Press Release - for immediate release
Date: March 17th, 2001
Contact: Ann Northrop (917) 968-2408


New York, NY - Members of the group Irish Queers today disrupted the NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade to protest the exclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Irish groups by the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), who organize the parade. Three demonstrators infiltrated the grandstand on Fifth Avenue at 62nd Street and unfurled a banner along the parade route, then chained themselves to the side barricades. The parade was halted as police attempted to negotiate the chain locking two of the three women together, and carry out the arrest.

Irish gay groups have been protesting their exclusion from the NYC St. Patrick's Day parade since the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization's application to march was first rejected in 1990. Although the parade was created in 1762 by Irish Protestants, the AOH now claims the parade is a "Catholic procession". Irish Queers have organized civil disobedience each year since 1997 to protest the bigotry of parade organizers. In the past, the St. Patrick's Day parade has also excluded people of color, women and wheelchair-users.

All three Irish Queers protesters pleaded "not guilty" to charges resulting from the demonstration, and are considering filing suit against the NYPD as a result of police violence during their arrest.

"One officer practically upended the barricades to tear down the protest banner. He and some others dragged one protester by her arms even though she was screaming in pain and kept asking them to let her walk to the police van. Even the other officers were telling him to calm down, take it easy, but he never backed off," said Jack Burns, a legal observer at the event.

"Over the years of protesting our exclusion from the parade, we have seen Irish-American police officers - many of whom have close ties to the AOH and the Catholic Archdiocese - respond particularly violently to peaceful St. Patrick's Day protesters. They apparently confuse their official duties with their personal feelings, and use their position of authority to lash out at queer demonstrators," said Michael Riordan of Irish Queers. "We reject this abuse of power, which comes from the same root as racist police brutality."

The protester dragged by police, Emmaia Gelman, was initially charged with felony assault for allegedly biting an officer during her arrest. The charge was dropped to misdemeanor "attempted assault" when a medical examination of the officer reportedly failed to produce evidence of the alleged bite.

In denying the charge, Gelman said: "This is a pathetic attempt by the police to cover themselves. They injured me in front of a lot of people. Of course they would want to frame it as if I brought their violence on myself."

Despite the fact that widespread support exists for the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Irish groups in the St. Patrick's Day parade, the AOH continue to enforce the ban on queer groups. Irish Queers demand that parade organizers recognize and respect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members of the Irish community without requiring queers to hide or "not mention" their identities. Irish Queers affirm that they will continue to perform civil disobedience until this demand is met.

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