LGBTQ+

Gay Veterans Group Will Walk In Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade

The parade is privately run and has a history of keeping LGBTQ groups from marching.

Gay Veterans Group Will Walk In Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade
OutVets
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After being denied at first, OutVets — a gay veterans group — has now accepted an invitation to march in Boston's St. Patrick's Day parade. 

OutVets marched the past two years, but this year the organizers said OutVets' logo didn't comply with the parade's code of conduct.  

And since the parade is privately run by the Allied War Veterans Council of South Boston, it actually has legal precedent to exclude groups under freedom of speech. 

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The Washington Post also notes LGBTQ groups have largely been kept from marching in the parade for decades. 

In response, Boston's mayor and Massachusetts' governor said they wouldn't walk in this year's parade. And corporate sponsors, like Anheuser-Busch, also withdrew. 

On Friday, the organizers changed course, and OutVets accepted their invitation. But some argue OutVets being denied in the first place has already damaged South Boston's image.