Pride, 'No Kings' combine in Boston march and festival

Pride was born as a protest, and organizers aimed to re-enforce those roots Saturday in Boston, as “No Kings” demonstrations took place across the country.

The parade began at 11 a.m. in Copley Square, converging the two causes as marchers crossed downtown. Twirling rainbow umbrellas and waving Pride flags under drizzling skies, paraders whooped and cheered as they set off through Boston's Back Bay.

Celebration organizer Boston Pride for the People says this year's theme, “Here to Stay," is meant “to send a clear message that people who identify as LGBTQIA+ can not be erased, pushed into the shadows, or silenced, in the face of increased political attacks.”

Brian Gonzalez, 37, of Boston, came carrying a Mexican Pride flag. Like for many attendees, showing up was part celebration, part protest.

"I'm a gay Latino immigrant and a U.S. citizen, and I am proud of the way that my life has gone and the intersectionality of all of my identities," Gonzalez said. "And being me means sticking it to the man, and that's why I'm here."

Marianne Voss, 54, came from Connecticut with her 17-year-old daughter, Maya Flaherty, specifically because the event combined a Pride celebration and a protest against the Trump administration.

“I'm here because the administration is removing protections for the LGBQT community in federal housing and federal contracts — essentially eliminating the right for trans people to exist,” Voss said. “And I think it's important for those with privilege to show they have allies.”

Among the attendees were Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey. Warren, sporting a rainbow boa, high-fived spectators along the parade route wishing them a "happy Pride."

Jojo Jaime, 26, of Lawrence, called out to passersby to tell them they are loved.

"No matter what, even if you feel like you don't have anyone by your side, you are always loved deep down," Jaime said. "Somebody out there is rooting for you. Never give up, whatever you're going through."

The parade route took a jog through the South End before ending up at Boston Common for an afternoon festival under a light rain. People danced and sang as performers took to a stage set up on the Common for the celebration. Amidst the crowd was a mix of rainbow-colored attire and accoutrements and anti-Trump protest signs.

The celebration coincides with a day of protests around the country on the same day as President Trump’s planned military parade in Washington, D.C. In Boston, protest organizers dubbed the gathering "No Kings, but Yaaas Queen."

Jeffrey Margulies, 81, of Roslindale came to protest what he sees as a scary time during the Trump administration. He said he attended a protest against Trump in the same spot weeks earlier.

"We don't want a king," Margulies said. "We want our government to care for us, not to put us down."

Mass 50501 and Indivisible Mass Coalition are sponsors of the event and, along with Boston Pride For the People, called on attendees to “dance, sing, and resist, with Pride.”

Wu spoke to the significance of the current moment at a Pride flag raising event at City Hall earlier this month.

“ When we say Boston is a home for everyone, that means ensuring that there are spaces where courage isn't required to survive,” she said. “Where being yourself doesn't demand being brave all the time. It means less time building resilience and more time building joy because you know that you're safe, supported and have what you need to create the life that you want for the people you love.”

Janhavi Madabushi, executive director of the Massachusetts Bail Fund, attended the flag raising. They say the city isn’t doing enough to address issues like the lack of housing, which disproportionately impacts the LGBTQ+ community.

“We're concerned about our neighbors being unhoused. My rent just increased by a thousand dollars," Madabushi said. "Obviously, I'm very angry today. Coming to Pride means something for me.”

Pride commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Riots, when queer and transgender people fought and protested for days following a police raid at the famous LGBTQ+ bar in New York’s West Village.

Now, more than 50 years after Pride’s start, organizers said the current political climate make that protesting heritage all the more essential. With the Trump administration’s actions against immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community, and bills targeting Medicaid, veteran care, the arts and immigrants, many local leaders said they feel they need to do more than celebrate — they want to take a stand.

“None of it can be taken for granted,” said Jean Dolin, CEO of the Boston LGBTQ+ Museum of Art, History and Culture, referring to the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights over the last several decades.

“ Let's also dignify ourselves and talk about us from a place of strength, not from a deficit mindset,” Dolin said. “Yes, we are under attack. Yes, we are a traumatized community, but we’re also hella strong. We get a lot of things done and we contribute a lot.”

With reporting by WBUR's Vivian La.