Macy's Thanksgiving Parade to Celebrate Gay Marriage

Newsmax.com ^ | 11/26/03 | Carl Limbacher

[truthandlife]

A float in New York City's widely watched Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade will feature an open celebration of gay marriage, unless parade officials step in to block the performance.

Writing on the op-ed page of Wednesday's New York Times, Broadway star Harvey Fierstein announced that he'll be cross-dressed as Mrs. Santa Claus on a float dedicated to his hit Broadway show "Hairspray."

"According to legend, New York lore and two major Hollywood flicks, Macy's Santa is the real deal," Fierstein began, before dropping his bombshell news. "And tomorrow, to the delight of millions of little children [not to mention the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court], the Santa in New York's great parade will be half of a same-sex couple."

The actor continued:

"And guess who the other half will be? Me! Harvey Fierstein, nice Jewish boy from Bensonhurst, dressed in holiday finery portraying the one and only Mrs. Claus."

Early morning reaction to Fierstein's revelation was strongly negative, with even gay and lesbian callers to WABC Radio's Curtis & Kuby Show denouncing the stunt as inappropriate.

Co-host Curtis Sliwa predicted that either city or parade officials will step in to block the politicization of the traditional holiday event.

[lambo]

I was thinking "He turned with a jerk . . . ."

[Coleus]

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/26/opinion/26FIER.html

Fr. Mychal F. Judge is besmirched again.

[SuziQ]

Well, I haven't watched the parade since I was a little kid, so I won't be missing anything!

[eastsider]

Aside from being grossly inappropriate, I think this is more about Harvey Fierstein than it is gay marriage.

Of course it's all about him, but he gets away with this crap by claiming that it's for "the cause." He was the force behind ACT UP's sacrilegous demonstration during communion at St. Patrick's several years ago. Based on that experience, he has every reason to believe that he will dodge any personal accountability for this, his latest in-your-face stunt.

[billl]

Text of my comments to Federated Department Stores web site ...

OK, that's it. I will never shop in your stores again (Federated, Bloomies ...) You are trying to have it both ways and you lost me.

Macy's issued a statement saying the parade "has never and will never be a platform for political and social issues and opinions." Department store spokeswoman Elina Kazan said that the traditional Mrs. Claus will ride with Santa on his sleigh as part of the parade's grand finale. She called Fierstein's alternative version "Edna's interpretation of Mrs. Claus."

You ARE allowing this in your parade, after he makes a travesty of it in the Times. I won't watch for fear of what kind of explanation the commentators will make in front of the little children. I am not a right-wing nut. You have failed in your custodianship of an American icon that has served Macy's well for 75 years.

end comments

To all, have a good turkey with your families and let's remember to give thanks for all we have and ... we should remember all involved after we wake up from our nap after dinner...

[foreverfree]

bump

[fatima]

Turn off Macy's bump.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Northern Yankee]

God Bless your boys that they have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and the rest of your family!

[Diddle E. Squat]

So what happened? Did Macy's allow the gay gatecrasher, or did they kick he/she/it off the float?

[Diddle E. Squat]

Anybody know?

[Coleus]

Yep, he/she/it was on about 10 minutes before santa and both Katie and Matt loved him.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Thanks for the info.

Macy's is usually overpriced anyway. They won't get any shopping from me.

[Coleus]

 

Fierstein to Play Mrs. Claus in Parade

2 hours, 9 minutes ago

NEW YORK - New York's annual Thanksgiving parade is famous for its giant balloon caricatures, but Mrs. Claus in drag may be drawing the second looks this year.

AP Photo

Harvey Fierstein (news) — Broadway's most famous drag queen — will dress as Mrs. Claus while riding downtown on a float in Macy's famous parade.

Fierstein, star of the Broadway musical hit "Hairspray" and openly gay, wrote an op-ed piece in The New York Times Wednesday promoting his planned homage to Mrs. Claus.

The 49-year-old playwright-actor wrote that "to the delight of millions of little children, the Santa in New York's great parade will be half of a same-sex couple."

"And guess who the other half will be?" he asked. "Me! Harvey Fierstein, nice Jewish boy from Bensonhurst, dressed in holiday finery portraying the one and only Mrs. Claus."

Fierstein will appear as his "Hairspray" character, Edna Turnblad — but dressed as Mrs. Claus — on the Percy and the P-Birds float, a group of penguin puppets.

"I'm not doing the parade as a political statement," he said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I'm doing the parade because it's the most fun I can possibly have in the world."

Macy's issued a statement saying the parade "has never and will never be a platform for political and social issues and opinions."

Department store spokeswoman Elina Kazan said the traditional Mrs. Claus will ride with Santa on his sleigh as part of the parade's grand finale Thursday. She called Fierstein's alternative version "Edna's interpretation of Mrs. Claus."

Fierstein said he had grown up watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. "When they asked me to be in it, I was so thrilled," he told the AP.

On the Net:
http://www.macysparade.com http://www.hairsprayonbroadway.com

 

Actor Harvey Fierstein, from the Broadway show 'Hairspray,' wears women's clothing for his arrival to the 45th Annual Grammy Awards, in this file photo of Sunday, Feb. 23, 2003, in New York. In lighthearted support of a recent Massachusetts high court ruling favoring gay marriage, Harvey Fierstein _ Broadway's most famous drag queen _ will dress as Mrs. Claus while riding on a float Thursday, Nov. 27, 2003 in New York's Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

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Actor Harvey Fierstein (news) gives the okay sign while dressed in drag as Mrs. Santa Claus during Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, November 27, 2003. Fierstein, Broadway's moat famous drag queen, appeared as his 'Hairspray' character, Edna Turnblad. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

[Diddle E. Squat]

The blatant dishonesty by Macy's and gay activists in that article is rather staggering.

[Coleus]

`

[O.C. - Old Cracker]

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! - Isaiah 5:20

[Dr. Eckleburg]

NBC just highlighted Harvey's disgusting Mrs. Claus.

His float stopped; Harvey, the putrid transvestite, sang; and Matt and Katie drooled, "I just love him, don't you?"

No. He is damned.

[GSWarrior]

None. I think you are the only person on whom my sarcastic comment was not lost. I was amused at the couple of responses that agreed with my post however.