Andrew Friedman

The Fightin’ Irish

So, the Irish are all over the news this week.

True, it's St. Patrick's Day and the Ancient Order of Hibernians is organizing a march up Fifth Avenue that is expected to draw 2 million people. The most powerful Irish New York City politician, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, won't be marching, though. And well she shouldn't. The march organizers continue to insist on a backward and bigoted criteria for marching. Marchers are not permitted to identify themselves as Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender or Queer (LGBTQ) or as overt supporters of LGBTQ New Yorkers.

Quinn, to her credit, sought to reach an agreement with the Ancient Order of Hibernians that would enable Irish New Yorkers to celebrate both their heritage and their identities at the same time. Sadly, she did not succeed. Sadly, too, the City of New York continues to lend resources and support to the march. Too many politicians and too many everyday New Yorkers seem willling to accept the ugly spectacle of homophobia at our city's largest annual parade.

On a brighter note, the fighting Irish spirit seems to have pushed New york Senators Clinton and Schumer to finally speak out against restrictionist immigration proposals being pushed by Republicans in Washington. The fact that it took lily white face faces to move the Senators to action is explored in Nina Bernstein's excellent article in yesterday's New York Times, An Irish Face on the Cause of Citizenship.

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Posted at 12:34 PM, Mar 17, 2006 in Civil Rights
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