February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Ray O’Hanlon
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is set to join other politicians on Fifth Avenue for next week’s New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
When she does, the junior senator from New York can expect to hear it from members of the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization.
The group, which has been protesting its exclusion from the parade for the last 10 years, is planning a sidewalk protest in the vicinity of 53rd Street, a short distance north of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
"We’ve heard reports that she’s planning to march and we’re concerned if that is confirmed," ILGO spokesperson Ann Duggan told the Echo Tuesday.
"Democrats have traditionally boycotted the parade because it’s not an inclusive event and we think that Hillary should do what the other Democrats are doing," Duggan said.
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Clinton took part in the Manhattan parade last year but also marched in the Sunnyside/Woodside parade in Queens, which is open to Irish gay groups, including ILGO.
She did not take part in the 2001 Sunnyside/Woodside event, which took place last Sunday.
The parade in Manhattan is set for Saturday, March 17, and will be led by this year’s grand marshal, construction industry union leader Ed Malloy.