Gay groups welcome Mary McAleese’s stand over NYC St. Patrick’s Day parade

We should be grateful for President McAleese's courageous stance. It has been an embarrassment to have homophobia or any bias of race, gender, religion, political affiliation, etc., paraded through the streets of New York by men and women of Irish heritage. Now either the parade organizers must open the event up, or it stands to lose much of its significance as a celebration of Irish culture, the culture of "céad míle fáilte."