NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The streets of Sunnyside and Woodside turned green on Sunday as the St. Pat’s for All parade returned for its 26th year, continuing its tradition of celebrating Irish heritage and inclusivity.
The event, started 25 years ago by Brendan Fay, a gay Irish immigrant, was in response to the exclusion of the LGBTQ+ community from Manhattan’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. This year, thousands gathered as city leaders, LGBTQ+ groups, musicians and dancers united to celebrate and raise awareness about President Donald Trump's recent anti-transgender executive orders.
Queens Council Member Julie Won, who represents both Sunnyside and Woodside, emphasized that events like St. Pat’s for All are crucial during this “tumultuous time” when transgender rights are being attacked. Since taking office, Trump has signed several orders targeting transgender individuals, including restrictions on military service and access to gender-affirming care. Won wants to let them know that they are not alone.
“I’m proud to continue to sponsor and support the St. Pat’s for All parade in continuing to make sure that people are validated and affirmed for their existence, especially our transgender neighbors, and that we continue to be an ally for those that may seem invisible or feel erased or unsafe in our neighborhood or in our whole country now,” Won told 1010 WINS.
City leaders who were at the rally before the parade made similar remarks disagreeing with the Trump administration’s actions.
“We stand with the LGBTQ community, especially with the trans community,” New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said. “We are not going to abandon them in the face of all the attacks coming out of Washington.”
Along with advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also expressed support for both Ukraine and Palestine.
“We’re here today to send a strong message that St. Pat’s is for All, New York is for all, and America for all,” she said. “And we also know that our Irish brothers and sisters stand with Ukraine just as we do here across New York City, and we know just with our shared history, that we will acknowledge and stand for those whose rights have been infringed, whose borders have been infringed and ensure that everyone is protected around the world. We stand for Democracy and Palestine too.”
Among the organizations that joined the parade was Sunnyside Reformed Church, an inclusive Christian church that “embraces the gifts of the LGBTQIA+ community, women, differently-abled individuals, and all who seek connection with God.” Speaking to 1010 WINS, Pastor Brandan Robertson emphasized the church’s role in promoting inclusivity in the neighborhood and aligning with the values of the St. Pat’s for All parade.
“To get to pair up with the organizers who have been working at St. Pat’s for All just feels like a kind of perfect pairing, and it helps to promote Sunnyside as this neighborhood of inclusivity in the midst of an ongoing evolution that’s taking place in New York City, in Queens and in religious communities to become gradually more inclusive,” Robertson said.
New York City’s St. Patrick’s Parade ended its ban on LGBTQ+ participants in 2014. Staten Island’s parade, the last St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world to maintain such a ban, marched for the first time with LGBTQ+ inclusion on Sunday.