Most of the Island’s elected officials don’t participate in the actual parade, but some still attend the Jay O’Donovan breakfast before the event at Jody’s Club Forest, located near the Hart Boulevard and Forest Avenue starting point.
