Stonewall Inn on Sunday announced plans
to drop Guinness over the beer company's sponsorship of New York
City's St. Patrick's Day parade.
Organizers of the nation's oldest and
largest St. Patrick's Day celebration steadfastly refuse to allow gay
organizations to march in Monday's parade.
On Friday, Heineken
dropped its sponsorship of the parade, saying that it is
“passionate about equality for all people.” Mayor Bill de Blasio
earlier this month marched in a gay-inclusive parade and announced
that he would not participate in the city's St. Patrick's Day parade.
(Related: NYC
Mayor Bill de Blasio marches in gay inclusive St. Patrick's Day
parade.)
“It's time for Guinness, other
sponsors and Irish New Yorkers to speak out in favor of an inclusive
parade that welcomes the Irish spirit of love and family,” GLAAD
President Sarah Kate Ellis said in an emailed statement.
GLAAD, community advocates, and the gay
rights group Irish Queers will gather Monday at Stonewall Inn –
considered the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement – to
remove Guinness products from the bar's shelves.
Other bars joining the Guinness boycott
include Pieces Bar and Hardware Bar.
(Related: Boston
Mayor Marty Walsh boycotts St. Pat's Day parade over gay exclusion.)