Organizers of New York City's annual
Gay Pride parade say Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League,
is welcome to participate in this year's celebration.
Donohue, an ardent opponent of gay
rights, is pursuing a boycott of Guinness over the beer company's
decision to withdraw its support from New York City's St. Patrick's
Day parade over the parade's exclusion of gay groups.
(Related: Bill
Donohue calls on Catholics to boycott beer companies over pro-gay
stance.)
“There is a price to be paid for
anti-Catholic bigotry, and that is exactly what is driving Guinness
to act,” Donohue said in a press release. “Guinness wants to
punish Catholics for holding to traditional moral values, and now
they must suffer the consequences.”
Appearing on The Steve Malzberg
Show, Donohue
said that he was “going to go after Guinness big time, nonstop,
relentlessly” because the company is “trying to stick it to
Roman Catholics.”
He also announced that he had applied
to march in June's Gay Pride parade with a “Straight is Great”
banner.
“I'll bring a big wedding cake,” he
said.
NYC
Pride responded in a press release that Donohue and his group
“are free to participate in the 2014 March.”
“His group's presence affirms the
need for this year's Pride theme, 'We have won when we're one,'”
said David Studinski, march director of NYC Pride. “Straight is
great – as long as there's no hate.”