Facing mounting criticism for its
sponsorship of South Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade, Sam Adams on
Friday pulled its support.
Organizers behind Sunday's parade –
the nation's second largest behind New York – continue to exclude
gay groups from marching. A
deal brokered by Mayor Marty Walsh to allow MassEquality to
participate in the parade fell apart last week.
Earlier this week, Sam Adams shrugged
off a boycott being organized by gay bars, saying that it also
supports many gay rights groups and Boston's annual Gay Pride parade.
But in a statement released Friday,
Boston Beer, which makes Sam Adams, reversed course.
“We have been participating in the
South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade for nearly a decade and have
also supported the St. Patrick's Day breakfast year after year,”
the company said. “We've done so because of the rich history of
the event and to support veterans who have done so much for this
country. We were hopeful that both sides of this issue would be able
to come to an agreement that would allow everyone, regardless of
orientation, to participate in the parade. But given the current
status of the negotiations, we realize this may not be possible. We
share these sentiments with Mayor Walsh, Congressman Lynch and others
and therefore we will not participate in this year's parade. We will
continue to support Senator Linda Dorcena Forry and her St. Patrick’s
Day breakfast. We wish her all the best in her historic stewardship
of this tradition.”