New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio refused to attend the St. Patrick's Day Parade last year because organizers banned gay groups from marching in the celebration. He should feel free to attend this year, as the ban has been lifted.
Parade organizers ended the policy of denying gay groups to participate after numerous protests, court battles and debate, the Associated Press reported. The decision will allow the group OUT@NBCUniversal, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender support group, to march under an identifying banner on March 17.
Other groups can apply in the upcoming years, according to Bill O'Reilly, a parade organizer spokesman. The parade allowed gay individuals to march in previous years, but they couldn't carry anything that identified them as a group.
NBC Universal broadcasts the parade on New York's local affiliate station, and the parade faced pressure from employees at the company. De Blasio also threatened to boycott the parade for a second year in a row if organizers didn't lift the ban.
He became the first mayor in 20 years not to attend the parade. David N. Dinkins boycotted in 1993 when a court order barred the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization, a group of openly gay Irish-Americans, from participating in the parade. Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg marched every year while in office.
Organizers wanted to remain "loyal to church teachings," but Cardinal Timothy Dolan supports the change, according to O'Reilly. Dolan will serve as the grand marshal of the next parade.
"I know that there are thousands and thousands of gay people marching in this parade," the Cardinal said last year, while the ban was still in effect. "And I'm glad they are."
The parade runs up Fifth Avenue between 44th and 79th Streets in Manhattan. St. Patrick's Day lands on a Tuesday in 2015.