Funny or foul? St. Patrick's Day T-shirts stir up controversy

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSTM) - Coleman's on Tipp Hill makes St. Patrick's Day shirts every year, but this year's design has sparked controversy among some.

The shirt reads, "Mom, Dad... I'm Gaelic" on the front and "Everyone Comes Out For St. Paddy's Day" on the back.

When we showed this year's shirt to people in Armory Square, it received mixed reviews;some say they don't understand why gender or sexual orientation has anything to do with the holiday.

"We all want to laugh at things and joke around, but in the end, you have to be respectful of others and I think that they accidentally put one out that really did not fall into that category," said Michael John Heagerty.

When we reached out to Coleman's, it issued the following statement, saying it didn't intend to offend anyone with the shirt's design:

"It was a tongue-in-cheek commentary on society. But we understand now how some gay people might take offense and for that we apologize. That’s the problem with humor—what some people can laugh about; other people find offensive."

The restaurant says it will continue to sell the shirts.