NEW YORK (PIX11) — Guinness Beer has pulled their sponsorship for the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade due to the parade’s rule that members of the LGBT community cannot march openly.
“Guinness has a strong history of supporting diversity and being an advocate for equality for all. We were hopeful that the policy of exclusion would be reversed for this year’s parade. As this has not come to pass, Guinness has withdrawn its participation. We will continue to work with community leaders to ensure that future parades have an inclusionary policy,” Guinness said in a statement Sunday.
Stonewall Inn, which previously planned to stop selling Guinness because of their sponsorship confirmed Sunday they will continue to sell the beer.
The only major American corporation that continues to sponsor the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is Ford Motors.
In a statement to CNBC, the company said it’s “involved in a wide range of events and organizations in communities across the country and around the world, including long-standing participation in this parade. No one person, group or event reflects Ford’s views on every issue.”
Guinness joins beer companies Heineken and Sam Adams who have also pulled sponsorships from St. Patrick’s Day Parades.
