Updated at 10:06 a.m. Feb. 20
New England’s largest LGBTQ+ Pride parade is returning to Boston after a three-year hiatus — this time with new organizers, a new name, and a new mission.
Boston Pride, the former parade organizer, was widely criticized for excluding people of color and transgender members of the community. The controversy hit its peak following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, when leadership rewrote a statement drafted by its communications team without consulting any of its Black subcommittee members. Public fury ensued, and instead of hearing out calls for change and reshuffling leadership, the board dissolved itself in 2021, subsequently putting the annual parade on hold.
Now, the organization Boston Pride For The People is taking the reins and is promising to do better for this year’s parade, which will be held on June 10 at the Boston Common. The group includes community leaders and members from other LGBTQ+ organizations, including Pride for the People, which was founded to center people of color in Pride planning.
Jo Trigilio, vice president of the new organization and longtime LGBTQ+ activist, says the new board is working hard to ensure members of all communities feel welcome and included at the event.
“Since the very beginning, we have been really focused on creating a community-centered pride,” says Trigilio. “That means being really intentional about thinking about everyone who needs to be included and how we create space for everyone.”
Trigilio says Pride For The People’s efforts will also extend to those who may need physical accommodations to enjoy the event, including sober areas, quiet spaces and accommodations for older members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We’re listening to a lot of voices and getting input on what people need to feel included and make the day a choice one for them,” they say.
Despite the new leadership and promises of inclusion, Julia Golden, interim president of Trans Resistance Massachusetts, says they still haven’t heard the new organizers say much about race or gender.
“This is a missed opportunity to allow people to see what the new center is about,” they say. “Can we talk about, you know, trans, Black, Latino, queer, non-binary and trans experiences? I’m just not hearing it.”
And Golden says the buck doesn’t stop with new leadership and a new mission, they argue complete financial transparency is needed. Trigilio said Pride for the People hopes to raise around $750,000 to fund the event.
“We know several marches in Boston run for under $100,000,” said Golden, “so to hear significant numbers trying to be raised, it’s like, there are so many other nonprofits that are specifically giving back to trans, queer, marginalized populations that could really use the help, rather than one day of a Pride parade.”
“I think that what a lot of us are starting to realize is [that] Pride is great, and a parade can be really fun and bring [the] community together, but at the expense of who?” they added. “How can we celebrate people and also help people?”
Trigilio said that although their focus is on the community, a massive event like Boston Pride needs significant funding to support the number of attendees — the event draws hundreds of thousands of people to downtown Boston — and increased accessibility. That also means seeking out corporate sponsorship.
“That just means, you know, [we have to] do our homework and make sure that the corporations that you’re working with are socially responsible with respect to LGBTQ issues and racial equity issues,” they say. “Basically be intentional about avoiding companies that engage in ‘rainbow washing.’”
Golden said the biggest takeaway is that celebrating queer pride should be more than an annual parade and serve the entire community.
“My hope,” Golden says, “is that we start receiving community feedback and being asked to be a part of what the next iteration [will] look like.”
Clarification: This story was updated to clarify the relationship between Boston Pride For The People and Pride for the People. They share members but are not the same organization.
