Photograph: Matej Krajcovic/Getty Images
The president of Boston Pride is preparing to make history. Alongside the military veterans’ group OutVets, Sylvain Bruni’s organisation will march in Boston’s St Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday. Until this year, the parade has barred such groups from participating.
Twenty years ago, the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, which organizes the parade, took the issue all the way to the US supreme court. The court upheld the council’s decision to ban such groups, ruling unanimously that being forced to include such groups would violate the free speech rights of the private citizens organizing the event.
Since then, Boston mayors have made a point of boycotting the parade. This year, Mayor Marty Walsh will participate in the annual celebration.
“With this year’s parade, Boston is putting years of controversy behind us,” Walsh said on Friday.
Only the weather – which has hammered Boston this winter – now stands in the way. “Crappy” conditions such as snow and rain, both expected on Sunday, have been known to have affect turnout for the parade, Bruni said. Parade organizers have already been forced to cut the route in half.
“Even if just a dozen people show up, I’ll be happy because it’s not just me there,” he told the Guardian. “We will deal with [the weather] and be happy anyway.”
This year’s historic moment comes despite organizers having failed to negotiate an agreement that would have allowed MassEquality, a prominent gay rights advocacy group, to march in last year’s parade. Organizers said the group could march under its own banner but would not be able to wear shirts or signs that included the word “gay” or made references to members’ sexuality. MassEquality said it would only consider accepting an invitation that allowed LGBT people to march openly.
MassEquality did not apply to march in the parade this year, said Bruni. Boston Pride had not considered applying until late December, when the council voted 5-4 to allow OutVets to march.
Since OutVets is a group dedicated specifically to veterans, Bruni said Boston Pride wasn’t sure what to expect. Nonetheless, the group applied and received an acceptance letter on Wednesday. Its participation was made public on Friday.
Boston Pride agreed to abide by the rules that dictate that marchers will refrain from overt political messages or expression of sexual orientation, according to Tim Duross, the parade co-ordinator.
“We don’t think that’s a topic that should be in our parade,” Duross told the Boston Globe. “We’re asking that they respect our parade and our heritage and our community. And I think they will. I hope they will.”
Boston Pride, which is “wicked proud” to be part of this historical moment, “will see how things go this year”, said Bruni, before deciding whether to march in the future.
