Finally! NYC Mayor Will Boycott St. Patrick’s Day Parade to Protest Exclusion of Gay Groups
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has hit the ground running with his progressive agenda—in between dealing with multiple snowstorms. This week, he announced he will not participate in the annual St. Patrick's Day parade protest due to the organizers long standing divide over gay rights, New York Timesreported.
De Blasio is set to be the first mayor of New York in 20 years not to participate in the parade down Fifth Avenue after the event banned marchers carrying gay pride banners. The last mayor to boycott the event was David N. Dinkins in 1993 for excluding gay participants, according to International Business Times.
At a press conference at City Hall, de Blasio confirmed he would not be marching.
"I will be participating in a number of other events to honor the Irish heritage of this city, but I simply disagree with the organizers of that parade,” he said.
De Blasio also boycotted the official parade when he was public advocate.
The LGBT community has praised the mayor for his strong stance against discrimination. However, liberal activists including public advocate Letitia James urged de Blasio to restrict public workers from marching in the parade while wearing formal city uniforms.
However, de Blasio was refused to go that far: “Uniformed city workers have a right to participate if they choose to, and I respect that right,” he said.
The parade in New York draws more than a million people to the streets and is watched more than 200, 000 people, IBT reported.
