Boston Pride is in full swing! The celebrations kicked off last Friday with a flag raising ceremony at City Hall. The rainbow flag waved proudly in the air next to the American flag and the Boston Bruins flag outside City Hall in honor of Boston’s 49th annual Pride Week.
The flag raising at City Hall marks the kick off of #PrideMonth — we’re ready for the 49th Annual Boston Pride Celebration! pic.twitter.com/keIklvppSB
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) May 31, 2019
This year’s theme is “Look Back, Loving Forward,” in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots – a series of violent protests against police raids at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The riots are considered a key moment in the fight for LGBTQ rights.
“This is a strong, resilient and brave community,” said Parade Marshall Ava Glasscott.
Glasscott said growing up as a trans woman was hard especially in terms of finding role models.
“I struggled to find role models I could relate to,” she said. “Trans people were shown in a different light then. I am glad light shines more brightly on our beautiful family.”
“The Stonewall riots sparked a gay revolution. Now we need a transgender revolution,” said Chastity Bowick in honor of activist Marsha P. Johnson, a key person in the Stonewall Riots.
Mayor Martin Walsh expressed how grateful he is that Boston continues to be a welcoming city, saying they upheld protections for trans people in public spaces in the last election and outlawed gay conversion therapy for children.
“We are an inclusive open city,” he said. “This is who we are.”
However, Walsh said there was more work to be done to be even more inclusive for the LGBTQ community, and others echoed that statement.
Boston Pride will also have their annual pride parade happening on Saturday, June 8 at noon. The parade starts at Copley Square and finishes on City Hall Plaza. Last year, around 750,000 people came out to enjoy the parade according to organizers. They expect even more people this year.
