Bill De Blasio will be the first New York City mayor in memory to
boycott the St. Patrick’s Day parade because the parade’s organizers do
not permit the display of signs associated with the gay and lesbian
movement. “I will be participating in a number of other events to honor the Irish heritage of this city," said the mayor, who assumed office on January 1. “But I simply disagree with the organizers of that parade.”
The mayor, however, will permit city employees to march in the parade in their uniforms, the Associated Press reported.