O'Reilly on ban of Irish lesbian and gay group from NYC St. Patrick's Day parade: "I don't want these people intruding on a parade where little children are ... watching"
SUMMARY: While discussing New York City Councilwoman Christine Quinn's decision to boycott Manhattan's St. Patrick's Day parade due to the decision by the Ancient Order of Hibernians to ban the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization (ILGO) from marching, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly attacked Quinn, calling ILGO's potential participation in the parade "inappropriate." O'Reilly stated: "You have your Gay Day Parade. You have your Stonewall celebration. You have your Halloween deal, OK? You don't need this."
While discussing New York City Councilwoman Christine Quinn's decision to boycott Manhattan's St. Patrick's Day parade due to the decision by the Ancient Order of Hibernians to ban the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization (ILGO) from marching, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly attacked Quinn, calling ILGO's potential participation in the parade "inappropriate." O'Reilly asked, "Why doesn't Ms. Quinn and others who support her wise up?" Continuing, O'Reilly stated: "You have your Gay Day parade. You have your Stonewall celebration. You have your Halloween deal, OK? You don't need this." O'Reilly also asserted, "I don't want these people intruding on a parade where little children are standing there, watching" for fear that children would ask "mommy, what does that mean?" O'Reilly falsely claimed that "[n]o Irish people are banned from marching in the parade," and likened ILGO's participation in the parade to wearing a shirt proclaiming "I'm queer" to a baptism. O'Reilly's comments came during the March 17 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor.
On the March 17 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, O'Reilly also discussed the issue, stating: "[A]nd then the parade leaders say, what are we next to have Irish prostitutes marching under their banner? You know, Irish hookers, here we are." Continuing with the analogy, O'Reilly parodied parade commentators and stated, "There they are, Tessie O'Shea and the girls. Making good money out there in the money ranch."
Quinn, the first openly gay New York City council leader, unsuccessfully tried to negotiate with the Ancient Order of Hibernians to allow ILGO to participate in this year's parade. Defending the decision, parade organizer John Dunleavy reportedly told the Irish Times , "If an Israeli group wants to march in New York, do you allow Neo-Nazis into their parade? If African Americans are marching in Harlem, do they have to let the Ku Klux Klan into their parade? People have rights. If we let the ILGO in, is it the Irish Prostitute Association next?" Due to the Ancient Order of Hibernians' decision, Quinn decided not to personally participate in the parade.
From the March 17 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, with guest Lillian Glass, whose website describes her as an authority in "media psychology and communication":
O'REILLY: In the "impact" segment tonight, once again this year, a gay person, New York City Councilwoman Christine Quinn, wanted to march in the St. Patrick's Day parade under a banner proclaiming her sexuality. And once again, she was denied, because the parade honors a saint and the Irish heritage and has nothing to do with anybody's sexuality. Such a display is deemed to be inappropriate.
The question: Why doesn't Ms. Quinn and others who support her wise up? Why don't they understand that?
[...]
GLASS: Well.
O'REILLY: It has nothing to do with anything other than honoring the Irish heritage and a saint.
GLASS: Right.
O'REILLY: So.
GLASS: But --
O'REILLY: Go ahead.
GLASS: But for some people, it's a way to express themselves. And I think for people who are gay and lesbian, what it does is it shows that there's an identity that they belong to something, that they may be Irish, that they may be gay. And, Bill, it may not just be sexuality. It may be also a lifestyle, an alternative lifestyle for them.
O'REILLY: OK.
GLASS: But they may feel that they want to come out.
O'REILLY: Well, they can come out on the Gay Day Parade or the Halloween parade. They have plenty of opportunities to do that. This is a saint. Don't you feel that that is inappropriate?
GLASS: Well, when you put it that way, I can see your point of view.
O'REILLY: Well, I'm glad you can, because I'm getting nervous. If you -- if Christine Quinn, who's Irish, and I like Christine Quinn, if she goes to a baptism, doctor, if one of her nieces or nephews are baptized, a baby, you don't walk into the church in the baptism with "I'm queer" on your shirt. It's inappropriate. It's a sacrament.
GLASS: That's absolutely correct.
O'REILLY: It's a church.
GLASS: I agree with you. Absolutely.
O'REILLY: This is a parade honoring a saint. It has nothing to do --
GLASS: You know, when -- Bill, when you put it that way, it makes so much sense, and I agree with you totally. But do a lot of people think that it's a holiday for a saint? I think most people think it's just a way to get out, to party, to express themselves --
O'REILLY: What's the name of the parade, doctor?
GLASS: -- to get drunk.
O'REILLY: Doctor, what's the name of the parade?
GLASS: St. Patrick's Day.
O'REILLY: OK, if you're not getting what the parade is honoring, I can't help you. What people do.
GLASS: No, you're absolutely correct.
O'REILLY: Right. Look, if Christine Quinn wants to go to a party after the parade and celebrate her gayness, her Irish gayness, whatever gayness she's happy about --
GLASS: Right, right.
O'REILLY: I don't have a problem with that. OK?
GLASS: Right.
O'REILLY: And there are plenty of opportunities for her to do that. But in the context of what the parade is, you don't see heterosexuals going out there proclaiming what they do in private. It doesn't happen. So what I'm trying to sell everybody, including you, is that the more this stuff happens, the worse it is for people who are proud to be homosexual.
GLASS: You know, when you put it that way, it makes a total amount of sense. Because normally you'd think it would help somebody's self-esteem. They can express themselves. But when you put it that way that it is to honor a saint, and sexuality isn't even involved, I see your point 1,000 percent.
O'REILLY: And do you understand -- and I hope all gay people watching right now understand how angry it makes people who are sympathetic to gays. Because I'm sympathetic to them. I want American homosexuals to be able to pursue happiness the same way heterosexuals are able to pursue happiness.
GLASS: Right.
O'REILLY: OK.
GLASS: And I'm very sympathetic to gays as well.
O'REILLY: Right. But I don't want these people intruding on a parade where little children are standing there, watching. And then they have to go mommy, "What does that mean?" OK? You have your holiday. You have your Gay Day parade. You have your Stonewall celebration. You have your Halloween deal, OK? You don't need this. Now you understand my point.
GLASS: Yes.
O'REILLY: I think 95 percent of the people watching me understand my point, but there are five who don't or won't. Is that a neurosis?
GLASS: Well, I don't know if it's a neurosis, but I think what it is is somebody really wanting to express themselves, and to come out and say, you know, look at me, accept me, make me a part of it. I want to be a part of it. And --
O'REILLY: But they can be a part of it.
GLASS: And they feel.
O'REILLY: No Irish people are banned from marching in the parade.
GLASS: No. As I said, when you state it that way, it makes total sense, Bill. It really does.
O'REILLY: All right. I just want people to understand that this thing has a tremendous backlash.
GLASS: You're right.
O'REILLY: It does not help gay Americans to do this. It does not help Christine Quinn to do this. Every situation in life has an appropriate way to handle it and an inappropriate way. And people ought to really understand that.
Doctor, we appreciate your time very much.
From the March 17 broadcast of Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:
O'REILLY: Kristine Quinn, lesbian city council member in New York, wanting to march in St. Patrick's Day parade. And she wanted to tell everybody she was a lesbian. And of course, the parade people said, look, it's a parade honoring a saint. OK, what you do in your own bedroom, Ms. Quinn, is nobody's business, and it's out of context in a parade honoring a saint.
OK, so you're not going to do that. And good. That's the right thing to do. Context is everything. You know, I mean -- and then the parade leaders say, what are we next to have Irish prostitutes marching under their banner? You know, Irish hookers, here we are. Hey, ladies and gentlemen, after the Marist College marching band, we have the Irish prostitute contingent from Nevada. There they are, Tessie O'Shea and the girls. Making good money out there in the money ranch.
You know, come on, it's ridiculous. Nobody's barring anybody from marching in the St. Patrick's Day parade, but what does your sexuality have to do with St. Patrick? Believe me, he doesn't want to hear about it.
These loons are never going to get it, and they're never going to understand. And we're going to talk about that because that's all -- you know, who supports that? The far left supports it. That's who is pushing this ridiculous agenda. It all ties in.
I haven't heard anything that anti-gay since I graduated from my Catholic high school. Hey, Bill, if you really "sympathetic" towards homosexuals, you wouldn't draw it down to "us" verses "them." Just because someone is a homosexual does not mean they are not a Catholic, either. Yes, it's a celebration for a Saint. Maybe she's a Roman Catholic. Maybe she's a devout Christian of some sort. Just because it's a holiday about a Saint does not mean that someone should be excluded on the basis of their homosexuality. The fact that she wants to participate and proclaim her sexuality does not hurt the homosexual movement. What hurts the homosexuals of America are people like you who present this idea of sympathy and understanding and then decide that you know what is more morally appropriate. Stop your blathering; we know you hate gays. Get over it. Just because you don't allow us rights doesn't mean we'll go away.
Have you ever been in the city on the day of the parade? Honoring a saint, huh? I understand that the parade is supposed to be a celebration of Irish Heritage, but for a lot of people it's become a day to worship Saint Jameson and St. Bushmill. Spare us your indignation.
As painful as it is for me to admit, O'Reilly does have a point here - and for the record I never usually agree with him on matters regarding this topic, but in this case I do.
The Councilwoman has every right to boycott this parade if she feels like it, just as the parade has no obligation to let her march under that banner if they so choose. In the context of the parade, they felt it was inappropriate - and it's their parade. Live and let live.......fight more important battles if you must Mrs. Quinn, this isn't one of them.
Ms. Quinn has handled herself very well in her appearances before the media. She has been very low keyed compared to her opposition. She has been dignified every time I've seen her interviewed on the local media here in the NY Metro Area. Low keyed and dignified are two attribute that Bill does not seem to possess.
I have not seen any coverage of it so I believe what you are saying........and I agree, restraint and dignity are attributes O'Reilly could use more of.
This is priceless. It seems like Fox News Channel as scripted by Mike Nichols and Elaine May ~ completely absurd and surreal. Or maybe it could be a college drinking game where you down a shot everytime Lillian agrees with Bill or simply affirms his point of view. Ridiculous and absurd.
It's especially fun to ONLY read Glass' responses. (My favorite part is when Glass interjects that she is very sympathetic to gays as well.) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ GLASS: Right.
GLASS: Well, when you put it that way, I can see your point of view.
GLASS: That's absolutely correct.
GLASS: I agree with you. Absolutely.
GLASS: You know, when -- Bill, when you put it that way, it makes so much sense, and I agree with you totally.
GLASS: No, you're absolutely correct.
GLASS: Right, right.
GLASS: Right.
GLASS: You know, when you put it that way, it makes a total amount of sense...I see your point 1,000 percent.
GLASS: Right.
GLASS: And I'm very sympathetic to gays as well.
GLASS: Yes.
GLASS: No. As I said, when you state it that way, it makes total sense, Bill. It really does.
GLASS: You're right.
From Dr. Glass's website:
Dr. Glass has also co-hosted such television shows as Alive and Well, AM San Francisco, and served as a guest host on AM Detroit (Kelly and Company). ...Recently, she served as psychology and body language expert on reality makeover shows for the BBC and Discovery Network's "Swim Suit Slimdown" and on VH-1's "Red Hot Red Carpet".
Well, I'm sure that stint on "Swim Suit Slimdown" prepared her well for discussing the issues of gay/lesbian identity.
This is a perpetual problem with the talking head shows on cable: where do they find these "experts"? What qualifications do they bring to the discussion?
Apparently most people go to this (and other) parades to have fun and watch the show, and I think it could serve to respect gays more broadly in society when they can integrate in other events apart from the "gay" events. O'Reilly suggests that they are allowed in events, but only when these events are segragated from events of heterosexuals.
Another interesting point from the dialogue of O'Reilly is his new stance that he is respectfull towards gays and that "... I'm sympathetic to them. I want American homosexuals to be able to pursue happiness the same way heterosexuals are able to pursue happiness". Does this mean they can marry? Of course not, because they are queer, should not dispose publically what they do in private (like a gay will get involved in a sexual scene in the middle of the street in such a parade). So, according to O'Reilly, gays will help themselves to become respected when they do not participate in non-gay events.
I can't disagree with Bills argument. Quinns sexual preference (or anybody elses) is not a St Patricks day theme.
Neither is policework or marching bands. Neither of those two things are inherently Irish. Yet they are always included.
If the parade is strictly Irish-themed, then everything that is not explicitly Irish must be removed.
Excluding the G/L group is bigotry in its simplest and most recognizable form.
Surprise surprise. O'Reilly supports that.
The old "protect the children" argument is bogus. Most kids wouldn't even notice; most of those who did notice wouldn't care; most of those who asked questions would not be harmed by a simple, age-appropriate explanation of what "gay" means.
Bigotry is a learned behavior. Teaching children not to be bigots WILL NOT HURT THEM.
In this context. Are children not supposed to know gay people exist? Either they are old enough to have some understanding of sexuality in which case its time for them to know all sexuality is not the same. Or they dont in which case they just think some of those Irishpeople dress funny
I disagree with this statement. Do you happen to have a young child? I have many friends that are gay. However, I also have a young child. As a parent, I think that I should have the right to determine when my child needs to learn about alternative sexual preferences. It's bad enough that I have to make my child aware of sexual predators on the internet etc. A subject which I woud not normally introduce to my eight year old son. But when he wants to log on to the internet and go into chat rooms, I have to give a valid reason why he cannot. Therefore, if I don't have to explain why someone prefers the same sex, then I won't. Call me norrow minded or a bigot if you will, but I think kids are exposed to an awful lot these days. If he asks me, I will tell him. But until that time, he doesn't need to know that yet.
I'll say it. You're "norrow minded."
Exposing your kid to what the world offers, and to the differences that make this place really great and strong, isn't a bad thing. You're kid is gonna grow up to be what hetero- or homosexual regardless of a parade. What your influence is helping him become is bigoted.
A typical Liberal comment. I would have expected nothing less. Because I want to protect my child's innocence, I must be a bigot. How very open minded of you. You must not have any children yourself. With everything kids have to deal with at such a young age, I think the issue of sexuality can wait until he is ready. My eight year old son has not yet discovered his own sexuality. I don't see why he should be forced to deal with other people's preferences.
Regardless of what you think, I will love my son no matter what his preference. Until the time that he is ready to think about such an issue, then I will do my best to let him be a carefree kid.
I also liked you reference to my typo. Again, I am not surprised. Typical.
It makes me laugh. I think that some of these people that fear this think that Gays and Lesbians have some kind of magical wand that you can point to someone and POOF! they automatically turn gay. I think that a few gays have been pointing their wands at me, because lately I've been listening to a lot of Wham! and actually enjoying it. :)
unions, or every politician running in the next 10 years, or local tv celebs. The list goes on.
But O'Reilly had NO problem calling out the city of Laguna Beach's little Patriot's day parade for excluding the Minutemen. He railed against the the parade association for excluding them for being political. This is a parade with the local school's bands, girl scouts, etc... So the MM sued.
Fortunately a judge ruled that this parade could set whatever rules it wanted, the case was tossed immediately. And the MM agreed not to protest the parade in anyway so they wouldn't have to pay the parade association's legal fees.
So in 1 month or so, it's NOT OK to exclude one group, but it's OK to do it to another group.
He's certainly nuts, but doesn't even have any internal logic to his nonsense.
...but this bit is inexcusable:
"But I don't want these people intruding on a parade where little children are standing there, watching"
Bill is, in a way, stating that homosexuality is inappropriate for children to observe. I don't know where he grew up, but protecting your children from concepts they don't understand is no way to raise them. Speaking from personal experience, I have seen a lot of stuff in parades that I didn't understand (once I saw Santa, and I had heard he wasn't real!), but I don't need him to say that sheltering is the best way to raise your kids. When are republicans (and yes, Bill is definitely one of those) going to figure out that kids don't really care about sexual orientations?
Yes a parade can choice who should be in it. But do they use city resources and block city streets, why in the Hell are they given a platform to discriminate on the government dime? Yeah and so the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are there, so are a couple hundred or thousand trashed adults -- as worrierking pointed out. Quite frankly, I don't care who marches in what parade, but the moment you hit up a local government for the resources I am sure they have to spend on this -- I am sorry you government sponsered and don't get to discriminate.
But seriously, I pretty much AGREE with O'Reilly on this topic... IF the sole purpose the ILGO had in wanting to be in the parade was to make a "political" statement or to push their "personal" agenda, then NO they shouldn't be able to march with a BANNER in the St. Patrick's Parade. This parade was simply NOT the time or place to "proclaim" one's sexual preference. It's these "in your face" displays that are a turn off to an awful lot of OTHERWISE fairly tolerant people.
THIS is my opinion. Don't agree with me? No problem.
"It's these "in your face" displays that are a turn off to an awful lot of OTHERWISE fairly tolerant people. " - Jeter2
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
First of all, I'm not sure what you mean by 'in your face' but I'm pretty sure that parades ARE about "displays." At least those parades that involve marching in front of other people.
All parades are by their very nature about representation; we see many diverse groups marching under the banner of a given parade: not just cops and firemen. And I think the ILGO should keep requesting to be in the St. Pat parade, as it represents an ongoing proclamation of dismissal. And when they are finally allowed to march, they will be no more offensive than the people vomiting on Fifth Avenue at eleven o'clock in the morning.
Marching to celebrate St. Patrick's Day as both Irish and homosexual isn't inherently political - the priests do it every year and nobody raises a fuss. I also believe it would be hard to push a personal agenda on people with all those school bands behind you blaring away off-tempo. All ILGO wants is a little visibility along with all the other groups that day. I think it will be a credit to the organizers when they finally come around.
I, by the way, hate parades.
Think about this. What's next? The Irish Bisexuals Organization, The Irish Sexual Addicts Organization, The Irish Polygamy Organization, The Irish Virgins Organization, OR will the parade be flooded with requests from people wanting to display BANNERS declaring themselves... The Irish Pro-Lifers, The Irish Pro-Choicers, The Irish Republicans, The Irish Democrats, The Irish For the War, The Irish Against the War. Use your imagination...Ok maybe I'm getting carried away here, BUT this could turn into the parade with no end.[ and no spectators] as they'd ALL be marching under a banner ;-)
MOST parades have some sort of "theme" and the parade organizers are required to obtain PERMITS to have their parades. THEY should be able to decide who&what they would like to be part of their OWN parade without be charged as discriminating IF they turn an organization down.
As far as what I meant by "in your face" is simply this: I have NO problem accepting Homosexuals--Live&Let Live is ok with me. I've even mellowed on the Gay Marriage thing...I mean what do I care? WHO does it hurt? HOWEVER--I'm getting a bit tired of having an AGENDA pushed in our faces or being TOLD we MUST accept Homosexuality or We are somehow intolerant and a homophobic. As I said, I've no problem with it...BUT there are people--good people--who either because of religious beliefs OR because they view homosexuality as abnormal or deviant are being scolded for their opinions. There's no reason for the ILGO to carry a BANNER and march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade OTHER than to push an agenda. That's in my face.
For those that wish to ATTACK me for this view...go for it. I'm not going to argue my point. I have MY opinion...YOU have yours. You aren't necessarily right--I'm not necessarily wrong. We simply DISAGREE.
Bottom line: NO GROUP has the *RIGHT* to be in a parade. The Parade organizers get to decide...It's that simple.
is never a right. It might be a power, but never a right. Conservativism is built on unfair exclusion.
The litany of other groups you mention is simply another ridiculous and misleading rhetorical argument. Like Rick Santorum's positioning gay marriage in the context of "If we allow that, then legally we'll be allowing polygamy and bestiality" -- you seem to be deliberately missing the point.
The "forcing a personal agenda" argument seems to be a bit out of touch with the reality of the situation. According to your post above, carrying a banner is pushing an agenda and you consider that to be "in your face." Well, if that's the way you feel, you ARE intolerant.
Lastly, I'm not attacking you. Why do your responses to people get to be "opinions" and everybody else's responses are "attacks?"
I'm a Republican/Conservative [though NOT a supporter of the current administration]. I mention this because I am under "ATTACK" here quite often. And after awhile I simply come to expect it. Even when I more or less AGREE with Liberals on a topic, *CERTAIN* posters will take a statement I've written "out of context" and attack it. It gets a bit frustrating at times.
Sorry IF this sounds like "oh poor me"...You didn't attack me. I apologize for "assuming" you would.
As for THIS topic...I respect your opinion--BUT we disagree. Best we just leave it at that.
I would not want little children to see O'Lielly anywhere. I think he should be barred from any and all social settings. He has proved himself to be totally unstable. Little children could die of fright in the presence of a man who engages in phone sex and has been sued for it. And he has the gall to point fingers, or rather his tongue at someone else.
Drinking green beer is something a saint would approve of.
Just another example of somebody trying to justify bigotry.
If that's the case, what exactly do half of the organizations that march have to do with Catholicism? Do military units guard St. Patrick? Are the firefighters there to hose down the fervrent? What a cockamamie excuse for a reason to exclude one group over another. Could you imagine if a group called Descendents of Irish Slaveholders and Black Slaves wanted to march? I mean they are Irish.
As a graduate of St. Patrick's H.S....back in the day even we knew that this guy was kind of a fictional dude...snakes indeed....read the footnotes. and we had a healthy dose of queer religious at our school anyhow. Who freakin' cares?
Only $84.95 at the Fox News On-Line Store (S&H extra)! Perfect holiday gift...wait, I mean Christmas gift! Kwanza, too!
Follow the days of the year the Factor way!
January: Veiled MLK Day references!
February: Send a bouquet of falafel to a subordinate for Valentine's Day!
March: St. Patrick's Day - Public Drinking, Yes; Openly Gay, No Way!
April: Rail on the IRS spending YOUR money! That you earned! At a job! (thanks, RC)
May: Memorial Day - Chickenhawk FNC blowhards work overtime!
June: Father's Day - Celebrate family values with a loofah and an intern!
July: 31 Days, all the 4th! Got your lapel pin?
August: The War on Christmas is only 4 months away!
Spetember: Labor Day! Bill looks out for the little guy from his limo!
October: Liberals are ruining Halloween!
November: War on stuffing!
December: That SOB Gibson stole my book idea!
How can a pig like BOR talk about behavior from gays at a parade in front of children. What kind of pig who admitted about cavorting with women in his phone conversations with his worker and for trying to get something going on with her, would have to talk about other people's sexual affairs. He writes a book for children. What a joke.For the people who have defended him in this confrontation, shame on you. You are probably the same people who went have Clinton.
Yes. I wonder how O'Reilly would like it if his books were removed from book stores and away from children. On principal, and on account of the fact that he's written a sleazy soft porn book and engaged in a lurid sex affair.
as in 'I'm gonna parade around in my underwear', or whatever... Speaking of parades, having a group or a float representation gives legitimacy to that group in their own eyes and the publics'. Celebrating the diversity of one's culture should be applauded! Granted, the faciltating organization can set its own rules, but to discriminate because of peoples' sexual orientation just shows how prejudice and fearful people still are. Shame on the parade, and shame on the CITY for allowing that discrimination to perpetuate.
And, heck, Bill is correct...his slippery slope analogy notwithstanding, why NOT let other organizations within the culture express themselves if they wish to? Parades are all about the many and varied aspects of that culture's society.
Thank you Miss Lamb... I mean Glass.
By Billy's logic, there should be no American flag waving at the parade. There should be no marching policemen. What did St. Patrick have to do with policeman? What did St. Patrick have to do with our country's flag? How about leprechans? How about Louie the giant Lightning Bug Balloon in St. Louis?
Yeah! That's right! I don't want you filthy little leprechans pushing your... little green freaky lookin' agenda on us! National Pride... Phooey! That goes for cops too! Public safety, go away!
Bill forgot to mention the appropriate thing for them to do. Call someone and talk about falafels and loofas in private naughty talk.
Conservatives in favor of exclusion and discrimination - I'm shocked.
The problem is deeper than just FCN.. I don't like O'Reilly, but this guy is good at mixing truths with lies (look up your biblical references) I've never seen a St Patrick's day parade where they promoted a 'heterosexual' life style. So I don't understand what the problem is.
If 'gay bashers' wanted to walk in the 'gay pride parade' how would the 'gay community' feel about that. Would it create problems? Lets say the 'gay bashers' just wanted to wear t-shirts that had some 'anti-gay bashing' slogan on . Would it create problems? I say, It would be inappropriate. I think it would be wrong.
I say let the 'gay bashers' have their own parade. Let them show their pride in how they feel. It's important that they have a chance to show their feelings too, ok. Is this inappropriate? Yes! it would be wrong.
I think the part that pisses off the 'gay community' the most is that the 'right-wingnuts' have finally learned how to distort, lie, twist, disrespect 'gays' by watching and listening how they did it to 'right-wingnuts' over the last couple of decades. You reap what you sow...
rant: I guess if everybody agreed with 'the gay agenda', it would be a better world?
Gay bashers are by their nature promoting discrimination, bigotry and intolerance against a particular group of people. The Gay Irish aren't bashing anyone; they just want to promote their own existence, and hopefully gain a little respect and or acceptance from the community. I don't see any moral equivalence between the two. It's like arguing that if you let a group of Jewish people join the parade, you'd have to also let a group of Holocaust-denying skinheads in, as well.
It's a false and unreasonable analogy you use. Gay-bashers are opposed to gays and therefore have no place in a gay pride parade.
The way you position your argument is as though the homosexual lifestyle was antithetical or in conflict with being Irish.
This kind of mentality is exactly why ILGO should be in the parade - to help repudiate this brand of 'reasoning.'
I almost let this slide. You imply that gays have "distorted, lied, twisted, disrespected" right wingers over the past two decades, and are reaping what they sowed. Really? You honestly believe that gays have brought this discrimination upon themselves? Are you saying that Right Wingers treated gays just fine until they were provoked by all the verbal attacks from gay activists? Are you serious?
is not really so much about the gay/lesbian issue as it is the appropriateness of the behavior of the parader marchers for a family themed parade. If Ms. Quinn and others simply marched or travelled on a float wearing non-sexually provocative costumes with a banner of their Irish Gay'Lesbian organization I would have no problem with it. However, if they had people going shirtless and wearing leather or chains or acting in the sexually provacative ways that gay people often act during their own parades, this is not appropriate for a parade where many brought their children. It isn't a question of their sexuality, as a float featuring Irish strippers would also be inappropriate for a family parade (although I would not be offended- it would probably encourage me to go).
I don't want little children watching YOUR SHOW. Bill. ;-)
If we allow that, some day we may have to let COLOREDS attend! God forbid!
(Hmmm...and they may even stoop to name calling and then what will happen to our civilization??)
a while back they posted a story along the lines of "Gay Pride Parade Sets Back Mainstream Acceptance Of Gays Ten Years," or something like that... the point was, the phallic symbols and leather pants with ass cheeks showing through scared off people who thought they could handle it... but, I don't think this group was planning to do a "provocative" display for St. Pat's... so what's this crap about "little children watching?" watching what? people marching down the street on a rainbow float? for shame! it's not like it was going to be gay sex acts, just gay people... what were they afraid of these kids seeing - that gays are real, regular people?
Sexually explicit behavior would be inappropriate in such a parade, be it homosexual or heterosexual. The Troglodytes on the Christian Right have gotten a lot of mileage out of the shocking images from the Gay Pride parade you mentioned. They have crafted their anti-gay agenda around the assumption that all gay people act like that in their everday lives. That's like watching a documentary about David Koresh or Jim Jones and assuming that all Christians live in compounds, armed with machine guns, molesting children and drinking poisoned Koolaid.
typical of con trolls. Pretending that their concern is that gays look bad, when in fact what they really want is gays to be invisible.
How is drinking green beer honoring a Saint? That's like saying that Christmas honors the birth of Christ? It doesn't. It simply honors consumer spending in the purchase of things most people don't need, otherwise they'd buy it themselves.
Does the Fourth of July honor our independence, or the beverage sellers at the fireworks picnic, or the beer sellers telling you to stock up for the long, hot, summer weekend.
The fact that the local police departments hire extra staff and pay overtime for their officers to work most of these holidays -- Labor Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, News Year, Halloween, Saint Patrick's Day, etc. -- tells you that it is no longer about some sainthood honoring but about honoring our ability to party and forget the woes of the world.
Since the only way a conversation like this one can evolve is to start bashing each other. The question within my statement was
to read in more desperate analogies is just dumb (as to the person who used Jews for an analogy, I don't like your stooping to use us for your lame argument). I should have asked what 'good' is the group promoting by joining the parade? Is it for the good of the disabled? Is it for World Hunger? These are good values yet I don't see these groups joining in (and some of those folks are Irish). No, the answer is to keep the message in the media, drum it in... Like I said it's an agenda. To disregard this is to lie to yourself, which is an O'Reilly tactic isn't it?Do they take down comments that are posted on this site? Last night I posted a comment about this subject and I can't seem to locate it. When I posted, a message told me not to use profanity (I used the S--t word) so I cleaned it up and sent it. Now it's gone. What is their policy on letting comments post? I thought liberals were supposed to be all about free speech?