NY Times Covers City's St. Patrick's Parade Controversy

Delighted this morning to have come across this article....

Councilman Daniel Dromm, left, and Brendan Fay of the Lavender and Green Alliance with Mayor Bill de Blasio at the Irish Consulate. Mr. de Blasio will march with the alliance, which represents gay Irish-Americans. CreditBryan R. Smith for The New York Times

N.Y. / REGION

Activists Recall Fight to Allow Gays in St. Patrick’s Day Parade

By WILLIAM NEUMAN MARCH 3, 2016

It was a moment that some feared might never come, after so many years of

viewing the St. Patrick’s Day Parade from the outside, politically and personally.

This year will be different.

Now that a group representing gay Irish-Americans will march in the parade,

activists choked up on Thursday as they recounted their battle, and celebrated Bill

de Blasio’s decision to march in the parade for the first time as mayor.

“Perhaps our hearts will be dancing all the way,” said Brendan Fay, a leader of

the group, the Lavender and Green Alliance, which will participate in the parade on

March 17.

Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, had boycotted the event during his first two years in

office because of the organizers’ stance toward gay and lesbian groups. At a news

conference at the Irish Consulate, the mayor said he would start out in the parade