‘Quite simply, it’s just time’: Community celebrates inclusion of LGBTQ+ groups in Staten Island St. Patrick’s Parade
Originally published in
Staten Island Advance
on
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Tuesday was a historic day for Staten Island, as years of advocacy finally culminated in an invitation for the LGBTQ+ community to march in the borough’s St. Patrick’s Parade, from which they had been barred for decades.
The new leadership of the Richmond County St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee gathered alongside the The Pride Center of Staten Island and local officials on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the momentous decision to allow LGBTQ+ groups to march in the borough’s annual celebration of Irish heritage for the first time, as first reported by the Advance/SILive.com.
State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn), who has previously stood alongside LGBTQ+ advocates to rally for the Pride Center’s inclusion in the annual event, commended the parade’s new leadership and vowed to always be an ally to the community.
“I watched this journey unfold firsthand for many, many years. I’ve been proud to stand alongside of them in their fight to get done. I always will be here for them. But this is for celebrating, and this is great news,” Scarcella-Spanton said.
