John
Dunleavy and his allies on the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee seem
determined to keep excluding Irish LGBT organizations and drag the rest of us
into this never ending controversy.
This
is important because for better or for worse, mostly worse, the parade is the
first and often only thing that much of the world knows about Irish America.
If
the Irish LGBT groups are excluded again, very few people will ever know or
notice how many AOH divisions carry “England Get Out of Ireland” banners.
Once
again, really important issues like the torture of Irish political prisoners,
British government collusion, or discrimination in employment will be largely
eclipsed.
Irish
Americans will be isolated from every city and state wide elected official and
the New York City Council.
Right
now, if people know anything about Ireland it’s that it became the first
country to pass marriage equality by referendum. In fact, the margin of victory
was overwhelming.
In
the North, 20,000 people just marched for marriage equality, led by the Irish
Congress of Trade Unions and Amnesty International. Only the DUP is preventing
it from becoming legal in the North as well.
No
wonder it’s so hard to explain to people why Irish LGBT organizations shouldn’t
be allowed to march.
The
sad thing is that all this is totally unnecessary.
All
it would take would be a decision by the Parade Committee to invite an
organization like the Lavender and Green Alliance or St. Pat’s for All to march
next year.
The
AOH, although it no longer organizes the parade, still had enormous influence.
It is, after all, by far the largest Irish American organization. If the New
York City AOH divisions publicly called on the Parade Committee to include
Irish LGBT organizations this might all be resolved.
Otherwise,
this will drag on for yet another year and Irish Americans will be the big
losers.
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF A BANNER WAS UNFURLED WHICH READ " AMERICA, GET OUT OF GUANTANOMO , SHANNON AND THE MIDDLE EAST " ? LOL. AOH AND THE AMERICAN MILITARY WERE AND ARE ONE OF THE SAME. IRISH AMERICA LOVED TO SERVE THE AMERICAN ARMY DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. PLUS CA CHANGE.
ReplyDeleteOne of the main problems with Irish Republicanism is that ideals in favour of equality such as the secularism of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and focus on the emancipation of women during 1916 was blindsided by the execution of the Rising leaders and the consequences of the Treaty, partition and a right wing state.
ReplyDeleteIf the AOH were shown to be behind the times or at least behind progression with their opposition to the IRB surely they can use this opportunity to show that they can show equality and parity of esteem to the LGBT community?
Onwards and upwards!
fag free event? Had no idea it was a no smoking parade. Keep them out of it. They fucked this place up enough already.
ReplyDeleteSome good news on this front
ReplyDelete