Guinness, Heineken Join Sam Adams in Boycotting St. Patrick's Day Parades Over Gay Exclusion
The beer companies Guinness and Heineken have joined Samuel Adams in boycotting St. Patrick's Day parades in two major east coast cities, citing the parades' ban on the open expression of homosexuality as their reason for pulling sponsorship.
Guinness announced in a last-minute decision Sunday evening that it will not be sponsoring the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade on Monday, saying in a statement that the Irish stout-maker has a "strong history of supporting diversity and being an advocate for equality for all."
"We were hopeful that the policy of exclusion would be reversed for this year's parade. As this has not come to pass, Guinness has withdrawn its participation. We will continue to work with community leaders to ensure that future parades have an inclusionary policy."
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The announcement comes shortly after another major beer company, Heineken USA, said it too would be pulling sponsorship from Monday's parade. A spokesperson for the company told CNN Money in a brief statement: "We believe in equality for all."
Along with two major beer companies boycotting Monday's NYC St. Patrick's Day parade, the city's mayor, Bill De Blasio, also skipped the historic event, instead opting to attend the St. Pat's for All parade in the neighboring borough of Queens. This alternative parade allows the gay community to openly express their sexuality while marching.
Organizers for the NYC parade have stood by their decision to not allow the gay community to openly express their sexuality during the St. Patrick's Day parade. The Ancient Order of Hibernians, the private group behind the parade, has said that everyone is welcome to march in the event, but in order to keep the focus of the parade on St. Patrick's Day, members of the LGBT community cannot march with pro-gay banners or signs, nor may they wear t-shirts that express their sexuality.
A similar situation played out in nearby Boston, Mass., where the Boston Beer Company that makes Sam Adams beer pulled out of sponsoring the city's St. Patrick's Day parade for the same reason. The company made its announcement last week, shortly after a local restaurant in South Boston said it would no longer serve Sam Adams beer because the company was sponsoring an event that excluded gay expression.
The Boston-based beer company was joined by Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, who announced on Sunday, the day of the parade, that he would be sitting out of the event because "[he has] to do [his] best to ensure that all Bostonians are free to participate fully in the civic life of our city."
The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, the group behind the city's parade, said in a statement that members of the LGBT community were welcome to march in the event, but they couldn't use signs or t-shirts to identify their sexuality. "We invite all to join us to celebrate this historic event, but we must maintain our guidelines."
Regardless of the boycotts, thousands poured into downtown Philadelphia, Boston and New York City on Sunday and Monday to participate in the historic St. Patrick's Day parades that included marching bands, bagpipe players and traditional dancers, among other highlights. The Philadelphia Parade is the second oldest in the nation, being first celebrated in 1771. New York City's parade first began in 1761, and the Boston version of the event began in 1901.
