Progress. From The New York Times:
The organizers of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade said on Wednesday that they were lifting a ban on gay groups participating in the march, ending a policy that had sparked protests, court battles and bitter debate for decades.
The decision, reported by The Associated Press, to allow a gay group to march under its own banner came as Mayor Bill de Blasio threatened to once again boycott the parade and the organizers faced pressure from employees of NBC Universal, which broadcasts the festivities.
The parade committee, in a statement made available to The A.P., said that OUT@NBCUniversal, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender support group, would be marching up Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue on March 17 under a banner identifying itself.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Thank you, Mayor DeBlasio, and NBC Universal for this. According to the article, DeBlasio was the first mayor in 20 years to refuse to march in the parade. The last time it happened was under the last Democratic Mayor, David Dinkins, in 1993. Perhaps morality derives not from religion, but from being a Democrat.