Staten Island St. Patrick’s Parade again rejects LGBTQ+ groups at hostile confrontation

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — LGBTQ+ groups were once again denied from openly marching in the St. Patrick’s Parade on Staten Island this year.

Two community groups, the Pride Center of Staten Island and Gay Officers Action League (GOAL), went to Blessed Sacrament Church on Sunday to submit their applications to have their groups march in the parade. Carol Bullock, executive director of the Pride Center of Staten Island, has been applying to have the group walk in the parade since 2018. The center has been denied every year — and she didn’t expect it to be any different this year, based on the parade rules.

“The second year of my attempting to apply, all of the sudden, it became bold on the first page that no political agendas or sexual identification organizations could apply. And I saw the same thing this year on the rules of the parade,” she said.

LGBTQ+ groups denied to walk in St. Patrick's Parade on Staten Island — Carol Bullock, executive director of the Pride Center of Staten outside Blessed Sacrament Church on Sunday afternoon, February 12, 2023. (Steve White for the Staten Island Advance)

Bullock said she has tried to set up a meeting this year to engage in dialogue about the center, but the head of the Parade committee Larry Cummings refused.

Cummings’ position — and seemingly the position of the rest of the committee — has long been that the Staten Island St. Patrick Parade, set to take place on March 5 this year, should not include LGBTQ+ groups marching under their own banner.

Bullock remained optimistic on Sunday, as the group of over a dozen supporters, wearing pride pins and waving both Irish and pride flags, walked to the door that would lead to the church’s basement to bring their applications to Cummings.

The situation turned hostile when the committee opened the door.

When Bullock followed Cummings inside the building to submit the application, a freelance photographer working for the Advance/SILive.com opened the door to follow and take photos. Cummings forcibly shoved the photographer out of the door, telling him, “Don’t look to start stuff okay? And that’s what you’re doing. Step out. It’s a private day,” followed by repeated, “get outs.”

And Bullock wasn’t able to even go down the steps to the church basement, as Cummings wouldn’t take the application.

“He said, ‘You represent a homosexual organization, get out,’“ Bullock said she was told by Cummings. “And I said, “Can I leave some materials?’ — [he said] ‘Nope, get out.’”

Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn) knocked on the door to the church again to explain there was another group, GOAL, looking to submit an application. The response was “No, I’m sorry.”

“This is a parade I grew up going to, my kids have gone to, and we’re not able to take part in it because they won’t let people in the community take part in it, and I just think it’s absolutely egregious how they’ve been treated today...It’s a moral thing for me. It’s morally reprehensible that they’re blocking people in the year 2023 from marching in the parade,” said Scarcella-Spanton.

She added that elected officials from all different political parties have made the choice to not march in this parade to stand in solidarity for LGBTQ+ groups denied from openly marching. She said she doesn’t want to let this incident serve as the model of Staten Island when it’s “one person” who is blocking the groups.

Two NYPD Community Affairs officers arrived at the scene to assess the situation, going into the church building to seemingly speak with Cummings and the committee.

Both Bullock, and Joyce Garrison, recording secretary for GOAL, were then able to try to submit their applications for a second time.

They were both denied again.

“It’s like a slap in the face,” said Bullock. “I’m disgusted. I think this — it sends a message to someone who wants to come out right now that this is what you’re going to face, and puts a stain on Staten Island. I can march in Dublin’s parade, I can march in Manhattan, it’s just — it just sends a terrible message I think...But when I come out and I see so many people, again it just feeds that desire that someday it will be inclusive. It’s mixed emotions, it’s upset, it’s angry, it’s disgusted, but it’s also thankful to have so many people come out and be out here supporting.”

She added that the situation was “hostile,” which she said had never happened before when applying to walk in the parade.

The Advance/SILive.com was unable to go inside the building while applications were accepted or denied, or speak to Cummings about denying the applications. A call to Blessed Sacrament Church on Sunday about the incident went to voicemail.

Marcy Carr, operations and event production director at the Pride Center of Staten Island, said the center has had clergy, reverends, and famous Irish people back the organization and ask for inclusion. But this year is no different, as the LGBTQ+ groups were turned away.

“What I find fascinating the support from the Staten Island larger community, that you could see 10 people on a street corner and seven of them will be, ‘I don’t get it, why can’t they march?’ And at this point, it boils down to the will of one human being and in the world we live in, nothing should boil down to the will of one human being,” she said.

The New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Manhattan ended a two-decade ban of LGBTQ+ groups in 2014. The Rev. Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the head of the Archdiocese of New York, welcomed the decision when it was announced. Parades in Boston and Dublin have done the same. And a St. Patrick’s Parade in the Bronx last year for the first time allowed an LGBTQ+ group to march openly.

Staten Island’s parade is believed to be the only parade to mark St. Patrick’s Day that continues to exclude LGBTQ+ groups from marching under their own banner.

Over the last several years, Bullock and The Pride Center have been trying to work with public officials, and city and community leaders with hopes they could influence the Staten Island Parade Committee to be inclusive of LGBTQ+ groups. Over the last year, they went a step further asking the city and the mayor to withhold permits and/or city funding needed for the parade to unfold.

In addition, the Advance/SILive.com has led a year-long project highlighting the LGBTQ+ exclusion in the Staten Island St. Patrick’s Parade.

Bullock said she tries to remain optimistic and persistent every year, due to the community support every year from local organizations and individuals who all want the parade to be inclusive. She hopes that people can become more educated and understand the importance of inclusion.

“We’re not going away,” she said. “I’m persistent. I’m exploring every avenue I can to figure out how to make this an inclusive parade while being respectful of others. And I just, my hope — and I never wanted to ruin the parade ever — but my hope is that people realize the exclusion that goes on here and decide not to participate until it is inclusive.”

But if borough residents want to come out and enjoy the parade, businesses on Forest Avenue support the Pride Center with rainbow flags on display.

The center is also looking for volunteers for people to stand on the sidelines throughout the parade route to hand out pins and rainbow flags in support. Those interested can reach out to Carr at mcarr@pridecentersi.org.