NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Miss Staten Island Madison L’Insalata was banned from the borough’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade hours after she came out as bisexual.
L’Insalata revealed her sexual orientation in the New York Post on Saturday. She said she planned to wear a rainbow scarf at the 56th annual Staten Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday.
But on Saturday night she was banned from the parade by organizer Larry Cummings, the Post reported. Cummings cited “safety reasons,” Miss Staten Island Scholarship executive director Jim Smith said.
“What can happen to her? I don’t think anyone can harm her. I’m very disappointed, though I’m not surprised. I know they’re very strong in their beliefs,” Smith told the Post.
Miss Richmond County’s Outstanding Teen, 17-year-old Victoria Montouri, was also banned, as were other pageant members who already planned to boycott the parade.
“It’s frustrating” L’Insalata told the Post. “I wanted to be in the parade and it’s unfortunately we can’t have a disagreement and still be in the same place. They’re removing all discussion by not allowing me to be there.”
Parade organizers have been fiercely criticized for not allowing the Pride Center of Staten Island to march in the parade with their banner. Many city leaders and public figures have already avoided the parade because of it. It is the only St. Patrick's Day parade in the city that still bans LGBTQ groups from marching.
Councilman Joe Borelli said he too was banned from the parade after showing up with a small pride lapel pin. He said he was stopped by parade marshals.
“They physically blocked me,” Borelli told the Staten Island Advance. “They physically blocked me, my wife and two boys in strollers.”
“They called the police on me. I spoke to a sergeant and was not going to make the life of our cops more complicated to prove a point,” Borelli said. “I didn’t come with it looking for an argument; my friends handed a pin to me. I really didn’t think it was a big affront to the Irish.”
Carol Bullock, executive director of the Pride Center of Staten Island, told 1010 WINS that the ban sends the wrong message to the LGBTQ community.
“There’s some kids out there that are not out yet, but they’re marching in this parade and probably know what’s going on, thinking to themselves, ‘if I were out right now, I wouldn’t be allowed to march in this parade because of who I am,’” Bullock said.
L’Insalata instead planned to attend the “Rainbow Run,” an event held at the Pride Center during the parade.
She told the Post she’s happy she came out: “I said what I have to say — I still think that my message got across and that’s most important.”