As Worcester begins two weeks of Pride festivities Friday, organizers hope to not only celebrate LGBTQ+ culture but stand up to a national wave of homophobia and transphobia.
While Pride happens in June in most cities to align with the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, Worcester has a tradition of celebrating it in September. Festivities this year range from a prom for LGBTQ+ youth to intergenerational workshops where people can discuss their lived experiences.
An art and fashion show at Mechanics Hall also will highlight resistance to bans on books with LGBTQ+ content, while an annual Pride festival will feature live drag performances, speeches and more than 200 craft and food vendors.
David Conner, director of development for the nonprofit Pride Worcester, said he expects about 15,000 people, including many from other states, to attend this year’s celebration.
“We have people collaborating on a massive level,” Conner said. “We’re getting so much response from the community in terms of people wanting to support what we’re doing, people wanting to volunteer.”
It’s a big difference from about a decade ago when there was less participation in Pride celebrations in Worcester, Conner said. But in recent years, the city has seen more venues embracing LGBTQ+ performers and nonprofits increasingly organizing community events.
Conner noted the city’s administration also has taken more steps to support the LGBTQ+ community. Last year, the city of Worcester was the official sponsor of Pride, and this year City Manager Eric Batista is expected to speak at a Pride flag-raising ceremony outside City Hall, Conner said.
And yet, members of Worcester’s LGBTQ+ community continue to grapple with what they say is an uptick in homophobic and transphobic actions, ranging from bans on drag performances to anti-LGBTQ legislation in some states. Joshua Croke, co-founder of the Worcester group — Love Your Labels — said Massachusetts is more supportive of gay and trans people than other places around the country. Still, many people in the commonwealth appear to feel emboldened to be hateful in public, they said.
“I can just anecdotally say that myself, as a gender-queer person who has a beard and walks down the street in heels on the way to work, I had more vocal attacks against me in my person in the past few years than I had experienced previously,” Croke said. “We are people that just want to live happy, joyful and fulfilling lives like everyone else.”
Croke tries to combat harassment and celebrate people’s identities with the annual art and fashion show called Queer AF.
The event, known as the “Queer Met Gala of Massachusetts,” on Sept. 6 will feature gay and trans volunteer models from around Worcester County walking the runway wearing outfits that express opposition to bans on drag performances and books related to gender and sexuality.
The show at Mechanics Hall will also raise money to help LGBTQ+ youth around Central Massachusetts explore their identities through art and fashion design.
“It’s going to be the largest one yet,” Croke said. “So Queer AF … is really just an uplifting and celebratory space that centers around queer joy.”
