March is upon us and with it, the promise of spring – warmer weather, blooming flowers and another round in the Gays vs. the Irish in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade feud. I stumbled upon an article on EdgeBoston.com, titled “St. Patrick’s Day: NOT a great day to be Irish if you’re gay: Most parades exclude us.” So what exactly is this feud all about? Do Irish people hate gays? Are gays being discriminated against?

First let me say that I am both gay and Irish. I think every day is a great day to be me, whether EdgeBoston thinks so or not. I enjoy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day as much as anyone else and I can understand why Irish gays would want to participate in their local parade. So what’s the issue?

St. Patrick’s Day parades are organized by private groups, which have the right to include or exclude other groups (including gay groups) from marching according to a 1995 Supreme Court decision. Now I could discuss the fact that the holiday honors the patron saint of Ireland – a Catholic figure – and that Irish-Americans are usually religious, but I wouldn’t want gays blaming Christianity for even more oppression. If you’re anything like me, and you’re probably not, the first question you’d be asking is “Why can’t gay people celebrate their Irish heritage instead of marching as a gay group?” That’s a good question, and the answer is simple: Most gays put their sexual orientation above all else, and then chastise others for using it to define them.

What many gay people fail to realize is that the same Supreme Court decision allowing private groups to exclude gays from St. Patrick’s Day parades also allows Gay Pride parade organizers to exclude anti-gay groups. Imagine that. So if these people had their way and this issue fell under anti-discrimination law, there could be anti-gay marriage groups such as Focus on the Family or the National Organization for Marriage marching in Gay Pride parades all across the country. Far worse, reversing the 1995 decision would extend the same right to groups like the KKK. You think some people might think twice if that were to happen? As a side note, the 2003 parade in Boston excluded the group Veterans for Peace. I guess the Irish hate veterans too.

Many believe gays should have the right to march in all St. Patrick’s Day parades, as they currently do in San Francisco and Key West. They believe being excluded from the parade simply due to sexual preference is discrimination. After all, there are many gay Irish-Americans who just want to celebrate their heritage. Well if you travel to San Francisco or Key West for St. Patty’s Day, you will see a number of rainbow and pink shamrocks, as well as the common “Have a Gay St. Patrick’s Day” slogan proudly on display. I’m not exactly sure what rainbow and pink shamrocks have to do with St. Patrick’s Day – since they are usually green – but perhaps I’m just closed-minded.

So call me old-fashioned, call me a “self-loathing homo” – whatever you like. I believe if you want to march in a St. Patrick’s Day parade, you should be focusing on your Irish heritage, and not on your sexual preference. March with your company. March with your neighborhood. March with veterans. March with political candidates or elected officials. March with policemen or firefighters. March with whomever you want, but do it as an Irish-American – not a Gay-American.

And if for some reason you feel like you’re selling out by not advertising your homosexuality, think of the millions of straight people who have supported us in Gay Pride parades for decades… without ever wearing a shirt that read “Just for the record, I’m straight.”

The views expressed in this blog are the author’s, and do not necessarily represent the views of Right Pride or GOProud.