A gay veterans group will march in
South Boston's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, the nation's second
largest behind New York.
According to the Boston
Herald, OUTVETS will become the first openly gay group
allowed to march in the parade.
The Allied War Veterans Council of
South Boston voted on Monday to allow the group to march in the
parade.
“It's awesome. It's outstanding,”
said OUTVETS founder Bryan Bishop.
Bishop said that he was shocked by the
vote.
“I knew I had support in the room,
but there were some people who were more concerned about my sexuality
than the fact that I was a veteran,” he told the paper.
OUTVETS, which advocates for LGBT
veterans, marched in last month's Veterans Day parade.
“I want to draw awareness to the LGBT
veterans and say we love this country as much as anyone else. We put
our own needs aside to support and defend the Constitution like
everyone else who served,” said Bishop. “They fought in defense
of this country and in defense of freedom that they couldn't enjoy
themselves. That's the epitome of courage.”
Last year, Mayor Martin J. Walsh
boycotted the parade after talks to allow a gay group to march fell
apart.