The Boston Pride organization that had held decades of pride events and parades in Boston had dissolved last July. This came as a shock, considering just how big of a city Boston is. You would think it would’ve been directly COVID related, but it isn’t. Boston Pride seems to have suffered from incompetent leadership via its all-white board, with activists describing Boston Pride as whitewashed and “trans-exclusionary”. During the George Floyd protests, The Pride board rejected a statement drafted by its own communications team, instead issuing a watered-down version without consulting its Black Pride subcommittee members.
That was the last straw for many, which resulted in 80% of pride volunteers leaving, and the boycotting of Boston Pride. The Boston Pride’s president eventually resigned (she had previously been reluctant to do so, hoping to diversify its vacant seats) in hopes of new leadership. Then, Boston Pride dissolved.
It is clear to us that our community needs and wants change without the involvement of Boston Pride. We have heard the concerns of the QTBIPOC community and others. We care too much to stand in the way. Therefore, Boston Pride is dissolving. There will be no further events or programming planned, and the board is taking steps to close down the organization. We know many people care about Pride in Boston, and we encourage them to continue the work. By making the decision to close down, we hope new leaders will emerge from the community to lead the Pride movement in Boston.
Boston Pride
GLAD’s response:
It is disappointing to see the board make the choice to close down Boston Pride rather than work with BIPOC transgender community leaders, former Pride volunteers, and others to make room for new leadership and needed transformation within the organization.
GLAD
So, what now? As far as I can tell, no one has claimed the mantle for hosting a pride parade this year in Boston, yet. A new organization formed with the downfall of Boston Pride, Pride 4 The People, might possibly lead the upcoming Pride, but only time will tell. Stay tuned! You might want to do some reading too, and this Boston Globe article is a good start.
