Boston Pride, the group responsible for the largest Pride celebrations in the area, has chosen the theme “The Rainbow After the Storm” for this year’s festivities.
The theme is fitting in some regards, given that the pandemic spoiled Boston Pride’s opportunity to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020. But the metaphorical storm may not have completely passed: In February, Boston Pride made the decision to cancel the annual Pride Parade, the centerpiece to its monthlong celebration, due to the ongoing pandemic.
Furthermore, since last year, a coalition of LGBTQ activist groups have criticized Boston Pride for not being sufficiently inclusive to Black and transgender members. (Boston Pride currently has zero Black board members.) Earlier this week, Boston Pride announced that it would delay a planned Boston mayoral forum after three candidates said they would be dropping out in order to attend a separate Zoom event intentionally being held at the same time by some of the same activist groups.