For first time, South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade welcomes LGBT groups
For the first time in its 115-year history, South Boston's聽St. Patrick's Day parade will include groups representing the LGBT community.聽
and will march in the , which celebrates St. Patrick's Day and Evacuation Day, the anniversary of the departure of British troops from Boston in 1776.聽The Allied War Veterans Council, who organizes the parade, , an organization for聽gay, lesbian, and transgender veterans and service members. On Friday,聽Boston Pride was in the parade as well.
Nearly all of the religiously affiliated groups who usually participate in the parade will march as planned. But two Catholic groups groups have withdrawn.
The Massachusetts chapter of the Knights of Columbus cited what they characterized as politicization of the event聽as their reason for not participating this year.聽
鈥淲e deeply regret that some have decided to use this occasion to further the narrow objectives of certain special interests, which has subjected this occasion to undeserved ,鈥� the group鈥檚 statement read.
Last month, the 聽in Harvard, Mass., withdrew from the parade because OUTVETS had been invited to march, according to Irish Live. The Catholic Action League, that the Allied War Veterans Council rename the parade.
鈥淐all it the Evacuation Day Parade. Call it the South Boston Irish Pride Festival," Catholic Action League Executive Director C.J. Doyle wrote on the group's website.聽"Call it whatever you want, but by associating it with the tawdry circus that will take place on Broadway [Street] tomorrow."
In 1995, the Allied War Veterans Council and won its right to uphold its ban on having LGBT groups march in the parade by claiming it violated Catholic religious doctrine, according to the BBC. The court ruled that forcing any specific group's participation was a violation of free speech rights, according to the report.聽
Since then Boston's mayors have all boycotted the event, protesting the ban on the gay community, but this year Mayor Marty Walsh will march.
鈥淲hile we recognize there is still much work to be done to protect the rights of the LGBT community both here and around the world, and to ensure everyone鈥檚 rights to express themselves and to celebrate, we are aware of how symbolically important it is for members of our community to be proudly out among their friends and neighbors as a part of this historic parade,鈥� said Sylvain Bruni, president of Boston Pride, .
鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled that the St. Patrick鈥檚 Day parade is inclusive this year, and the addition of Boston Pride to the list of participants reflects the values of the South Boston neighborhood,鈥� said Mayor Walsh, according to the statement. 鈥淲ith this year鈥檚 parade, Boston is putting years of controversy behind us.鈥�
