Staten Island St. Patrick’s Day parade welcomes LGBTQ+ groups for the first time

LGBTQ+ group marches in SI St. Patrick's Day parade

For the first time, the Pride Center of Staten Island held its own banner and joined the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Sunday marked an end to the 60-year ban on LGBTQ+ groups marching in Staten Island’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. FOX 5 NY’s Meredith Gorman has details on what sparked the change.

STATEN ISLAND - LGBTQ+ groups marched in Staten Island's St. Patrick's Day parade for the first time in its 60-year history.

The Staten Island St. Patrick's Day parade this year was a little different from years past. 

This year, the Pride Center of Staten Island was invited to march under their own banner. It had been a long time coming, and it finally came together. 

In past years, the pride group wasn't able to because organizers had argued that the parade was a religious one and LGBTQ lifestyles conflicted with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

"It's been something that started before I even joined the Pride Center, so I stand on the shoulders of others. Today's an amazing day, so I'm going to march and be really proud," Director of the Pride Center of Staten Island, Carol Bullock, said.

Who came to this year's parade?

Big picture view:

New York City Mayor Adams came to the parade to show his support by marching with the Pride Center and its banner.

"The LGBTQ+ community is something we've always stood for. I'm just really proud that their resiliency showed that if you stand up for what's right you're going to always win. That's what we're all about," Adams said.

The parade had more than 80 organizations marching in it and brought out thousands of people in the community who lined the streets.