Teamsters will pull out of South Boston parade unless gay veterans' group allowed back in

Teamsters Local 25 announced today that if a gay veterans' group can't march in the St. Patrick's parade in South Boston, then it will stay away as well.

The announcement comes as the board of the Allied War Veterans Council readies for an emergency meeting tomorrow on its Tuesday vote to bar OutVets from the parade. Following that vote, the parade lost its honorary leader, and several politicians and sponsors, including the South Boston Stop & Shop.

In a statement this morning, Teamsters Local 25 President Sean O'Brien said:

Today, Teamsters Local 25 is informing the St. Patrick’s Day parade committee, that we are no longer participating in this year’s parade unless OutVets is included in the line-up. Our Women's Committee has been proud to walk alongside our tractor trailer for the past several years, but if the organizers shut out certain organizations, the parade is no longer representative of the 11,000 members of Teamsters Local 25 and our families. I urge the committee to reconsider their decision to make the parade reflective of the city of Boston so that all can enjoy.