Boston University and the City of Boston host festivals, parades, educational events, and more celebrating the LGBTQ+ community
Photo via iStock/NATALIA DE LA RUBIA
Pride Month
Boston University and the City of Boston host festivals, parades, educational events, and more celebrating the LGBTQ+ community
Welcome to Pride Month, Terriers! June is dedicated to celebrating the history and influence of the LGBTQIA+ community through a series of parades, celebrations, and educational events. Pride Month has been an ongoing tradition since June 28, 1970, when the first Pride march was held in New York City, commemorating the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, an event that was critical in the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. Since then, the celebration has grown from one day to a month of celebrating LGBTQIA+ love and pride.
Below, we’ve compiled over a dozen events organized by Boston University and the City of Boston that celebrate Pride Month.
Boston Pride Kickoff and Flag Raising: June 3
Kick off Pride Month with the Mayor’s Office at City Hall Plaza on June 3 from 11 am to 1 pm. The City of Boston and the Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement are hosting an event complete with flag raising, guest speakers, and performances for the local LGBTQ+ community.
Photo via iStock/SCM Jeans
New Queer Cinema @ Coolidge Corner Theatre: June 4, 9, 11, 18, 25, and 30
The Coolidge Corner Theatre is commemorating Pride month with a series of six “New Queer Cinema” films. This genre, pioneered by film critic B. Ruby Rich in 1992, aims to depict LGBTQ+ individuals in new, innovative, and “raw and gritty” ways. The films range from dramas to thrillers to romcoms. Each is screened once on its designated day, so book tickets in advance to avoid time conflicts. For film junkies, before the June 11 screening of Isaac Julien’s Young Soul Rebels, there will be a 30-minute seminar, led by Shawn Cotter, executive director of Wicked Queer: Boston’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival.
Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Boston Pride for the People Festival & Parade: June 8
Join the City of Boston in one of the largest annual regional Pride events, with the mission of creating a community of support among the local LGBTQ+ community. Boston Pride for the People’s yearly parade, followed by a free festival celebration, is June 8, and spectators and marchers are encouraged to attend. The theme of this year’s event is “Still Here: In Living Color” and will honor past and present members of the LGBTQ+ community who have fought against anti-LGBTQ policies. The 1.7 mile parade route begins in Copley Square at 11 am and winds through Boston before culminating with a big festival on the Boston Common, with performances by national and local artists. Transgender performer and activist Mily Jam and pop singer/songwriter JORDY will headline the event. City Hall Plaza will host a free Block Party for the 21+ crowd later in the afternoon, featuring DJ Zoilarosa and DJ Sarge.
Photo via Getty Images/JOSEPH PREZIOSO
Road of Rainbows 5K Run/Walk: June 8
Express your pride by dressing up in a festive outfit and lacing up your running shoes for the fourth annual Road of Rainbows 5K, presented by Boston Theater Company, a nonprofit dedicated to creating experiences for and about marginalized communities. Participants are encouraged to embrace their “inner unicorn” at this event. The race begins at 10 am at the Boston Common Brewer Fountain. Tickets range from $20 to $50 depending on the ticket type (there is also the option of donating a bib), and all proceeds support the Boston Theater Company’s Queer Voices Festival, an annual showcase of the work of LGBTQ+ playwrights.
Photo courtesy of Road of Rainbows
Boston University Pride Soiree: June 10
The Boston University LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff and the LGBTQIA+ Faculty and Staff Community Network welcome all BU faculty and staff to their Pride Soiree. Hors d’oeuvres, wine, and nonalcoholic beverages will be served. The event, featuring music and a “prideful ambiance.” is at the George Sherman Union Terrace, 775 Comm Ave, from 5 to 7 pm.
Photo by Jake Belcher
Transgender Portraits by Mark Seliger: June 13 through September 8
Looking to combine your love for Pride month with your love for art? Look no further than the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s summer exhibition On Christopher Street: Transgender Portraits by Mark Seliger. The exhibition’s 32 portraits of transgender individuals celebrate their identities and encapsulate the role of Christopher Street in their lives. The street in New York City’s West Village is considered the birthplace of modern-day LGBTQ+ activism and the Stonewall Uprising. The area has had an integral role in the gay life and gay rights movement in America, both past and present. Every 30 minutes, a 20-minute film runs in the New Wing’s Calderwood Hall displaying interviews from people featured in the portraits. Tickets are $20 for adults and $13 for students. Be sure to buy in advance to snag your desired time slot.
Photo via iStock/DenisTangneyJr
LGBTQ Walking Tour: June 6 through 29
Head over to the Massachusetts State House for an opportunity to see firsthand some of the places and objects that mark gay and lesbian culture in Boston. This walking tour goes around the city to different homes, bars, and places of entertainment important to LGBTQ+ culture. The tour travels back to the 1840s and concludes in the 1980s. Explore Thoreau’s walks along the Common, Charlotte Cushman’s cross-dressing roles, World War II bars and baths, and the AIDS memorial quilt project. The one-mile tour is 90 minutes, and private tours can be scheduled with advance notice.
Photo via iStock/Marc Dufresne
Be You at BU: A Panel of LGBTQIA+ Faculty & Staff: June 18
Hop onto this virtual Pride Month panel, where BU faculty and staff will outline how they built a community for themselves while being out at BU. The meeting, sponsored by the BU LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff and LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center, is from noon to 1:30 pm and is open to all.
Photo by Cydney Scott
Boston Alumni Pride Month Meet-up: June 18
Boston University is celebrating Pride month with Alumni Pride Month Meet-Ups held in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., throughout June. The Boston meetup is June 19, from 6 to 8 pm, with an update from Katy Collins, newly named director of student outreach and engagement in the Dean of Students office, about the LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center. BU welcomes LGBTQIA+ alumni, allies, and friends to the Cathedral Station sports bar, where appetizers and swag will be available. A cash bar will be an option for 21+ supporters.
Photo by Alex Jackman on Unsplash
Pride Tie-Dye at BU Medical Center: June 20
Celebrate Pride month in all its colors with this Pride Tie-Dye Event. The BU LGBTQIA+ Faculty and Staff Community Network will provide BU Pride 2024 T-shirts, tie-dye supplies, and lunch for all participants. Make a cool new shirt and talk with members of the BU community at this fun-filled event, held on the BU Chobanian & Avedisian Medical School Green, 72 East Concord St., Boston.
Photo by Jordan McDonald via Unsplash
STEM and Beyond: June 22
The Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Advancement and the Museum of Science bring Boston’s LGBTQ+ community together for an evening of celebrating pride and the world of science, along with music and performances from 7 to 11 pm. Organizers say the “STEM” in the event’s title, “STEM and Beyond,” stands for “Slay The Entire Month.” The event honors the Boston Children’s Hospital Gender Affirming Care Team with the Stardust Award for their dedication to providing care for gender nonconforming individuals.
Photo courtesy of the Museum of Science
Beyond Small Talk: Pride Social 2024, June 27
Join the BU LGBTQIA+ Faculty & Staff Community Network as they host their fourth annual Pride Social at Trident Booksellers & Cafe. Held from 6 to 8:30 pm, the social is for all BU faculty, staff, and students who want to connect with fellow LGBTQIA+ community members in a low-pressure environment. With questions that can be lighthearted, deep, or both, the discussion prompts are designed to get the audience thinking. Entry is the cost of one alcoholic or nonalcoholic drink ticket, and appetizers will be provided as well. Pick up a new book and get your gears turning with this social event.
Photo by chris robert on Unsplash
All for Love Pride Fest: June 28
What’s better than the BU Beach in summer, combined with a cause for celebration? From 3 to 6 pm on June 28, the LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center and the LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty and Staff will host an afternoon of free food, music, games, giveaways, and a community of people celebrating Pride Month. The fest is free and open to all.
Photo by Jason Leung via Unsplash