About 14 people representing the
upcoming Gay Games 9 marched Monday in Cleveland's St. Patrick's Day
parade.
The inclusion of a gay organization was
a first for Cleveland's annual parade.
“I wasn't aware that we were the
first LGBT-themed group to march in the St. Paddy's parade until it
was over,” Kevin Schmotzer, a board member of Gay Games 9, told the
Northeast
Ohio Media Group. “It feels great.”
“We had a lot of applause and
clapping and cheering,” Schmotzer said of response from spectators.
“There was definitely a lot of excitement from a lot of people who
saw who we were.”
The inclusion stands in contrast to
parades in New York City and Boston, where organizers have banned gay
groups from St. Patrick's Day parades.
Gay Games 9, a sports and cultural
festival, will take place in August in venues throughout Cleveland
and Akron.