West River Eagle

From the Interim Editor



The importance of knowing your history

Pride celebrations began in New York in Central Park on June 28, 1970 on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. The event was originally called Christopher Street Liberation Day.

There were events in Boston in the summer of 1970 as well. The first Boston Pride Parade was in June 1971.

Now Pride events stretch across the globe in São Paulo, Brazil, Madrid, Spain, Cologne, Germany, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tel Aviv, Israel, Sydney, Australia, London, U.K., Paris, France, Berlin, Germany, Oslo, Norway, Antwerp, Belgium, Brighton, England, Taipei, Thailand, and Reykjavik, Iceland.

In the United States and Canada there are events in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Washington D.C., Columbus, Ohio, Toronto, and Montreal.

In the beginning, people felt so hurt, unseen, rejected, and discriminated against in daily life that the chance to be out in public and out of the closet felt radical. Early Pride events were a protest more than a parade or a party.

Fred Sargeant attended the first Pride event in New York in 1970. Years later he said, “At one point, I climbed onto the base of a light pole and looked back. I was astonished; we stretched out as far as I could see, thousands of us … There were no floats, no music, no boys in briefs. The cops turned their backs on us to convey their disdain, but the masses of people kept carrying signs and banners, chanting and waving to surprised onlookers.”

Learn more about early Pride here www.cnn.com/2016/06/16/us/gallery/tbt-first-pride-parades/index.html and here www.bostonpride.org/history/.

Over the decades Pride has evolved into a multi-cultural, multi-generational, multi-ethic, all genders celebration. It’s a time to feel the joy that comes from the freedom to be who you really are.

I attended my first Pride in Boston in 1992 or 1993. It’s been fun to see the shift in who attended. When we were young, it was all about being out. Over the years, my friends and I marched with our churches and with our babies in strollers.

As LGBTQA people gained economic power, it was fascinating to see who came to court the population: insurance companies and mortgage brokers, politicians, financial services, etc.

Even as queer culture moved more into the mainstream in the last few decades, the pushback has been severe. Young people are still at risk of depression and suicide. The numbers don’t lie.

52% – the percentage of LGBTQ people who’ve experienced depression recently.

1 in 8 – the number of LGBTQ people who have experienced unequal treatment from healthcare staff.

46% – the percentage of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people who are open about their sexual orientation with their family.

4.1% – the estimated percentage of women who identify as LGBT.

350,000 – the number of people in the LGBTQ community that are transgender women.

1 in 5 – the number of LGBTQ women living in poverty.

43% – the percentage of LGBTQ employees who haven’t revealed their orientation at work.

50% – the percentage of LGBTQ workers who recently got federal protection from discrimination.

10% – the amount of time LGBT workers spend hiding their identities. 

<$12,000 – the annual income earned by 22% of LGBTQ people.

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