Boston LGBTQ+ Community Celebrates Pride Month, With an Eye on Threats to Rights

Rainbow flags and other signs of pride fill the streets of Boston, but the celebrations for Pride month do not erase the fear many in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling.

"We know our opponents are fiercely fighting to take away rights we’ve fought so hard for," Janson Wu, the executive director of GLAD said. 

Wu said the attacks on gay and trans rights that are happening across the country cannot be ignored. He and many others are worried about what will happen next. 

“We’ve seen over 300 bills targeting LGBTQ people and even worse, targeting LGBTQ youth,” Wu said. 

Arline Isaacson is the co-chair of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Caucus. She helped lead the fight for gay marriage on Beacon Hill. 

"What this Pride, this moment in time, is teaching us is that we can’t take for granted the victories and rights we’ve won because they are vulnerable and they can be taken away in moment. It’s a really dangerous time," Isaacson said. 

This Pride month, many in the LGBTQ+ community said it is especially important to stand up, celebrate and have their voices heard. 

"It’s time that we affirm our beliefs. It’s time that we be the change we want to see," Curtis Santos of the Boston Lesbigay Urban Foundation said. 

There is no Pride parade after Boston Pride dissolved last year, but smaller groups are stepping up to fill the void. There is a Pop-Up Pride event on the Boston Common June 12.

"Wear your pride outfits. We’re your rainbow. Just come and be excited," Santos said. 

The City of Boston also announced a number of Pride events kicking off June 8th under the initiative "A Very Proud City."

Julia Golden, who is organizing a Trans Resistance March at Franklin Park June 25, said while there will be no big parade, there will be plenty of pride. 

"We’re here to celebrate joy because we’re not celebrated everywhere. We want to be able to let people know that part of liberation is celebrating our joy," Golden said.