St. Patrick’s Day Parade Includes First gαy Group, but Dismay Remains


Slide Show | For St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Shamrocks and Green Eyeshadow Performers converged on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan for the annual celebration of Irish culture, and it was the first time an openly gαy group marched in the event.
By TATIANA SCHLOSSBERG
MARCH 17, 2015
As the St. Patrick’s Day Parade set off Tuesday morning, one group assembling for the march up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan would stand out among the emerald tide: the first gαy organization to march in the parade’s history.

After decades of conflict and debate, the organizers announced last September that they would lift the ban on openly gαy groups marching under their own banners in the parade, which is as much a celebration of Ireland and Irish culture as it is of St. Patrick himself.