Bratton: I Can March in St. Pat's and Adore Gays
Friday, February 28, 2014
WNYC
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The right to carry gay pride signs is at issue. (safetyguy1656/flickr)
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Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said marching in the annual St
Patrick's Day parade next month doesn’t mean he’s ambivalent about gay
rights.
After a police promotions ceremony on Friday, he said he’s been a supporter of gay rights for decides.
"In my own family, my sister is gay — married in Boston, so I am very comfortable with where I am on gay issues,” declared Bratton. “The St. Patrick's Parade for me is a celebration of heritage; it's that simple.”
Bratton won't be marching with the Mayor, the City Council Speaker or the Public Advocate along Fifth Avenue, however. Some city officials are boycotting the annual Irish-themed event; they say they’re doing so because it unfairly discriminates against gay groups. Parade rules prohibit groups from carrying signs that identify them as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he has no problem with Bratton marching, since it's "his right as an American citizen." De Blasio is scheduled to speak and march in the “St Pat’s for All Parade” in Queens on Sunday.
"In my own family, my sister is gay — married in Boston, so I am very comfortable with where I am on gay issues,” declared Bratton. “The St. Patrick's Parade for me is a celebration of heritage; it's that simple.”
Bratton won't be marching with the Mayor, the City Council Speaker or the Public Advocate along Fifth Avenue, however. Some city officials are boycotting the annual Irish-themed event; they say they’re doing so because it unfairly discriminates against gay groups. Parade rules prohibit groups from carrying signs that identify them as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he has no problem with Bratton marching, since it's "his right as an American citizen." De Blasio is scheduled to speak and march in the “St Pat’s for All Parade” in Queens on Sunday.
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Kathleen Horan, Reporter, WNYC News
Kathleen Horan is a staff reporter for New York Public Radio, covering the criminal justice beat. She also reports the series In Harm’s Way, a multi-platform effort to profile the life of every child in New York City killed by gunfire.
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