GLIB's attorney, John Ward of Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, had argued that a banner identifying GLIB by its full name carried no "extrinsic message" and therefore was not speech that could interfere with the parade sponsors' speech rights. Souter interpreted the banner as an attempt to "bear witness to the fact that some Irish are gay, lesbian, or bisexual" who "have as much claim to unqualified social acceptance as heterosexuals and indeed as members of parade units organized around other identifying characteristics".
The lawyer, John Ward of Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, claimed that a banner bearing GLIB's full name did not convey any "outside message" that could impede the parade sponsors' right to express themselves. Justice Souter viewed the banner as an attempt to publicly proclaim the equality of Irish individuals who identify as LGBTQ+.