If he marches, Donohue would join thousands of other marchers and more than 50 floats as the parade makes its way down Fifth Avenue on the last weekend in June. "Absolutely! A big wedding cake and everything else," Donohue laughed. When Malzberg asked Donohue if he could march alongside him in the Gay Pride Parade, should he go ahead, the Catholic League leader said yes. "Because they're out of Dublin and as an American citizen and as an Irish citizen and as a Catholic, I take a particular affront to Guinness." "The one I really want to send a message to is Guinness," he said. Ditto for gays."ĭonohue said he has launched a petition drive on to promote his boycott of Guinness. "As I've said before, pro-NRA Catholics, pro-life Catholics, they are not welcome to march under their own banner. Patrick's and you want to crash it with your own agenda. "They think it's chic to be involved with gay rights causes. "You know who I'm talking about, the elite. Patrick's Day Parade because of organizers' refusal to allow gays to march under their own banner. Guinness, along with fellow brewers Heineken and Samuel Adams, pulled out of sponsorship of the St. "There's not enough gays that they lined up single file to pull off this nonsense, it's supported by the tony corporate boys and girls at Guinness … and the Georgetown people, Park Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin, Hollywood people," he said. Patrick's Day Parade is not being promoted by all gays, but rather an elite group of high-powered liberals with an agenda. We'll find out."ĭonohue insisted the controversy surrounding the St. They're dancing on the head of a lawyer's pin. "They had a chance already to unequivocally answer me, and they're not doing that.
"What if instead of getting 100 people, what if I get 3,000 people? What if we begin to overwhelm their parade and veto their message. They're not giving me an unequivocal answer."ĭonohue believes NYC Pride is fearful that Catholic League supporters could overwhelm the Gay Pride Parade, which is held on the last weekend in June. "Before I attend your training sessions, I just want to know. "I said, look I want to be clear, can I march with my banner 'Straight is Great?' My members will wear t-shirts 'Straight is Great' – I'm waiting for the final answer … They are saying, well … we have our own rules and what not," Donohue said. "Their initial response was okay, you have to come to a training session. He said on Thursday that he believes Gay Pride Parade organizers will throw too many conditions in his path, forcing him to not be able to march. Patrick's Day Parade does - and they should understand that. Parade officials said gay banners are equal to political statements, which are not allowed.ĭonohue said organizers of the Gay Pride Parade have rules about marching just as the St. Patrick's Day Parade because parade officials won't let them hold banners touting anything gay. We have thousands of straight people participating in the Pride March, including Catholic groups, who support LGBT youth, families and married couples."ĭonohue has been at war with gay groups for claiming they are discriminated against by organizers of New York's St.
NYC Pride's Managing Director Chris Frederick told the Huffington Post: "Straight allies are great. "His group's presence affirms the need for this year's Pride theme, 'We Have Won When We're One.' Straight is great - as long as there's no hate."
Donohue and his group are free to participate in the 2014 March," said David Studinski, director of the NYC Pride event.
Ben Carson: It's Time to Stand Up - Get His Vision for Americaĭonohue got the green light from NYC Pride, which organizes the parade, Thursday morning - a day after he revealed to Malzberg that he was challenging the group to let him march with a banner proclaiming, "Straight is Great!" "I'm pretty much of an untrainable guy when it comes these things."ĭonohue also insisted he would never wear an LGBT t-shirt.Įditor's Note: Dr. "Quite frankly as a straight guy, I don't go to gay training sessions," Donohue said Thursday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV. Organizers of New York's annual Gay Pride Parade have invited Bill Donohue to march this year - but the Catholic League president says the offer comes with impossible conditions which include attending a training session and wearing a shirt that promotes gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender lifestyles.