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Although New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will be participating in a number of other events surrounding this year’s celebration of St Patrick’s Day, he won’t’ be marching in this year’s parade, saying he disagrees with the organizers refusal to allow participants to carry gay-pride signs.

Organizers say gay people are welcome to march in the parade, which is expected to draw more than 1 million people, but they say signs celebrating being gay would detract from the parade’s focus on honoring Irish heritage.

Mr. de Blasio will be the first mayor in 20 years not to participate in the parade which has a long history of discrimination against gay groups. “I simply disagree with the organizers of that parade in their exclusion of some individuals in this city,” he said in a news conference at City Hall.

City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito also announced that she will not be marching. “I have an incredibly strong trajectory of being a strong ally on issues regarding social justice and equity for the LGBTQ community, so I will definitely not march,” she said. “The mayor took a very bold step and decision in deciding not to march.”

The last mayor to boycott the parade was David N. Dinkins  in 1993, after sponsors won a court battle to exclude a group of openly gay Irish-Americans from participating.

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Carrie Stone