From parades and parties to activism and protests, LGBTQ+ folks in Massachusetts and across the country are in the midst of celebrating Pride month.

But Boston’s relationship with Pride has a complicated recent history. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the signature Pride parade and other events in 2020 and 2021. And in July 2021, Boston Pride, the group that organized the city’s parade for decades, was accused of racism and mismanagement. Boston Pride then dismantled.

"I think it goes back to when there were certain trans leaders asking to lead the conversation, asking for more representation, we kept being told that we could get to that," Julia Golden, interim president of Trans Resistance MA, said about Boston Pride's dissolution. "I think that there has been harm done to the trans community by leaving us as an afterthought again. To really showcase Pride is to put those who are marginalized first."

A new organization, Boston Pride For The People, has now emerged and is promising a more inclusive organization and celebrations.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, having Trans Resistance and many other groups hold us accountable for the role that we are aiming to take, which is to organize our city's Pride parade and festival," said Adrianna Boulin, president of Boston Pride For The People. "We don't believe that — with the parade and festival that we've planned this year — that we've reached a point of perfection and have completely fixed everything or healed areas that need to be. We want to move humbly and are aiming to move humbly. We want to present what we feel or what we've aimed to be community informed and to have that continuous feedback loop of information of what we're aiming to do, what our actual outcomes are. ... We want to be able to follow that path and have it be a process that the community is actually a part of. And we've aimed to include community in our planning up to this point for the parade and festival, and that's not going to stop."

GUESTS

Adrianna Boulin, president of Boston Pride For The People

Julia Golden, interim president of Trans Resistance MA