Hillary's St Patrick's march offends gays

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani leads the annual parade

By Jane Hughes in New York

The First Lady, Hillary Clinton, has run into a row over her participation in New York's annual St Patrick's Day parade.

Most Democrat politicians boycott the parade because the organisers refuse to allow the Irish Gay and Lesbian Organization to take part.

Supporters of the Gay and Lesbian Organization march against the ban

Mrs Clinton is running for the US Senate in New York and critics say her participation shows that she does not understand the political sensitivities of the city.

The parade is an annual tradition dating back 239 years - the 300,000 marchers and two million spectators bringing New York City to a halt in celebration of Irish Americans.

Mrs Clinton said a few weeks ago that she would be taking part - apparently not realising that Democrats usually boycott the march.

Her participation has offended gay and lesbian groups in New York. But if she had backtracked and pulled out, she would have upset the city's large Irish American community.

Northern Ireland

She said she had decided to march to show her support for the Northern Ireland peace process.

"I would hope that this parade would become inclusive, but this is a day also to celebrate the contributions of Irish Americans," Mrs Clinton said.

"I have worked now for about seven years on the peace process, and I think every one of us, as we march, will be saying a little prayer about the peace process."

The row threatens to alienate New York's gay and lesbian community, which has been very supportive of Mrs Clinton's candidacy.

But, more significantly, it enables critics to accuse her of failing to understand the complexities of New York politics.

Her probable opponent, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, never misses an opportunity to remind people she is not from New York.

Incidents like this one are likely to increase concerns among some that she does not have the feel for the State that a senator needs.