Gay Groups to March in St. Patrick’s Day Parade as a Ban Falls; New York Times, 9/3/14

Marc Santora, New York Times; Gay Groups to March in St. Patrick’s Day Parade as a Ban Falls:

"The organizers of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade said on Wednesday that they were lifting a ban on openly gay groups marching under their own banner, bringing to a close more than two decades of bitter protests and controversy that thrust an annual celebration into the national gay rights debate.

The decision is a striking reflection of the evolution of gay rights in the city and in American society, and is a measure of changing attitudes in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church."