The gay ban of New York's St Patrick's Day parade is un-Irish

If gays participate in the Dublin St Patrick's Day parade, why the hell is any American city denying them?

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/mar/16/gay-ban-st-patricks-day

Today, the Fifth Avenue committee operates a sort of "don't ask, don't tell" policy. It insists that gay people are allowed to march – so long as they don't advertise their sexuality. To me, this attitude is outmoded, misrepresents modern Ireland, and as a Dubliner, is not something I recognize.

What this committee might be ignoring is a simple fact about modern Ireland: It's okay with gay stuff. Recent surveys have shown that a significant majority of Irish people approve of gay marriage, with a 2012 poll showing that 73% approve of gay marriage being allowed in the country's constitution. Civil unions have been legal in Ireland since 2010, and received all-party support. And, notably, the Dublin St Patrick's Day parade has regularly included gay-themed floats.

In 2010, our former president even refused an invitation to be grand marshal on the grounds that the New York parade excludes gay groups; and our current foreign minister has responded to the ban by saying that "exclusion is not an Irish thing."