Staten Island St. Patrick's Day Parade celebrates LGBTQ+ groups for first time
After being banned from participating for decades, the groups were allowed to march in the borough's St. Patrick's Day Parade.
"Queer people belong everywhere"
The Pride Center of Staten Island made its debut during the 61st annual celebration in West Brighton.
"Queer people belong everywhere," Rainbow Run organizer K.C. Hankins said. "It feels incredible. It feels so good to know that we will not be beaten, not going to be stopped."
Hankins had been fighting for years on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community to be included in the celebration.
"I just can't stop thinking about the little kids that get to see they are welcome here, too," Hankins said.
The Pride Center's executive director, Carol Bullock, said the invitation was extended last November, following a change of leadership within the parade committee, a lot of perseverance, and community support.
"We had support from businesses on Forest Avenue and the entire Staten Island community," Bullock said.
Event is now about uniting as a community
Despite the cold conditions, spectators lined Forest Avenue with their Irish pride on full display.
"This is what it's about, our Irish culture, our heritage," Charles McCarthy said.
"It's so memorable, especially being an implant from Brooklyn to Staten Island. It carries over our tradition of St. Patrick's Day," Kimberly Malloy added.
From dancers to firetrucks to marching bands, everyone had a favorite. But for most in attendance, the day was about celebrating family and uniting as a community, one that now includes everyone.
"It brings us together, the family, spend time with my boys, my wife," Alex Baez said.
"Staten Islanders have long felt this day is overdue and we are finally here. It's wonderful," John Luisi said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Shane Lowry back in his happy place at Royal Portrush where mural depicts ‘special' 2019 win
Six years later, Lowry is back on the Antrim coast looking to do it all over again. 'I didn't know what to make of it at the start,' Lowry said of the mural that immortalized the best golfing day of his life, 'and then when they did it, people kept sending me pictures. Advertisement 'Everyone that comes up here sends me pictures standing beside it. Some of them I can't say what they were doing in it,' he added, laughing, 'but it is very special. I've done something special in my life.' And, boy, did he celebrate it. There's video of Lowry, a beer in one hand and the silver claret jug in the other, singing Irish folk song 'The Fields of Athenry' in a bar in Dublin hours after his six-shot victory. It sure wasn't the only drinking hole he visited in the Irish capital that night, which — to some — fueled the narrative of him being something of a party animal. 'Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it from time to time,' he said, 'but I know when I need to put my head down and work. Advertisement 'You can't be at the top level of any sport if you're not applying yourself well, and I feel like I do it.' Hosting for the third time, the magical Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush is the venue for The 153rd Open. Explore our hole-by-hole guide to this spectacular County Antrim course. (1/19) — The Open (@TheOpen) Indeed, the No. 18-ranked Lowry feels in a good place after being back home in Ireland for the past three weeks, skipping the opportunity to play at the Scottish Open — regarded as a warmup to the British Open. Instead, he has played a slew of the best courses in Ireland — among them Portmarnock, Waterville, and Adare Manor, which is hosting the Ryder Cup in 2027 — in perfect weather. Lowry, whose only solo victory since Portrush in 2019 was the European tour's flagship BMW PGA Championship in 2022, feels 'rejuvenated' and as prepared as he could be in his bid to become the first player to win consecutive British Opens at the same course since 'Sometimes when everything is going really well, I get complacent,' he said. 'I feel like when things are not going well is when I'm at my best. 'Go back to 2019 here, I had a meltdown on the Wednesday because I thought I wasn't going to go out and play well, but then that focused me in a little bit more.' Shane Lowry. The Claret Jug. Back in Clara. A hero's return in 2019 and a town that will never forget it. Watch the full video on YouTube now: — The Open (@TheOpen) Roared on by a raucous crowd, Lowry went on to play the best golf of his life in what at times was rough and wet weather. Few will forget the scene of Lowry — dressed all in black — marching to the 18th green on Sunday with a broad smile and his arms out wide, to the backdrop of green-white-and-orange Irish flags and jubilant umbrella-holding spectators. Advertisement 'I came to a place that I knew and I loved,' he said, 'and it just all clicked.' There's now a mural of him to show for it, even if being lionized in such a way makes him feel uncomfortable. 'I'm happy,' Lowry said, 'I don't have to drive past it every day.'
New York Post
9 hours ago
- New York Post
Azealia Banks accuses Connor McGregor of sending her unsolicited nude pics — and posts the alleged evidence
Conor McGregor was trending all over social media for the wrong reasons on his birthday. Several explicit pictures of the former UFC two-division champion were shared on social media by rapper Azealia Banks after she accused the Irishman of sexual harassment. The post on X, which was taken down by the platform for violating their content policy, included two screenshots of pictures that show McGregor fully nude in front of a mirror. Advertisement 5 Azealia Banks shows two pictures of Conor McGregor nude. X/@azealiaslacewig 5 Screenshot of Azealia Banks' Twitter showing hidden media and a message about being harassed. X/@azealiaslacewig The screenshot of their alleged chat log shows McGregor saying 'lifting weights,' referring to what appears to be a weight wrapped on his penis. Advertisement The other message adds, 'Don't be a rat cos [sic] all rats get caught.' 'How you gonna send a bitch a some crooked d–k pics then threaten her not to tell,' Banks said in a social media post. '@TheNotoriousMMA n–a do you know who the f–k I am? This is HARAM.' 5 Azealia Banks accused Conor McGregor of sexual harassment. Getty Images She continued on a tirade aimed at McGregor that has the social media world buzzing. Advertisement 'Like how are you really going to sexually harrass me with the potato farmer d–k then threaten me not to tell????' Banks added. 'Honey…… ain't u trying to be the president of Ireland what is it giving fam? Use some f–king sunscreen, damn' A further screenshot indicates that Banks received the alleged message early on Monday, and no messages were sent prior. McGregor, who turned 37 today, was following Banks on X at the time of writing. 5 Conor McGregor went to the White House in an attempt to curry favor with President Donald Trump. Bloomberg via Getty Images Advertisement 5 Conor McGregor was the featherweight and lightweight champion. Zuffa LLC via Getty Images McGregor's representatives did not respond to a request for comment. This comes as McGregor had been found guilty of sexual assault, and he is in the process of appealing the ruling. McGregor was also photographed with a brunette mystery woman over the weekend in Florida. His wife, Dee Devlin, appeared to support McGregor by posting a picture of him on her Instagram Story Monday morning, and she later went private on the social media platform. He is also attempting to run for the Irish Presidency and flirting with the idea of returning to cage fighting in the UFC on July 4, 2026, a card that is being planned for the White House. McGregor hasn't fought in the UFC since a horrific leg injury in July 2021 and was previously scheduled to fight in 2024 but pulled out with a foot injury, although he was seen partying in Dublin on May 27, less than a month out from his scheduled bout.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
BBC staff at Glastonbury had power to cut Vylan feed
BBC employees with the authority to cut the live stream of Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance were among 550 members of staff at the festival, director general Tim Davie has said. Ending the broadcast "was an option open to those on the ground on the day", Davie wrote in a letter to the Commons' culture select committee. The punk duo led a chant of "death, death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]" and made other derogatory comments during the performance, prompting apologies from the BBC and Glastonbury, as well as triggering a police investigation. BBC News understands a small number of senior staff were told to step back from their day-to-day duties on music and live events as a result. The corporation has previously admitted failings after it emerged the band were deemed "high risk" prior to their performance. While the feed was monitored and warnings appeared on screen, the broadcast - which went out on iPlayer - was not stopped after the band's comments were made. BBC chairman Samir Shah has said the decision not to pull the live feed was "unquestionably an error of judgement" after strong criticism of the corporation's handling of the incident. In a letter responding to questions submitted by Dame Caroline Dinenage, chairwoman of the Commons' culture, media and sport committee, Davie disclosed how many BBC employees were at the festival. He wrote: "There were 550 personnel working for the BBC at Glastonbury. "Of these 328 were working for BBC Studios (camera crew, rigging, technical and production roles), 35 providing coverage for BBC News, and 187 other BBC public service, working across a wide range of roles, including technical crew, producers, presenters, engineers, runners, commissioners and compliance staff." Answering whether any had the ability to end the broadcast, Davie said: "Yes, there were individuals present at Glastonbury who had the authority to cut the livestream after appropriate consideration. "Those individuals had access to advice and support offsite should they have considered it necessary." He did not specify how many of those present had the authority to pull the live stream, but said those capable of issuing "editorial policy support" would be deployed to music festivals and events in the future. During the duo's set, singer Pascal Robinson-Foster, who performs under the stage name Bobby Vylan, also made a speech about a record label boss he used to work for. That boss would "speak very strongly about his support for Israel", and had put his name to a letter urging Glastonbury to cancel Irish-language rap trio Kneecap's performance, the musician said. The singer said: "Who do I see on that list of names but that bald-headed [expletive] I used to work for? We've done it all, all right - from working in bars to working for [expletive] Zionists." After the media coverage of their set, Bob Vylan said in a statement: "We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine". Avon and Somerset Police have launched a criminal investigation into the band's comments. BBC needs to get a grip quicker after controversies, Ofcom chief says
