Arts & Entertainment
Bisexual beauty queen banned from St. Patty’s parade in New York
A New York borough has banned a beauty pageant queen from participating in its annual St. Patrick’s Day after she came out as bisexual.
Miss Staten Island Madison L’Insalata came out in an interview with the New York Post on Saturday, prompting parade organizer Larry Cummings to alert the pageant director that the 23-year-old would be banned from the event, which was held Sunday morning, due to “safety” concerns, the paper reported.
Staten Island organizers, along with those in other boroughs throughout the city, have a long history of rejecting LGBTQ participation in their annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration; years of controversy over the discriminatory policy have resulted in the gradual lifting of similar bans across the city. Following the end of the New York City parade’s ban in 2014, Staten Island became the last borough to still deny LGBTQ participants.
In addition to L’Insalata, the parade also banned Miss Richmond County’s Outstanding Teen, 17-year-old Victoria Montouri; and according to the director of the Pride Center of Staten Island, organizers told her they would not allow gay groups when she attempted to sign up for participation.
Also absent from the parade were Miss Staten Island’s Outstanding Teen Angelica Mroczek and Miss Richmond County Gabrielle Ryan, who boycotted the event because of its restriction on LGBT+ people. In addition, several local officials boycotted this year’s parade, calling for more inclusion in future festivities.
L’Insalata said the decision to ban her from the parade was “definitely a curveball.”
“I was really looking forward to being there and having a discussion and now there won’t be,” she told interviewers. “It’s sad this had to happen. I thought I was doing something good … You want to be part of the change.”
Still, the 23-year-old beauty queen showed up anyway, to watch from the sidelines and represent for the LGBTQ community – even if it was only from behind a metal barrier with the rest of the crowd.
“I still wanted to march because I felt I could make a much greater impact being in the parade, waving my rainbow flag,” she told the Post at the event on Sunday, where she sported a rainbow scarf and heart rainbow pin while holding up a small multicolored flag.
The Staten Island parade is one of dozens of St. Patrick’s Day events held throughout the city each year as New Yorkers celebrate Irish heritage and recognize the patron saint of both Ireland and the Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The Manhattan parade, which takes place on St. Patrick’s Day itself, March 17, is the largest of these, drawing approximately 150,000 marchers and two million spectators.
Impulse Group DC held “10’s Across the Board: A Celebration of 10 Years” at Bravo Bravo (1001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) on Sunday, Dec. 14. Impulse Group DC is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) and affinity group of AIDS Healthcare Foundation dedicated “to engaging, supporting, and connecting gay men” through culturally relevant health and advocacy work.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Rob Reiner, most known for directing untouchable classics like “The Princess Bride,” “Misery,” “When Harry Met Sally…,” and “Stand by Me,” died Dec. 14 alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, in their Los Angeles residence. While investigations are actively underway, sources have told PEOPLE Magazine that the pair’s son, Nick Reiner, killed his parents and has been taken into custody.
Reiner was a master of every genre, from the romantic comedy to the psychological thriller to the coming-of-age buddy movie. But in addition to his renowned work that made him a household name, Reiner is also remembered as a true advocate for the LGBTQ community. In 2009, Reiner and his wife co-founded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, helping fight against California’s Prop 8 same-sex marriage ban. They were honored at the 2015 Human Rights Campaign Las Vegas Gala.
In a statement, HRC President Kelley Robinson said: “The entire HRC family is devastated by the loss of Rob and Michele Reiner. Rob is nothing short of a legend — his television shows and films are a part of our American history and will continue to bring joy to millions of people across the world. Yet for all his accomplishments in Hollywood, Rob and Michele will most be remembered for their gigantic hearts, and their fierce support for the causes they believed in — including LGBTQ+ equality. So many in our movement remember how Rob and Michele organized their peers, brought strategists and lawyers together, and helped power landmark Supreme Court decisions that made marriage equality the law of the land — and they remained committed to the cause until their final days. The world is a darker place this morning without Rob and Michele — may they rest in power.”
Reiner’s frequent collaborators have also spoken out as the industry is in mourning, including figures like Ron Howard and John Cusack.
A joint statement from Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest (who starred in Reiner’s “This is Spinal Tap”) reads: “Christopher and I are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michele Singer Reiner and our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them. There will be plenty of time later to discuss the creative lives we shared and the great political and social impact they both had on the entertainment industry, early childhood development, the fight for gay marriage, and their global care for a world in crisis. We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve.”
While attending the 2019 HRC Los Angeles Dinner, Reiner spoke out about the need for equality: “We have to move past singling out transgender, LGBTQ, black, white, Jewish, Muslim, Latino. We have to get way past that and start accepting the idea that we’re all human beings. We’re all human beings, we all share the same planet, and we should all have the same rights, period. It’s no more complicated than that.”
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington perform “The Holiday Show” at Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.). Visit gmcw.org for tickets and showtimes.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Brian Footer suspends campaign for Ward 1 D.C. Council seat
LGBTQ Democrats say they’re ready to fight to win in 2026
PHOTOS: 10’s Across the Board
Lighting candles in a time of exhaustion
LGBTQ, LGBTQ-friendly congregations to hold holiday services
PHOTOS: The Holiday Show
Choose U ambassadors share lived experiences with HIV, personal reflections, and insights
Studio’s ‘Mother Play’ draws from lesbian playwright’s past
The best books to give this holiday season
