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Staten Island To Reportedly Host First-Ever ‘Gay-Friendly’ St. Patrick’s Day Parade

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 17: Parade marshals hold a banner after a short parade before the start of a St. Patrick's Day Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on March 17, 2021 in New York City. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, held Mass in honor of Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of the archdiocese. The traditional St. Patrick's Day festivities in NYC were cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

(Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Thomas McGiffin Contributor
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A spokesperson for New York Mayor Eric Adams has declared that there will be two St. Patrick’s Day parades in Staten Island this year, one of which will be LQBTQ inclusive, The New York Times (NYT) reported.

This dual-parade solution has come in the wake of long disagreement between the original parade organizers and LQBTQ activists. The parade organizers had long insisted that the parade, in honor of the feast day of the patron saint of Ireland, should not include gay advocacy groups, stating they don’t belong at a parade for the Catholic saint, the outlet reported.

“Our parade is for Irish heritage and culture. It is not a political or sexual identification parade,” Larry Cummings, president of the original Staten Island parade, previously told The Irish Voice.

The parade has reportedly been known to prevent individuals advocating for LQBTQ causes from participating, including Madison L’Insalata, a Miss Staten Island winner who came out as bisexual afterward.

In order to bypass the original parade organizers’ resistance to LQBTQ groups, there will reportedly be two parades held in the borough, the original on March 2 and the LQBTQ one on March 17, the actual day of the saint’s feast. Mayor Adams has boycotted the event in the past, but his office said he will be attending the March 17 parade, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Video Highlights Deceased Transgender Activist Mourners’ Alleged Deception Of Catholic Cathedral Which Welcomed Them)

“Everyone interested — regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, race or beliefs — will be welcome to march together,” Kayla Mamelak, Mayor Adams’ spokesperson, said, the NYT reported.

“I am so happy we have taken this parade back for the Staten Island community,” Carol Bullock, the Pride Center of Staten Island’s executive director, who has tried for years to get her group into the parade, reportedly stated. “I am finally going to march down Forest Avenue with my staff, my board, our supporters and our banner and celebrate our Irish heritage.”

LQBTQ activists have recently demanded an apology from St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City after they condemned a funeral for transgender sex worker Cecilia Gentili held there as “sacrilegious,” according to the New York Post, as previously reported. During a eulogy at the funeral, Catholic saints were reportedly mocked.

“This whore. This great whore. St. Cecilia, Mother of all Whores!” was said in reference to Gentili while mocking St. Cecilia, a Christian martyr, a video showed. The cathedral reportedly said they had no idea the funeral was for a trans person and the ceremony was organized in a “deceptive way.”