Revelers high-spirited at Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade

BOSTON (AP) – Tens of thousands of people lined the frigid streets of Boston on Sunday for the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, which went off amid high spirits and without a hitch after a dispute over whether a gay veterans group could march.

There was no shortage of green clothing, shamrock headbands and booze during the annual parade in South Boston. Some parade-goers said they would have attended no matter the outcome of the dis- pute over the OutVets gay veterans group.

The parade’s organizers, the South Boston Allied War Council, initially had voted against allowing marchers from OutVets, a group representing LGBTQ veterans. But organizers reversed the decision earlier this month after the stance drew backlash.

Spectators Jo Bunny and her wife, Lise Krieger, told The Boston Globe they had gone to the parade for the first time specifically to support the veterans.

“These men and women went out and fought for us to have (protection when it comes to sexual orientation),” said Bunny. “We should support them.”

John Racker, of Wilmington, Del., said he followed the headlines on the OutVets dispute, but it wouldn’t have prevented him from taking part in the festivities on his first trip to Boston.

“I want everybody to be included, but I also wanted to see this parade,” he said.

Others spectators, including Kendal and Alexa Smith, 17-year-old twins from East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, had not heard of the dispute. Both girls, dressed in green from head to toe, took the train into the city for their first St. Patrick’s Day parade.

“We always heard about this parade,” Alexa Smith said. “Our grandmother is from Ireland. We usually celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with family, decorate the house.”