Guinness Drops Support for St. Paddy's Parade Over LGBT Ban

Image via telegraph.co.ukThe St. Patrick's Day parade will be short on Guinness this year, thanks to its organizers xenophobic exclusion of the LGBT community. The grand daddy of Irish beer pulled its support from the NYC and Boston parades because of their ban on openly gay groups.

"Guinness has a strong history of supporting diversity and being an advocate for equality for all," the company said in a statement released yesterday. "We were hopeful that the policy of exclusion would be reversed for this year’s parade. As this has not come to pass, Guinness has withdrawn its participation."

Guinness joins Sam Adams and Heineken who dropped their financial support of the parades last week. “Hopefully, as parade organizers realize that anti-LGBT discrimination is not supported by sponsors, or many Irish New Yorkers, they'll see that families like mine should be part of the celebration," said GLAAD CEO & President Sarah Kate Ellis in response to the news.

Just remember, this will have no practical effect on the mobs of drunk people you will encounter if you're anywhere near the parade route today. Bars will still be serving beer and people will still be getting drunk and ruining your commute home. But should you be in the mood for a Guinness, your local LGBT bars will continue to serve them, so go get yourself a pint.

VIA GOTHAMIST AND GLAAD.ORG