LGBTQ+ groups invited to march in Staten Island's St. Patrick's Day Parade for 1st time in 60 years
STATEN ISLAND (WABC) -- For the first time ever, the Pride Center of Staten Island will be allowed to march in the Richmond County St. Patrick's Day Parade.
The parade committee, for the first time in 60 years, announced Tuesday it will allow LGBTQ+ groups to march in Staten Island's St. Patrick's Day Parade.
The Pride Center of Staten Island released a statement saying they are honored to be invited to march in the parade.
"This event is a time-honored tradition that brings people together from all walks of life to celebrate Irish culture, and we are excited to be part of this vibrant community celebration," said Carol Bullock, Executive Director for Pride Center of Staten Island.
The committee said the group has been invited to march in the 2025 St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 2, 2025 and the invitation was extended by new leadership of the committee that was installed on Oct. 30.
"The Parade Committee is entrusted with ensuring the focus of the parade remains upon Saint Patrick, the history, traditions, culture, and faith of the Irish people. In this endeavor, the leadership of the Pride Center has assured the Parade Committee that they are ready to provide support to the Parade in fulfilling this obligation," the group said in a statement. "It is not lost on the Parade Committee how controversial this event has become. The end to this controversy is to the benefit of the Committee, the Pride Center, and the greater Staten Island community."
Last year, Eyewitness News spoke with the founder of the Lavender and Green Alliance for Irish LGBTQ members, Brendan Fay, who had been a grand marshal for a St. Patrick's Day parade in Ireland and marched on Fifth Avenue, but could not march on Staten Island.
"Exclusion is not Irish, exclusion is not Catholic, and exclusion is most definitely not in the spirit of New York," Fay said.
Mayor Eric Adams released a statement celebrating the decision.
"From day one, our administration has been clear that celebrations in our city should be welcoming and inclusive, which is why we brought the community together, along with the Staten Island Business Outreach Center, to create the first-ever - and incredibly successful - fully-inclusive St. Patrick's Day Parade on Staten Island earlier this year," Adams said. "We are thrilled that, this year, Staten Island's LGBTQ+ community will finally be welcome to march under their own banner in the Richmond County St. Patrick's Day Parade and we applaud the committee for coming to this decision, which was a long-time coming."
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