Pride Recap
Mass 50501 marching in the Boston Pride parade. Photo by a Mass 50501 volunteer.
“Pride is a protest, and never has that been more clear to me than in the last two years. Our rights as queer people are being stripped away and the validity of our very existence denied as an entire governmental system tries to force us all back into the closet. But we will not go quietly. Never have I felt more empowered to fight back than I did while dressed as a glittery, rainbowified Statue of Liberty—the most iconic symbol of freedom in the US—leading protest chants from the Mass 50501 Pride parade float. Never have I felt so sure that we will win as when a sea of people equally bedecked in rainbows screamed those chants right back to me. These are our streets. Our queer siblings. Our lives. And when we rise up together, I know that in the end, we will triumph. Love will win.” - Via
The Mass 50501 float in the Boston Pride parade. Photo by a Mass 50501 volunteer.
On Saturday, June 6th, members of Mass 50501 donned their festive rainbow gear to march and table at Boston Pride. Why? Some may ask, though those of us in the practice of standing up to federal overreach and the erosion of rights already know–and one of our own volunteers made clear last year–we are here to stay. We stand with the LGBTQIA+ community in solidarity, as an ally, and to remind all Americans that the land of the free and the home of the brave will remain as such. That when we stand and say all people deserve the same rights, there should never be an asterisk on that statement. We mean all people.
A portion of the Mass 50501 float encouraging us to build a better democracy. Photo by a Mass 50501 volunteer.
Gary Daffin, a Boston Pride for the People volunteer, and CEO of the Multicultural AIDS Coalition, was quoted saying the following in the announcement of this year’s Pride theme: “Pride as Protest: Since 1776”
“Though identities were not always named, queer people were present in every era and every community throughout our history. From early acts of resistance to modern movements for equality, LGBTQIA+ people have long understood that progress requires action. Whether advocating for our own rights or standing in solidarity with other communities, we have helped bend what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called ‘the arc of the moral universe’ toward justice.”
The Mass 50501 float at Boston Pride, including an umbrella available from Mass 50501’s Pride Merch. Photo by a Mass 50501 volunteer.
Bending that arc towards justice takes action, and showing up. Justice is not left vs right; it is the simple principle that we all deserve the same rights and respect. For a list of federal acts targeting the LGBTQIA+ community, please check out lists such as the May 20th 2026 updated Overview of President Trump’s Executive Actions Impacting LGBTQ+ Health, or Lambda Legal’s Trump Tracker. As one volunteer stated,
“There are currently 530 bills across the US (5 of them in MA) that could cause significant harm and loss of rights to the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s important that we stand with those who could be impacted by legislation changes from corrupt leadership. These communities have been built brick-by-brick, and we won't let corruption knock them down. Boston Pride is one of the many ways we can show we care, that we stand in solidarity with a marginalized group of people that just want to be seen, loved, and allowed to exist without restriction. Of course, while we're at it, why not make it fabulous?” - Float Graffiti Artist
The Mass 50501 float at Boston Pride. Photo by a Mass 50501 volunteer.
One volunteer had the idea to repurpose the plywood panels from our We the Powerful art installation, but the question of what to repurpose them into remained. How do you capture the tragedy, the hope, the resilience, the individual stories, the history, and the future in a tiny trailer? After lots of brainstorming, the art team landed on a design: rainbow brick walls with joyful protest slogans, ferrying glammed-up patriotic figures. A nod to the past and a message for the future. The brick motif started as a reference to the Stonewall Riots, but morphed to take on additional meaning. The bricks symbolized both protest and building a better future together.
The Mass 50501 float processing in the Boston Pride parade. Photo by a Mass 50501 volunteer.
“Our float is gonna be a shining beacon of hope, an ode to democracy, a shrine to people power. It's gonna give ‘look at all the victories we've won’ and ‘haters can hate; we're having too much fun to care.’” - Kat
Building the float was an act of resistance and community building. Volunteers gathered over the weekend to paint the float, spray paint graffiti, and eat pizza.
“Making a float is a bit like watching paint dry. The primer, the rainbow gradient, the brick outline, each needed to dry before we could add the next. But there was no one I would rather be doing it with. Organizing people power is like that too. Sometimes you have to wait for the right time to go to the next step. It helps to have good company.” - Kate F.
The Mass 50501 table at Boston Pride. Photo by a Mass 50501 volunteer.
That same joyful, community spirit continued on at the parade and festival, and will continue throughout pride month and beyond. At our table, attendees got to learn about Mass 50501, make connections, and support our fundraising efforts by purchasing some sweet Pride merch.
Here’s what our volunteers had to say about the experience:
"Boston Pride has held a special place in my heart for years—as I’ve marched in it with my students and then my own children for over a decade. It has been an honor to march these past two years with Mass 50501. Pride is and always has been a protest. It’s more important than ever to stand with our LGBTQIA+ community and rise up against the rhetoric that this authoritarian federal regime continuously uses to try to demonize and erase trans and queer Americans. Saturday, Boston was showered in rainbows, authenticity, and love. We chanted for hours in high heat and humidity. We danced in the streets. We reveled in queer joy that made our hearts burst with the knowledge that, no matter how they try to keep us down, we will continue to rise together. Ain’t no power like the power of the people and the power in this community won’t stop." - Rebecca Winter, Executive Director
“It tickles me to no end that we are seeing more and more Queers raising the next generation of Queers!” - Raven Playfaire
“I am so happy to be a part of an organization where I have the honor of experiencing queer joy with friends every single day while also doing the work to resist fascism. Where else could I fight for our rights and our democracy while also dressing up in drag as a genderqueer Uncle Sam? Only in Mass Fifty Fifty One!” - Emily, Tech Director
Mass 50501 members at Boston Pride. Photo by a Mass 50501 volunteer.
While we’re already looking forward to next year, fighting facism is not bound by the calendar. We all deserve to feel safe, to belong, and to be uplifted every day of the year. Inclusion and equal rights are non-negotiable. Read a banned book. Voice your support for LGBTQIA+ youth by opposing Massachusetts’ proposed social media ban. Check in on your neighbors. Join us in Discord or check out our ongoing actions.
Our only path forward is together. Thank you for joining us.
Boston Pride for the People’s mission statement reminds us that we can all do our part to:
Empower, Celebrate, Educate, Commemorate
We’re here, we’re peers, get used to it!
- Mass 50501
Parade participants at Boston Pride. Photo by a Mass 50501 volunteer.
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