Boston (March 8, 2017) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) issued the following statement on the exclusion of OUTVETS from the St. Patrick's Day parade:  

"I am proud of my Irish American heritage. I am proud to represent South Boston and the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States Senate. I am proud that Massachusetts was the first state to legalize same-sex marriage and is always a national leader on LGBTQ issues. I have been proud to support our LGBTQ community throughout my career and will continue to until every person, regardless of identity, receives full equality in our state and across our country.  I am deeply disappointed that the parade organizers have excluded OUTVETS from this year's parade, a stunning and inexplicable reversal the group's inclusion since 2015.  We all believed we'd moved beyond a time when the St. Patrick's Day parade was used as an occasion to exclude people, in this case veterans, from our community just because of who they are or who they love. OUTVETS should be able to march this year, and every year moving forward. If the organizers of the South Boston parade do not reverse their decision to exclude OUTVETS, I will not participate in this year’s parade."