No Confrontation on St. Patrick's Day

To the Editors of The Crimson:

In response to Godffrey S. Williams' piece ("Blarney From the Hibernians," March 17) on the New York City St. Patrick's Day parade:

I am an Irish Catholic New Yorker, who did all of the typical Irish Catholic things in New York on St. Patrick's Day. My friends and I played hookey from my Catholic, all-girls' high school and went into Manhattan to march in the parade in our black-watch plaid uniform kilts.

My sister and I marched with County Wexford; Liz McColgan marched with County Cork; Kerry McBride, of course, marched with Country Kerry. Those parades are one of my favorite memories of high school. I wouldn't want to deny anyone the experience of marching with their ancestral country in a display of ethnic pride.

I do, however, agree with the Ancient Order of Hibernians in their attempt to prevent the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization (ILGO) from marching in the parade, although for somewhat different reasons.

I vehemently disagree disagree with many of the policies of my church, its decree on homosexuality being only one among the many. I do accept that homosexuality is a lifestyle that should be seen as socially acceptable by the American public. But I do not think that the St. Patrick's Day parade, whether in Boston or New York, is the time or place to force the issue.

I strongly disagree with Williams' assertion that the Hibernians' policy is a denial of the existence of homosexuality within the Irish keep the parade at its intended level of a celebration of ethnic unity and pride, to try to prevent if from becoming an arena for sharply divisive politics.

The stated purpose of ILGO is to promote acceptance. The implied purpose of the parade is to promote unity. These purposes should be complementary. However, the confrontational attitudes taken by ILGO paradoxically threaten both unity and acceptance, the ideals it is trying to advocate. They serve merely to antagonize or alienate potential allies in the Irish community.

I honestly believe that ILGO and other homosexual organizations throughout the country would garner more support for their cause through less antagonistic tactics. They could march in the parade, and promote the acceptance of their lifestyle at the same time, by marching as the rest of us do, with their counties, while at the same time wearing pink triangles.

The people who are so anti-ILGo now are so because they see the group as disruptive and trying to destroy ethnic unity, not participate in its clebration. People will always resent those who they see as trying to take away or tear down their sacred institutions.

Other members of the Irish community would be more open to their homosexual kin marching quietly, but as a definite presence in every country, than an anonymous, amorphous group that is seen only as "the people who almost ruined parade."

Cooperation always accomplishes more than confrontation. Confrontational tactics create a backlash, antagonizing potential supporters of the homosexual movement, by threatening the institutions others hold dear. Public gathering are not always the appropriate places for political demonstrations. The St. Patrick's Day parade should be a celebration of ethnic, not sexual, identity. Margaret H. Hoefner '94