New York City LGBT activist groups protested Manhattan's annual St. Patrick's Day parade, this year. They say they're outraged that the New York Police Department continues to participate. And they've written New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly demanding that NYPD stop participating. Again. LGBT activists say the commissioner ignored the request they made in September.
According to the groups, police participation in the parade is a violation of the city's human rights code. Apparently, the organization that handles the St. Patrick's Day parade won't let LGBT people participate.
One protester told reporters, “It's an abomination here in the city. As a resident of New York, I'm outraged that the city supports it, that police march in uniform and so do firefighters. This is a parade of hate. This is a parade of bigotry that has been defined in court as an anti-gay parade.”
Another said, “City dollars shouldn't be going to supporting a parade where that excludes anyone, whoever they are. And I think that by the police marching, it reinforces fear that gay and lesbian people feel that they are not protected by the police.”
We don't know about an abomination, but it certainly seems untoward.
According to the groups, police participation in the parade is a violation of the city's human rights code. Apparently, the organization that handles the St. Patrick's Day parade won't let LGBT people participate.
One protester told reporters, “It's an abomination here in the city. As a resident of New York, I'm outraged that the city supports it, that police march in uniform and so do firefighters. This is a parade of hate. This is a parade of bigotry that has been defined in court as an anti-gay parade.”
Another said, “City dollars shouldn't be going to supporting a parade where that excludes anyone, whoever they are. And I think that by the police marching, it reinforces fear that gay and lesbian people feel that they are not protected by the police.”
We don't know about an abomination, but it certainly seems untoward.
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