NY Irish Queers fight bigotry & racism at St. Patrick's parade

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Sunday March 18, 2007 14:02

by Irish Queers NYC

irishqueers at hotmail dot com

001-917-517-3627

"While we stand here – watching tens of thousands of NYPD officers march in a parade with an explicit message of hate – African-American communities and other New Yorkers are gathering in Times Square to hold the NYPD to account for the murder of Sean Bell. Like us, they are standing up to fight the NYPD’s willful discrimination, its indifference to communities, its strong-arming of our streets, and its failure to take responsibility for creating a culture of violence."

For the 16th year, Irish Queers are on Fifth Avenue protesting the attempts of religious-right bigots to write us out of the Irish community. As we confront the parade year after year, we have seen it become increasingly political, and decreasingly Irish.

While our fight began in New York’s Irish and church institutions, we have learned that the City, the NYPD and the courts are all willing to trample the delicate, diverse fabric of the Irish community. So our struggle is not just with the parade organizers, but with the NYPD, the FDNY and other public servants who use the parade to express sentiments of hate and superiority that are disallowed anywhere else. And we struggle against messages of religious and military war-mongering in support of America’s conquests.

After 9/11, police and firefighters became the focus of the parade – celebrated and cheered even as they screamed “die, faggots!” at Irish LGBT people on the sidelines. While Irish immigrants of conscience were working to make links with Arab and Muslim immigrants who were coming under attack citywide, our parade was filled with US military contingents – bringing guns to our streets, hyping the war.

This year, the parade is filled with politics too. While we stand here – watching tens of thousands of NYPD officers march in a parade with an explicit message of hate – African-American communities and other New Yorkers are gathering in Times Square to hold the NYPD to account for the murder of Sean Bell. Like us, they are standing up to fight the NYPD’s willful discrimination, its indifference to communities, its strong-arming of our streets, and its failure to take responsibility for creating a culture of violence. Meanwhile, back at the St. Patrick’s parade, our elected officials are falling over themselves to insist on firefighter’s “rightful place” near the head of this bigoted display.

Our protest this year is dedicated to the struggles of immigrants, of queers, of neighborhoods and communities against the violence of bigots. Whether we come under attack from the church, the state or our own public servants, we will stand together to resist.

****************
Irish Queers, which evolved out of the Irish Lesbian & Gay Organization, is active on immigrant justice, Northern Ireland self-determination, anti-racism and other social justice issues.

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Comments (9 of 9)

Any photos?

by R. Isible

Sun Mar 18, 2007 17:52

Any photos or first-hand accounts of the day? Because if so this could make an awesome feature.

first-hand account & photos

by emmaia - IQ

Mon Mar 19, 2007 18:01

there's a good one on joemygod.blogspot.com, with lovely photos too. i'll check whether it can be passed on to indymedia.

more info

by tierney - irish queers

Tue Mar 20, 2007 15:48

Some footage and commentary can also be found here: http://www.goodasyou.org/

some photos of the day...

Tue Mar 20, 2007 19:02

NYC St. Patrick's Day/Irish Queers protest against religious-right parade

NYC St. Patrick's Day/Irish Americans are not all straight, Catholic, white, anti-choice or pro-#$%&-war! No matter how hard Hibernians wish.

Each to their own

by corkman in paris

Tue Mar 20, 2007 22:44

Irish parades in America are for Irish people to celebrate their Irish heritage, they're not front groups for every minority that wants to hijack them. If the LGBT are so concerned about this, they should set up their own counter-parade so satisfy the views of their own community. They can't force their views on other Irish-Americans.

sit down there now boy

by fachra - irish queers

Wed Mar 21, 2007 02:31

to corkman: we are f***ing irish. thats the point. imagine that: we are irish and queer.!
seperate is not equal. if the event is to celebrate irishness it has to include lgbt irish and irish-americans. and as far as another event why dont the homophobes gather in a grotto or bingo parochial hall to have their hate fest., and keep it private?

Firemen, Coppers, and Dogfaces in the Parade, Begorrah!

by S.M.

Wed Mar 21, 2007 04:56

"After 9/11, police and firefighters became the focus of the parade – celebrated and cheered even as they screamed “die, faggots!” at Irish LGBT people on the sidelines. While Irish immigrants of conscience were working to make links with Arab and Muslim immigrants who were coming under attack citywide, our parade was filled with US military contingents "

Well correct me if I'm wrong, 343 Firemen died in one instance in New York, 80? some odd Policemen(& Women, Moira Smith), an 2 members of the 69th that day in New York city, so Gobsmack me that they would be cheered? were they all anti-gay?

And Has not the "Fighting 69th" LED NY city's parade since before their Civil War? 150 Years if I read correctly, as they are the armed escort originally to protect the marchers from Protestant attacks?

Having been across the avenue from Your Protest Saturday (I was wearing the deerstalker cap) I can say No soldier from the 69th cursed you that I saw or heard.

I understand there is a Gay"Pride" parade there in the spring as well, right down the same route

behans footsteps

by eirsatz

Wed Mar 21, 2007 19:02

"Irish parades in America are for Irish people to celebrate their Irish heritage, they're not front groups for every minority that wants to hijack them."

The AOH is a front group and they run the parade and edit the lineup. Its precisely the AOH who force their views on everyone else. I cant imagine that New Yorkers or the tens of millions of Irish Americans out there are so out of step with mainstream American opinion as to want to segregate the gays. It is also outlawed in most spheres of public life. That said I would welcome it if the AOH and their killer cop friends wanted to march under their own flag rather than our one, that would be some kind of order of malta ensign or the opus dei standard or the Vatican flag or more authentically they could wander the canyons under the banner of the Eucharistic Congress of 1932.

"Well correct me if I'm wrong, 343 Firemen died in one instance in New York, 80? some odd Policemen(& Women, Moira Smith), an 2 members of the 69th that day in New York city, so Gobsmack me that they would be cheered? were they all anti-gay?"

3000 workers died also, we must assume that several hundred of them were gay and many more of them Irish or Irish American. 9-11 has become a spinning top of law enforcement and patriotic propaganda to the exclusion of alternative or counter narratives. And i dont mean conspiracy theories, the reason why none of those firemen heard the order to evacuate the buildings was because of the crap radios they had as a result of corruption. Giuliani time. The NYPD ran for their lives like everyone else. But the parade is not a 9-11 commemoration march and if it is to be then all of those who died should be honoured.

Militarized parade?

by Carlo G-Man

Thu Mar 22, 2007 03:48

Well now, according to various Information outlets the first St. Patricks day parade in New York was Founded by soldiers in 1766.
AOH has been running the Parade since the 1900's at least. As it is a Catholic organization & the Church frowns upon Homosexuality officially seems hardly surprising that they dont want this group. Considering the Gay pride parade in June in NY usually saved some very questionable antics for it's stop in front of St. Patricks Cathedral, one might ask why the sudden wish to pay homage in March?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Patrick's_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Order_of_Hibernian...tates

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._69th_Infantry_Regiment

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NY Irish Queers fight bigotry & racism at St. Patrick's parade

Comments (9 of 9)