Top Irish beer brand Guinness has just announced it is dropping its sponsorship of the historic New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade over the event’s anti-LGBT policy. Heineken, also a top international beer brand, had already dropped its sponsorship of the NYC Parade, and Sam Adams beer this past week announced it was dropping its sponsorship of its hometown St. Patrick’s Parade in Boston. Both parades ban LGBT groups from marching openly.
“Guinness has a strong history of supporting diversity and being an advocate for equality for all,” the beer maker said in a statement to GLAAD. “We were hopeful that the policy of exclusion would be reversed for this year’s parade. As this has not come to pass, Guinness has withdrawn its participation. We will continue to work with community leaders to ensure that future parades have an inclusionary policy.”
GLAAD CEO and President Sarah Kate Ellis applauded the move.
“Today, Guinness sent a strong message to its customers and employees: discrimination should never be celebrated. As a gay mom who has fond memories of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, it saddens me that I can’t give those same memories to my own kids because my family isn’t welcome. Hopefully, as parade organizers realize that anti-LGBT discrimination is not supported by sponsors, or many Irish New Yorkers, they’ll see that families like mine should be part of the celebration.”
New York City’s famous Stonewall Inn had planned to drop Guinness but has rescinded that plan.
And GLAAD also notes that the New York City’s Irish Queers, “a group that has been leading the work to end the ban on LGBT participation in the parade for many years,” took the NYPD to task for participating in the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Ford is the last remaining corporate sponsor of the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade and it has refused to budge.
“Ford Motor Company is involved in a wide range of events and organizations in communities across the country and around the world, including long-standing participation in this parade,” the company said in a statement. “No one person, group or event reflects Ford’s views on every issue. What we can tell you is that Ford is proud of its inclusive policies. Every member of the Ford team is valued, and we provide employee benefits regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation.”