Though I might not be Irish, I've always loved St. Patrick's Day. For the Irish, it's a valuable celebration of their heritage. For those of us who aren't, it's a valuable opportunity to share in the history -- and, no doubt, revelry -- of another culture. The fact that St. Patrick's Day is celebrated by so many, regardless of their unique heritage, means that it's a day to put difference and misunderstanding aside. However, considering New York City's St. Patrick's Day annual parade, I'm not quite sure if that idea goes nearly as far as it should.
This year, as in years past, New York City's St. Patrick's Day parade didn't allow gays and lesbians to take part. This was the unfortunate case despite the fact that the parade in Ireland, itself, welcomed gays to participate. The idea that St. Patrick's Day applies to anyone, irrespective of sexual preference, caught on in one side of the Atlantic, but not the other. As a very proud New Yorker, I'm ashamed by that. On behalf of my gay friends and loved ones, I'm ashamed by that. With New York considering itself to be a seat of progressive thought, I'm ashamed by that.
If ever there were a day to reach across the arbitrary and fabricated lines of difference, it would be on St. Patrick's Day. I hope that, in New York, this will soon start to be meaningful.
