On Friday, June 7th, Cambridge Public School students and staff celebrated the third annual Community Pride Day. The much anticipated celebration serves as a safe space for LGBTQ+ students and allies, with performances and educational opportunities celebrating queer joy.
The event opened with the CRLS Step Team, followed by a Q&A and performances by local drag performers. Next came student workshops, including makeup with the drag performers, an “LGBTQ+ and Allies of All Faiths” discussion, and a craft room for elementary schoolers. The evening concluded with dinner, a drag storytime, and an opportunity to take home books telling queer stories.
Almost all workshop facilitators and performers were people of color (POC), an intentional effort from the planning team to center voices that are often silenced at pride events. Ashley Herring, workshop facilitator and founder of Blackyard Arts, explained to the Register Forum, “There are many versions of what [being queer] looks like, and it is important that young Black POC folks see that.” The event also prioritized accessibility, such as a sensory-friendly room and fidgets for neurodivergent attendees.
This year’s event came 20 years after Cambridge became the first city in the United States to legalize same-sex marriage. Sam Musher, Youth Advocacy Specialist in the Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and lead planner of Community Pride Day, remembered the day, mentioning to the Register Forum that, “It was honestly a highlight of all the years I’ve lived in Massachusetts. People covered the City Hall lawn in the middle of the night, cheering and blowing bubbles … [it] was a big joyful celebration of love!”
Despite the progress made for LGBTQ+ rights and the joy at pride events, many LGBTQ+ people do not feel safe in their communities, schools, or even in their own homes. As of June 1st, the American Civil Liberties Union is tracking 515 anti-LGBTQ+ bills across the country, and queer people around the world are often met with violence for simply existing. These issues persist even in Cambridge, as Finn Graham ’26, MC of the event, explained to the Register Forum, “Being trans is terrifying … At school I hear slurs and hate speech all day and no one seems to care. In a time that is so scary for trans people, it is crucial that places such as schools stand up for us and finally start doing better.”
This is what makes pride celebrations so important for the LGBTQ+ community, as Ms. Musher stated, “We’re seeing this national backlash now against LGBTQ+ rights, especially the rights of trans and gender non-conforming youth… so Pride is a time to shut that out and celebrate what’s beautiful about being queer.” Bill Barnet, co-chair of the Cambridge LGBTQ+ Commission echoed this statement, telling the RF, “I remember a time when none of this would have been possible. I wasn’t out [as queer] in high school and I didn’t know anyone who was. There were no role models, no one to look up to. It’s really, really important that LGBTQ+ youth know that they’re okay, that there’s nothing wrong with them … Pride is just a big way of saying ‘you’re not alone.’”
This article also appears in our June 2024 print edition.
