Crowd at St. Patrick’s Day Parade Boos Dinkins

Mayor David N. Dinkins was booed Saturday when he marched with members of an Irish gay group rather than at the head of the nation’s oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

A smattering of cheers was drowned out by boos from thousands along the Manhattan parade route.

“One-term mayor!” some spectators chanted as Dinkins, wearing a green jacket, walked by with the Irish Gay and Lesbian Organization. Some sprayed beer and shouted obscenities at the mayor and the gay marchers, who were accompanied by heavy security.

“They shouldn’t be here. The day is for the Irish,” said spectator Robert Garrison of Harrison, N.J.

“It makes me sad, but it’s mostly ignorance,” said gay marcher Kay Glidden. “They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“Every time I hear someone boo, it strengthens my resolve that it was the right thing to do,” Dinkins said later.

Parade officials had tried to keep the gay group out of the parade. The officials cited time constraints in ruling the group could not march. Dinkins, fearing there could be discrimination involved, intervened on behalf of the organization.

Parade Chairman Frank Beirne then ruled the group could march with any other unit if they were invited. Division 7 of the New York County Ancient Order of Hibernians extended an invitation.

Dinkins was greeted warmly by a prominent opponent of gay rights, Cardinal John J. O’Connor, who reviewed the parade from the steps of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

There were more than 150,000 marchers in about 200 different units. The parade traditionally draws as many as 2 million spectators, but authorities had no crowd estimate by late afternoon.