3/16 & 3/17:fight the religious right on NYC streets

international | miscellaneous | news report Friday March 11, 2005 22:38 by Aodhan - irish queers irishquers at hotmail dot com

Stand up for Queers

Protest the UNHOLY ALLIANCE of the mayor, the NYPD and (sadly) some union leaders
WITH THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT & big business.

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Wed. 3/16, 6:30pm - NIGHT-BEFORE DRAG TEA PARTY AT St. P'S CATHEDRAL 51st St./5th Ave. on the Cathedral steps -- a main stopping point on the parade route, where rings are kissed. Come in drag or just as you are: that pesky queer who won't disappear on cue.

Thurs. 3/17, 10:30am - PROTEST THE ANTI-QUEER ST. PATRICK'S PARADE (this is more important!) East side of 5th Ave./ 58th St. Queer & Irish music, spectacle & general fierceness. A golden moment to confront the religious right, who will be traveling to NYC from righty-land for the parade. After an hour or two, we'll march our spectacle through the spectators. If cops won't let you in or you can't find us, call (917) 517-3627.

[Both events are legal protest, no civil disobedience is planned.]
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On St. Patrick's Day, tens of thousands of uniformed cops, firefighters, union brass and Mayor Bloomberg will march in a parade that explicitly discriminates against queers (again!) The religious right has hijacked this once-Irish parade*, with the big funding and political support from right-wingers on Wall Street, Ford Motors and NBC. They call the parade "a triumph of Catholic values
over homosexuals." Cops marching in the parade feel freer each year to denigrate and threaten queers on the sidelines. The Mayor is so okay with it, he marches a few times over. Organized labor says it'll cost them too much political clout if they object -- so some union groups march too.

Fight back against the City's support for this parade, against the takeover of immigrant/ethnic communities by the religious right, and for the rights of queers to be visible in our own communities.

*But I'm not Irish or queer, so why should I fight the religious right's takeover of local communities? Um... because George Bush was just elected by half of your country!

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For more info, to help out at the demos (we need you!), or to make art & props:
[email protected], (212) 289-1101 or www.irishqueers.org
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PROTEST, my pretties... or you may never see your precious little civil rights again!