Boston Youth Pride May 12
The 13th annual Youth Pride is scheduled for May 12. This year's theme, "Make A Statement," pervades the schedule of events; the 27th annual BAGLY prom follows at City Hall.
Among other activities at the Rotunda on the Boston Common, participants will be invited to "make a statement." For five minutes, those with something to say will have a chance to step behind an open mike and express themselves through poetry, spoken word, slam, music and song--even performance art and dance.
"The reason we chose that theme is that we believe it is really important for GLBT youth to make their statements through any artistic outlet that they choose," Kelly Lydon, executive assistant and coordinator for Youth Pride, told EDGE. "We wanted to reflect that in the festival with the fashion show, Fashion Statement. We're going to have a Make A Statement Wall where kids can write their statements. Some youth like to express themselves through dancing, so we have [a dance group] to represent that. We have crafts tables for those who like to express themselves with their art and we have the open mike afterwards, where kids can express themselves through their writings or their music."
Said Lydon, "The past three years, the weather has been pretty bad, so it hasn't been as [big a draw]. But in the past we've seen up to 1,500 youths [in attendance]. It depends on the weather." Asked how many people she expects to show up on May 12, Lydon exclaims "A lot more! Hopefully, over a thousand."
Lydon explained to EDGE why there is a separate Youth Pride celebration that takes place independently of Boston Pride. "Youth Pride originally started as suicide prevention for GLBT youth, and it still is the mission at Youth Pride," Lydon said. "Back when Youth Pride first started, a lot of GLBT youth couldn't be out in their schools, and couldn't be out in their communities, and we wanted to give them one day where they could meet other GLBT youth and see that they're not alone. It really is a life saving event," Lydon stated, adding, "GLBT youth is still the highest at-risk youth [demographic] in Massachusetts."
The day's events will kick off at 11 a.m., with music by deejay JST. At noon, the Youth Pride Rally will commence, with host Raquel Blake. An awards ceremony is slated, with recipients to include Dresden Dolls band member Amanda Palmer, Gov. Patrick Deval and the Boston Chapter of the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network, a national network of organizations providing support and resources to LGBT students.
"We chose to do awards this year based on people's statements," Lydon said, "and the Youth Pride Committee chose GLSEN for their lack of a statement, but [GLSEN's message] is still very powerful."
The Youth Pride march at 12:45 p.m. will proceed through the streets of Boston. Participants on foot will be joined by vehicles ranging from motorcycles (the Moving Violations motorcycle club), LAMBDA Antique Cars, and a Duck Boat named South End Sara. The march will culminate at a festival, complete with food, dancing, and performances by the Brookline Academy of Dance, Fly Upright Kate, and the Medicated Kisses. A Resource Fair will take place at the festival as well as a raffle, clothing drive, and afore-mentioned fashion show--a first for Youth Pride.
The open mike commences at 4 p.m. and will be hosted by Gunnar of Gender Crash. The open mike is scheduled to last for two hours, but the fun won't end there. The Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth (BAGLY) will host its 27th prom at Boston City Hall starting at 7 p.m. This is the prom you can bring your date to without fear of harassment from school authorities. It's also the oldest GLBT prom in the country, if not the world.
Grace Stowell, executive director of BAGLY, filled EDGE in on the history of the prom. In 1981, a 17-year-old BAGLY member decided that there should be a dance to which GLBT youth could take their own prom dates. The first BAGLY Prom took place in a church basement. More recently, the prom has taken place at City Hall. Starting in 1997, BAGLY and Youth Pride have scheduled their celebrations to run concurrently on the same day. "What it really has become, although we still call it a prom," Stowell told EDGE, "is a big dance party celebration of youth pride. People are very casually dressed, because they've been marching all day and they're coming from all over the state." Stowell estimates crowds of up to 1,500 youth prom-goers in past years.
The Youth Pride organizers have taken pains to make this a safe and enjoyable event for Boston's queer kids. Knowing how vulnerable gay and lesbian minors are to harassment and what a tempting target they make to adults with agendas to grind, the organizers have stipulated that, "This event is open to youth and their adult allies only. No video/photo/audio taping or harassment allowed. Anyone not respecting the rules of the space will be asked to leave."
"It has [been an issue in the past], but we haven't ever really faced much protest," Lydon told EDGE. "[Protestors] sometimes show up and sometimes don't. But it's definitely a zero tolerance policy."
With luck, the weather will be good and so will a friendly crowd. Predicted Lydon, "The sun will be out. I've been checking the weather furiously."
Click on to the Youth Pride web site www.massyouthpride.org/YP07.htm for the full schedule, information on bus transportation to the event, and other details. Visit www.bagly.org for more details about the BAGLY Prom at City Hall.