St. Pat's for Everyone: How LGBTQ+ Staten Islanders are Creating More Inclusivity by Jacqueline Caruso

The Pride Center of Staten Island's St. Pat's for Everyone event is hoping to break up the exclusive legacy of Forest Avenue St. Patrick's Day Parade.

There were no official in-person St. Patrick's day parades in New York City this year as the State's public health measures still prohibit outdoor gatherings greater than 50 people. Staten Island's Forest Avenue parade, traditionally taking place the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day, was reduced to a St. Patrick's Day themed restaurant crawl leading up to the holiday on March 17. The event is typically one of the largest annual public gatherings on Staten Island, attracting "over 50,000 people per year." The group responsible for organizing the borough's official annual parade – a local chapter of the Irish Catholic fraternal organization, the Ancient Order of Hibernians –  did not organize any, in-person or virtual, 2021 programming. While safety protocols may have prevented this year's parade from taking place as usual, they also presented a chance for new opportunities.

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PFT5 jingle by Patrick Meagher, Read by Jacqueline Caruso, Produced by Emily Nadal