Gay Group to Participate in Buffalo's Original St. Pats Day Parade
Buffalo — In recent years the Valley Community Center in South Buffalo has revived Buffalo's Original Saint Patrick's Day Parade in the First Ward.
This year the local grassroots activist group Outspoken For Equality will be be among the contingents taking part in the Saturday afternoon parade.
This will be the fist lgbt inclusive Saint Patrick's Day parade in Buffalo. In 2000 Queen's New York's began The St. Pat's for All Parade became the first in the 260 years + of Irish parades in New York City to be open and welcoming to all who wish share the spirit of the day. Since that time lgbt people have marched along side then U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton along with numerous federal and state elected officials.
"Proud Irish American Families" is the banner that Outspoken will march with to describe the participating lgbt families
The "Old Neighborhood" St. Patrick's Day Parade taking place on Saturday, March 13th at noon has welcomed Outspoken For Equality to be the first lgbt organization to walk in the parade. It is not known if any lgbt group has ever requested to participate in either the First Ward parade or the much larger Saint Patrick's Day Parade that will be held on Sunday in downtown Buffalo.
Outspoken aims to be just another group in the parade. Outspoken spokesperson said, There is hope that a mom, dad, sibling or two, or a couple of grandparents see the group and feels warm and happy for the son or daughter, brother or sister, mom or dad in their life that are lgbt Americans struggling for inclusion and protection in their own country.
—Staff
