Somerville was well-represented at Saturday’s LGBT Pride Parade in Boston.

By Ryan Thomas

Somerville residents let their ROYGBIV colors show at Boston’s LGBT Pride Parade last Saturday. The parade, held between Copley Plaza and Boston Common, also marked the city’s 44th annual celebration of LGBT pride.

Some came just to check out the show, others to unapologetically embrace a definitive community. But a good many were marching on behalf of organizations larger than their own individual orientations.

Amongst the list of official attendees was Senator Elizabeth Warren, G.L.A.D., Planned Parenthood, Google, Rainbow Times, and various members/representatives of allying churches, colleges, high schools, and other local support organizations.

One church marching in the parade was Somerville’s own First Church on College Ave. Which makes sense, as the church’s mission statement, according to their website, is one of absolute inclusion: “No matter who you are and no matter where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here!” Furthermore, Associate Pastor Jeff Mansfield asserts that “church is mostly fun and absolutely for everybody.”

And so was the parade.

“If you haven’t seen it, it’s a must.” Said Jimmy Licari, 55, an Italian slush vendor and lifelong Boston resident whose been attending the parade for the last 15 years. His slush cart was outfitted with rainbow flags, which matched his rank of beaded necklaces and wristbands. “It’s gotten bigger every year. Bigger and crazier.”

Jimmy Licari.

Licari, who set up for business at 8 a.m., says he’s never caught off guard by the raunchy spectacles, but he did note a few mid-western type families who at points quickly clutched their children to shield them from some of the more suggestive showcases.

Back in Somerville, it wasn’t hard to find returning marchers. All you needed to do was just find the Mardi Gras beads and rainbow accessories.

“The highlight for me was hugging Elizabeth Warren,” said Sean Abbott, a software engineer and Somerville resident of four years. This was his first Pride parade.

Somerville resident Sean Abbott (left).

Abbot said Somerville is a welcoming city for people of every variety, which includes gay and lesbian orientation. “There isn’t a lot of disapproval. Not around here,” he said. “One of the nice things about the area is that everybody does their [own] thing.”

Julia Post, an English teacher at Somerville High School and the advisor of the school’s Gay Straight Alliance, attested to Somerville’s LGBT-friendliness. “Somerville is one of the more outspoken places about it,” Post said. “We still deal with homophobia, but it’s hard to focus on that when it’s a really, really, really accepting place too.”

Post said members of GSA were aware of and likely attended Saturday’s Pride parade, but the Somerville High holds its own youth-oriented Pride parade in May, as part of the school’s own Pride celebrations, in addition to the other events and initiatives throughout the year. Somerville High has been raising the pride flag at City Hall every year for the last three years, with Mayor Curtatone’s support. Curtatone did not attend this year’s Pride festivities due to prior engagements. Somerville High also holds an annual Day of Silence, which saw 250 participating students this year.

Post, who is a Somerville High alumni herself said, “We have a lot of support from the administration, from the city. We just have a lot of support.”

Following the Somerville’s bead-and-rainbow trail Saturday, Pride history was manifested in the form of two 50-something veteran LGBT activists. Adorned nearly-literally in bells and whistles was Laura Landy, a Cambridge resident who has marched in a total of 20 Pride parades, which includes a few in New York. Beside her was Somerville resident Julie Katz, who serves on the LGBT Advisory Board of the Somerville Council on Aging. Katz was distinguished by a contrasting earth-tone sweatshirt and rainbow-striped cheek.

Julie Katz, serves on the LGBT Advisory Board of the Somerville Council on Aging and Laura Landy.

“It was a different world 30-40 years ago.There were terrible things happening to us, and still are to transgender [individuals],” Katz said. “Then, it was just ‘gay and straight’; now, it’s ‘gender identity.’ It’s not this dichotomy. It’s the right to identify yourself how you want to.”

Katz described some more differences between the parades of years past and lately: “The profusion of families is common. Seniors are very visible now. Little kids are very visible now. People tend not to cower.”

According to Landy and Katz, being hassled was a former mainstay of the Pride parade. Landy recalled teachers who wore bags over their heads for fear of losing their jobs. Katz said when she first started marching, some women were afraid to express themselves in public for the very real threat of losing custody of their children. And it wasn’t an absolute certainty that police officers and other authority figures were actually on your side.

“When cops would set up at the Commons, there was always discomfort. ‘Are they really here to protect us?’ Now we’re not afraid of police,” Katz said, while stressing, “[Stuff] goes down. That’s why it’s important to have a mayor that advocates.”

Katz notes the changes, and revels in them: “When we come together on days like this, it’s celebratory.”

 — Photos by Ryan Thomas