For the first time in history, gays will be permitted to march in the annual Massachusetts St. Patrick's Day parade next year in Boston. The group OutVets, an organization made up of openly gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender people who have served in the armed forces, will walk and carry a banner for the very first time in 2015.
The group is not forced to make the inclusion, either. In 1995, the South Boston War Veterans Council won a United States Supreme Court decision in which it was decided that they were allowed to exclude gays and ban them from the parade. However, disregarding the Supreme Court case from almost twenty years ago, the council voted five to four in favor of allowing the group to walk and be represented in the parade.
When asked why the council switched their ideals and changed their stance on gays, the commander of the veterans council responded by explaining that the parade was made to honor veterans annually and the homosexual men and women who have served the country are counted as veterans and deserve representation.
No comments:
Post a Comment