The Irish and the Vietnamese

(c) 2005 K. Smokey Cormier

What's the matter with the Irish? I mean ... the Irish in New York City? Where they at?

from the NYTimes, March 17, 2009 (full story here):

Updated, 3:38 p.m. | Tens of thousands of marchers proceeded up Fifth Avenue on Tuesday for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, the festive mood of the procession — believed to be the 248th — tempered by the deteriorating economy in both the United States and Ireland.

New York City ranks behind Boston, Philadelphia, Tampa, Cleveland, Baltimore, Chicago and other cities in the proportion of residents who list Irish as their primary ancestral group, but the St. Patrick’s Day parade is nonetheless a political rite of passage for politicians and notables.

Even as the parade began at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street at 11 a.m., a group of lesbian and gay Irish organizations demonstrated 13 blocks away, at 57th Street, criticizing the organizers for their policy barring gay groups (though not individuals) from marching.

The City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, who is the city’s most prominent openly gay official, has stayed away from the parade since being told she could not wear even a pin, button or sash indicating gay pride. She plans to take part in a large St. Patrick’s Day reception in Washington on Tuesday night, at the invitation of President Obama.

and here's an excerpt from an article published Feb. 9, 2010 in The Orange County Register (Orange Country folks seem to be more liberal than New Yorkers -- go figure!):

WESTMINSTER – A coalition of Vietnamese gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender groups will march down Little Saigon streets on Saturday – a first for the annual Tet Parade.

The groups have chapters in Orange County, but they have never actually participated in an Orange County public event.

The Westminster Tet Parade will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday on Bolsa Avenue between Magnolia and Bushard streets in Little Saigon.

The Tet Parade is special, said Gina Masequasmay, a member of O-Moi. The groups have been marching in San Jose's Tet Parade since 2004, she said.

"But Orange County's Little Saigon is like the capital of the Vietnamese community," Masequasmay said.

The group will be one of 70 to participate in the colorful parade, which marks the beginning of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, or Tet.

Now, folks, C-O-M-E O-N ... it's 2010. The 21st century. We're not still in the bogs. We're enlightened people, no? Sad thing to me is ... some of those folks in New York that rail against queers -- I'm sure some of them are my relatives. Well, that's why I'm in touch with my French Canadian cousins (woo hoo ... CONGRATS on those medals!!!) and NOT with my Irish New York ones.

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