March 5, 2014
Boston Parade Organizers Bar Gay Group
Bobby McGuire READ TIME: 1 MIN.
BOSTON - Boston's mayor is hoping a deal can still be reached to allow a gay group to march in the city's St. Patrick's Day parade, even after organizers said they were deceived by a gay veterans group and ended negotiations.
Philip Wuschke of parade organizer, the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, announced Tuesday that discussions with MassEquality had ended and that the gay advocacy group would be prohibited from participating in the March 16 parade that attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators.
Orgnizers said in a statement that MassEquality tried to enter the parade "under false pretenses."
Organizers said LGBT Veterans for Equality, an affiliate of MassEquality, was not a recognized veterans' organization.
The Irish-American mayor said he would boycott the parade unless gay groups were allowed to participate.
