Boston’s Pride parade set to return this summer under new leadership and new name

Submitted by bostonglobe t3_113t2u7 in boston

By Nick Stoico:

New England’s largest Pride parade will return in June for the first time since 2019 under the leadership of a new organization after Boston Pride dissolved amid controversy over transgender and racial inclusion.

Pride Month’s signature parade and festival will be held June 10 on Boston Common and at City Hall Plaza, according to Boston Pride For The People, the newly-formed organization.

Other activities are planned for the preceding week and throughout the month, the organization, said in a statement Thursday.

Adrianna Boulin, president of Boston Pride For The People and director of community impact and engagement for Fenway Health, said it is “time for a unified Pride for everyone to enjoy,” according to the statement.

“The pandemic kept us apart for a long time. Now, all of us are eager to reconnect, embrace each other as a community, and most importantly have fun,” Boulin said in the statement.

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Icy-Neck-2422 t1_j8s17hi wrote

That's great news. Hope that everyone has a great time and this one isn't ruined by a few sad sacks.

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yo_soy_soja t1_j8sii7u wrote

Wonder what the cop situation will be with this one.

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Turd___Ferguson___ t1_j8x8898 wrote

$20 says they don't allow cops to march. IIRC, that's what similar organizations in other cities have done. Because a gay person stops being gay when they put on a blue uniform, apparently.

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yo_soy_soja t1_j8x9y6a wrote

>Because a gay person stops being gay when they put on a blue uniform, apparently.

This unironically.

The Stonewall Uprising arose against police harassment. Police are generally the villains in the struggle for LGBT+ equality.

And we've seen innumerable instances where police officers from marginalized demographic group ultimately become complicit in the oppression of their own people. Black cops aren't any less cruel to black people.

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Turd___Ferguson___ t1_j8xb3bz wrote

> Police are generally the villains in the struggle for LGBT+ equality.

Really? Police pass legislation? Refuse to issue marriage licenses? Deny medical care?

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yo_soy_soja t1_j8xcwnu wrote

Laws only matter if/when they're enforced.

Police are the enforcers. When there's a boot on your neck, it's not gonna be a politician's or a C-suite executive's.

When bad laws are passed, police are the goons that enforce the will of (and protect) the ruling class.

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R_Morley t1_j9dkcd7 wrote

What law is repressing Gay people. MGL151B is a good law, and the courts are pretty damn good at enforcing it even. We are one of the most progressive states in the country. Public opinion overwhelmingly approves of gay rights. This isn't Oklahoma.

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Turd___Ferguson___ t1_j8xdqmc wrote

>Police are the enforcers.

I agree. They enforce what we (the royal we, citizens via popularly elected representatives and an independent judiciary) tell them to enforce. Would you rather they each enforce their own personal interpretation of right and wrong?

FFS, they're bureaucrats with guns, not philosopher kings.

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Turd___Ferguson___ t1_j8xejcr wrote

Dude, don't edit your post after someone has already replied to it. Bad form.

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MissingLesbianSpaces t1_j8slwbu wrote

Will lesbians be threatened with assault again? You know ... For being lesbians?

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ratnissneverclean t1_j8tfwp9 wrote

There’s a lack of lesbian spaces in Boston and it’s showing. I def recommend sapphic nights (they’re on Instagram I think) rather than pride if you’re looking for something that is more inclusive

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pfffftttttOK t1_j8wwn53 wrote

Honestly, it's purely business. Lesbian bars don't bring in money, gay bars do. I lived in SF and frequented the Lexington quite often with my lesbian friends. That place was DEAD, ALWAYS. It's not a surprise that these places don't stay open when the nearby gay bars are always packed.

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ratnissneverclean t1_j977pam wrote

I think they did back in the 80s and 90s but a lot of WLW do not strictly ID as lesbian like our male counterparts do (plus most lesbians / sapphic ppl ik are not partiers, but Boston's nightlife scene sucks already due to a ton of ordinances / the T shutting down at 12)

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Berzerk_Unit_Alpha t1_j8uew91 wrote

That is because Boston sucks.

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PuritanSettler1620 t1_j8uv4bf wrote

Boston may not be perfect but it is still a lot closer than anywhere else in the world. Our Godly city on a hill is truly a beacon to the world!

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Berzerk_Unit_Alpha t1_j8uw58z wrote

No. It just sucks. It sucks because Christianity ruined it

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PuritanSettler1620 t1_j8w41m6 wrote

please elaborate

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Berzerk_Unit_Alpha t1_j8wdpmm wrote

Hail satan

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PuritanSettler1620 t1_j8y3jnj wrote

Wow, what a productive and insightful criticism of Boston.

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Berzerk_Unit_Alpha t1_j8y4epw wrote

Cool

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R_Morley t1_j9dhf07 wrote

This is the greatest city on earth -- go back to NY!

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Berzerk_Unit_Alpha t1_j9ep54i wrote

Ok

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R_Morley t1_j9f8v26 wrote

Yes.

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Berzerk_Unit_Alpha t1_j9foft7 wrote

That is soooooo hypocritical to say.

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R_Morley t1_j9g4n14 wrote

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub8uMcLiKJk

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Berzerk_Unit_Alpha t1_j9g8fu0 wrote

please watch until the end

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R_Morley t1_j9gxqf6 wrote

TBH a bop

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Berzerk_Unit_Alpha t1_j9h3trj wrote

That is so hypocritical to say

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Michelanvalo t1_j8uaqhd wrote

I'm out of the loop, what are you referencing

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heather1999xyz t1_j8v39nv wrote

Essentially —

Conflicts in regards to some lesbians not being interested in inclusion in regards to trans women.

Some lesbians see a penis as a deal breaker — with biological sex an essential component to their sexuality, both personal and in terms of identity of the group.

Some lesbians are cool with penises.

Lesbians on both ends have been threatened with assault, sometimes involving threats of sexual violence by various individuals — not just (as some may mistakenly assume) transwomen. There is no barrier of gender or sex or sexuality in regards to threatening others in any way.

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MissingLesbianSpaces t1_j8wvnb9 wrote

Exactly this. Isn't it strange that gay men are not threatened with either rape or assault if they are not open to being with a man who has a vagina? It's just like Good Ole-Fashioned sexism with a dash of lesbophobia thrown in. My first pride march was in the early 80s and I felt 100% safer back then, at least the hatred wasn't coming from inside the houae

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heather1999xyz t1_j8wzh9u wrote

At a celebration of sexuality… …let’s shame people about their sexuality.

I don’t want to sound like a TERF — if someone isn’t into anyone’s specific genitalia then they just aren’t into it. And not wanting to get intimate with someone doesn’t mean they dislike a person or group or are a bigot.

I’m monogamous and bi. I’m married to a man. I’m not looking to get intimate with anyone else. That doesn’t mean I see them as less of people. Not to be crass but — not wanting to fuck someone doesn’t mean someone sees the other person or their identities as negatives.

There are also sometimes essential biological incompatibilities e.g. folks with vaginismus or with trauma involving a penis may not be able to have intimacy with penetration. Literally unable from a medical standpoint.

Also not everyone into specific genitalia is interested in sex with people with those genitalia. People have preferences within the preferences. Everyone has a different build. I have been with so many types of people. Some don’t have a physical compatibility with me or I’m not into them. Even stereotypical super hot fit guys who have been very ‘blessed.’ But that’s me personally. It’s not indicative of their ability to find someone they are more compatible with.

People also have different libidos. So someone who has a high libido, regardless of genitalia, may not be compatible with a low libido asexual person.

Comparability with romantic and sexual partners isn’t limited to genitalia. There are so many factors. Even in terms of requirements people have for people they have hookups with.

I’m obviously pro LGBT rights. But I sound old fashioned and conservative when I say what happens in the literal bedroom is private. In that it’s not something the general public is owed information or explanations about. I also don’t mean private as in ‘should be hidden and something to be ashamed of.’ It’s private info people can choose or not choose to share with ours.

People in kink get that privilege. So should everyone else.

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Sayoria t1_j8tncy3 wrote

Good, I was worried we'd never see it again at this rate. I think with the attack on trans people lately too, I think we need this bad again.

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impressive-unicorn t1_j8u3tmd wrote

I'm going to attend my next pride parade in cosplay. Two birds

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tilehinge t1_j8wt7ap wrote

Anime Boston is legit second Pride, and it's awesome.

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Sayoria t1_j8y4vxr wrote

Less than two months away baby! :]

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Trpdoc t1_j8toan5 wrote

Great to hear it but haven’t had fun at it, very exclusionary groups doesn’t feel inclusive

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scolfin t1_j8uzv73 wrote

It will now be the Beanhole ATV Mot-o-Rama and run by the Moshichists behind that billboard over the BU Bridge rotary.

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[deleted] t1_j8uzp76 wrote

Hopefully there won’t be any disgusting Christians there protesting 🤢

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32no t1_j8zoe4b wrote

I’ve experienced way more homophobic behavior in public recently. This is much needed

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jp_slim t1_j8tnkil wrote

Boston has had the Trans Resistance march and vigil for four years now (happening June 3rd!) so we really have not needed this. Cool that it's happening...

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dxbaileyy t1_j8sr8t3 wrote

I’m sure some annoying people will cancel this one too for not being “inclusive enough”.

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Simon_Jester88 t1_j8s4lf7 wrote

Good, stop gatekeeping Pride Parades, it's next level pettiness

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Conan776 t1_j8s6xdq wrote

Wasn't the old group being shaken down for money to get some inclusiveness stamp of approval? How is the new group avoiding the same issue, I wonder.

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East_Share_9406 t1_j8sb5dq wrote

My recollection is that the previous group disbanded during the george floyd protests in 2020 because they came to recognize that their board was not representative of the boston community.

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FrankWestingWester t1_j8tkag2 wrote

That's what they said in their final press release, but it's not really accurate. Other lgbtq groups (especially black ones) had been complaining for years about the people on the board, who had infinite term limits and never took any feedback (and were, as far as I know, all white and very disconnected) the george floyd protests happened and they put out a vague statement that had edited what their volunteers had written to remove the phases "black lives matter" and "we stand against police brutality". They also thew kind of a fit about being asked why they removed those phrases, and after some back and forth, 80% of the volunteer force left, so they COULDN'T really put on the parade anymore. Only then did they say they were dissolving the group (instead of passing it off to others, which is what people asked them to do). And they tried to spin that as stepping aside to let others lead.

Sorry for the wall of text, it just annoys me how they got to control the narrative there.

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East_Share_9406 t1_j8tm5u4 wrote

Thank you for filling in the details! I am not at all surprised that there was shady shit going on. Heres hoping the new committee will be better.

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Simon_Jester88 t1_j8sbl6y wrote

I hope they're doing something. From what I was reading and viewing back in 2019 it just became a huge ass mess of groups playing struggle Olympics and making undefined arguments about inclusiveness. I lost it at the refusal of the gay police group. Yeah I realize Stonewall was a riot against police, if anything a gay police group should be celebrated and serve as a sign of how far we've come socially.

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[deleted] t1_j8siqn3 wrote

[removed]

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Simon_Jester88 t1_j8sl8zn wrote

That's a great message for queer cops who want to change the system.

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[deleted] t1_j8slwdq wrote

[removed]

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Simon_Jester88 t1_j8snbkz wrote

You can read my about, it's my hockey number not a Nazi thing. Don't accuse everyone you disagree with of being a Nazi it gets old.

And that's bs. As someone who's queer who works in a very conservative field that's how shit gets done, from the inside. Not from exclusion.

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BostonBroke1 t1_j8tffuw wrote

as someone who worked in the prison system - i disagree that change happens from within. All the CO's i worked with are sad sacks of shit. There's a reason they were hired. Those that want to change policing and police brutality are NOT directly joining those positions.

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tilehinge t1_j8wwl1o wrote

The point of the system is brutality and oppression. It will handily resist all internal efforts to change, because it controls the people within it - their paychecks, their livelihoods, and even their lives. If it decides you're a Problem, they'll toss you out in a hot second.

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Simon_Jester88 t1_j8wxo1t wrote

That sounds like a lot of blanket statements.

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tilehinge t1_j8xeqls wrote

Ask Houston Tipping how "change from within" went.

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Simon_Jester88 t1_j8xfbwc wrote

Wow, one individual case that doesn't address the actual issue or point I'm trying to make.

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Turd___Ferguson___ t1_j8xhn4r wrote

Redditors will abandon any and all stated principles as soon as a group they dislike (in this case, cops) stands on the other side.

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Simon_Jester88 t1_j8xjvp5 wrote

I feel like it separates who actually lives in the real world and who lives behind a keyboard all day.

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tilehinge t1_j8xzc2m wrote

Lol what principle did I abandon? "Fuck cops" is pretty core for me.

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Turd___Ferguson___ t1_j8y243l wrote

r/boston: "Police should be a part of the community they serve"

Police: "Cool, can our LGBT officers be a part of the parade?"

r/boston: autistic screeching

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tilehinge t1_j8yct03 wrote

Cops should be accountable to the community. Until they are - and they're nowhere close yet - communities, including the queer community, have every right to exclude them, and rightfully so. But cool ableism anyway.

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Digitaltwinn t1_j8t0irf wrote

I thought it was disbanded last year because there was an outright neonazi/white supremacist on the pride board, but this was all gossip at the time.

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Conan776 t1_j8v913c wrote

I can't blame the Old Pride for just folding up their tent; it's gotta be the worst thing when you are doing charitable work, just trying to bring some joy to the world, and people are running around trying to convince other people that you are a Nazi.

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3720-To-One t1_j8s3bc0 wrote

wHy cAnT wE hAvE a sTrAiGhT pRidE pArAdE?!

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