GLAD Celebrates St. Pat’s With Podcast “100% Irish: Hurley v. GLIB”

March 12, 2008 -- Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is marking St. Patrick’s Day with the podcast “100% Irish: Hurley v. GLIB”, which relates the 3-year fight by a group of gay Irish-Americans to march in Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.

The podcast is the third in a 12-part series celebrating GLAD’s 30th year of fighting discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, and those living with HIV/AIDS.  The podcast can be heard, and the entire series can be downloaded, at http://feeds.feedburner.com/Glad30thAnniversaryPodcasts.
In 1992, the Irish-American Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Group of Boston (GLIB) registered to march in the parade, which was co-sponsored by the City of Boston and the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council. The Veterans’ Council—headed by self-named Korean War veteran John “Wacko” Hurley—rejected the group’s registration on the grounds that GLIB posed a “safety concern” – despite the fact that  GLIB had proposed to do nothing more than march with a banner bearing the organization’s name.

In 1992 and 1993 GLAD won court orders that enabled GLIB to march. Then, rather than let GLIB march in 1994, the Veterans Council canceled the parade outright.

By the time the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court in early 1995, GLIB had won in court seven consecutive times. Each time a Massachusetts court affirmed the right of LGB Irish-Americans to participate in a public, civic event celebrating their heritage. But—reframing GLIB’s fight against discrimination as a First Amendment issue—the U.S. Supreme Court in June 1995 reversed the Massachusetts courts.

The podcast features interviews with marchers Cathleen Finn and David O’Connor, and attorneys John Ward and Mary Bonauto. Despite the loss, the case itself marked significant progress for LGB people. GLAD attorney John Ward was the first openly gay attorney to argue at the Supreme Court. The written decision was respectful in tone, and the Court acknowledged that coming out and being out are expressive acts, and the widespread publicity – national and international - added to the public discussion about identity, community, and belonging.

For more information about GLAD’s 30th anniversary, visit www.glad.org/30years.  Additional materials about the St. Patrick’s Day case, including photos and news stories, will be posted on March 17, 2008.