Throughout Massachusetts, people come together each year in June to celebrate Pride Month. Pride marches and festivals have long been part of this celebration of the strength, resilience and vibrancy of our LGBTQ communities. More than anything, Pride reaffirms our collective commitment to equal rights and freedom of expression in the face of long-standing repression, discrimination and bigotry against LGBTQ people. Pride is both a party and a protest.
Yet, recent events teach us that we can never take Pride celebrations for granted. One celebration — held locally just yesterday — has a special place in our hearts for that reason: Small Town Pride in North Brookfield.
First organized by the Rural Justice Network in 2021, Small Town Pride is exactly what it sounds like: “a celebration of representation that is not easily available … outside of large, populated cities.” It’s a chance for the people of North Brookfield and nearby towns to come together and express their collective and individual pride, just as LGBTQ communities and allies do in the larger cities of Boston, Worcester or Springfield.