I propose to take Questions Nos. 21, 40 and 46 together.
The New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade is organised by the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee Incorporated, a private, not for profit organization.
Since the early 1990s, the Parade Committee has clearly asserted its view that the Irish, and Irish-American, LGBT community are welcome to continue participating in the parade under all the traditional banners of schools, universities, military units, police precincts, fire stations, Irish counties, Irish patriotic organisations etc. – but not under a banner which defines them by sexual preference. While this stance has been legally challenged, the New York Supreme Court has ruled that the organisers are permitted to do so as the Parade is a private one.
Since 2000, a second large parade has taken place in Queens, New York, called that St. Pat’s For All Parade. This inclusive event was set up as a response to the exclusion of LGBT groups from the Fifth Avenue Parade and takes place on the first Sunday in March. The event is attended by most political and civil leaders in New York City. The Irish Government has been represented at this event in previous years and that will remain the case this year.
When I became Tánaiste in 2011, I represented the Government in New York at all the events associated with St. Patrick’s Day, including the Fifth Avenue parade. As the St. Pat’s For All Event had already taken place at that point, I instead held a meeting with representatives of the Irish LGBT community. I discussed, at length, the Government’s commitment to LGBT rights and my own commitment to see reform in this area. Ireland works to consistently support the promotion and protection of the human rights of all persons, irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity and is strongly committed to combatting all human rights violations committed against individuals on such a basis.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Fifth Avenue is a major event in the Irish American calendar and is a high point of a whole series of events which take place in New York marking the extraordinary depth of the relationship between the Irish and American peoples. It is estimated that the parade has over 180,000 participants and between two and three million spectators. Millions more watch the comprehensive coverage on American television. In this context, and given the importance of the event for our two nations, the Taoiseach, as last year, will participate in this year’s parade. In keeping with our policy of inclusiveness, the Government will also be represented at the St. Pat’s For All Event on 2 March.
