McDonald has clashed with the Catholic Church in Connecticut before, in 2009 when he was a state senator. He proposed a controversial bill to regulate the church’s finances, removing parish priests and bishops from their oversight positions and delegating the power to a lay board.

In a statement to the “Advocate,” McDonald said, “I would imagine my personal life played little if any role in their selection. Having said that, I think it definitely demonstrated how open the Irish community is. I’ve known the members of the St. Patrick’s Day Committee for decades and all of them have embraced the diversity of the Irish American community in Stamford for the entirety of that period of time.”

Brendan Fay, founder of the New York-based Lavender and Green Alliance, which will march under its own banner for the first time on March 17in the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade, hailed the decision by the Stamford parade leaders.

“This is a marvelous breakthrough for Stamford and the nation,” Fay told the Advocate.