Massachusetts Youth Pride
On Saturday May 10, 2008 about 3,000 youth gathered on Boston Common for Youth Pride Day. I was honored to receive the "ACTual REALity Award" for my work to speak out for justice and liberation. It was the perfect send off for my move to San Francisco next week!
Below, I have included links to all of the media coverage and photos of MA Youth Pride this year. The youth continue to amazing each other and everyone watching with their resilience and pride. Following Youth Pride Day 1,400+ queer youth gathered for the world's largest LGBT Prom hosted by BAGLY at City Hall.
Video of part of my acceptance speech (First part is introduction. Notice all the amazing youth decked out in rainbows!)
- Bay Windows
- New England Blade
- Edge Boston Youth Pride Photos
From New England Blade:
" ....Youth Pride Committee chair Kelly Lydon emceed the awards portion of the rally, holding a moment of silence for victims of anti-GLBT youth violence, particularly Lawrence King. Members of the Mass. Youth Pride Committee presented awards to Liz Bender from Acton-Boxborough High School, Rhea Kroutil from Boston Latin School and Mark Snyder founder of QueerToday.com.
Snyder talked about the importance of his group's style of direct-action protest — which most notably have included a 2005 protest at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston in which a number of same-sex couples kissed during a Catholic mass, that event made national headlines; as well as a 2006 protest of an appearance by James Dobson's Anti-Gay Group Focus on the Family.
It is the responsibility of youth, he said to "hold adults in our movement responsible," when their actions don't live up to the goal of equal rights for all, said Snyder. "We believe that working together is the only way for us to achieve equality."
After the rally, Youth Pride Day participants marched through the streets of Boston.. The parade stepped off from in front of the bandstand, where marchers were greeted by Boston Alliance of Gay Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth Executive Director Grace Sterling Stowell, and made its way through the Common, up Beacon Street, past the State House, down Bowdoin Street to Boston City Hall, and back to the Common via Tremont Street. Participants, representing youth organizations from across the Commonwealth, chanted slogans demanding safe schools and transgender rights and reminding observers to not "assume their kids are straight."
From Bay Windows:
"...At the post-march festival, Mark Snyder, founder of the activist group QueerToday.com and one of the honorees of this year’s Youth Pride, also fired up the crowd’s activist spirit. He urged the youth to hold adult activists in the community accountable to progressive values.
'...If you don’t think the adults in our community should endorse pro-war candidates or anti-immigrant candidates or anti-women’s rights candidates, let me here you,' shouted Snyder, prompting cheers from the audience.
Of course, for all the focus on youth violence and politics, fun was still the first order of business on the Youth Pride agenda. Hundreds of marching youth filled the streets with rainbow banners, rainbow signs (one sign advertised "free hugs"), rainbow costumes, and rainbow umbrellas, the latter of which proved unnecessary after the overcast morning gave way to a warm sunny afternoon. Erica Paszkowski, a sophomore from Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, attended her first Youth Pride decked out in a rainbow-feathered headdress, rainbow leg warmers and face paint.
'I just wanted to dress up. I just wanted to be a giant rainbow. I love to dress up anyway,' said Paszkowski."
Below, I have included links to all of the media coverage and photos of MA Youth Pride this year. The youth continue to amazing each other and everyone watching with their resilience and pride. Following Youth Pride Day 1,400+ queer youth gathered for the world's largest LGBT Prom hosted by BAGLY at City Hall.
Video of part of my acceptance speech (First part is introduction. Notice all the amazing youth decked out in rainbows!)
- Bay Windows
- New England Blade
- Edge Boston Youth Pride Photos
From New England Blade:
" ....Youth Pride Committee chair Kelly Lydon emceed the awards portion of the rally, holding a moment of silence for victims of anti-GLBT youth violence, particularly Lawrence King. Members of the Mass. Youth Pride Committee presented awards to Liz Bender from Acton-Boxborough High School, Rhea Kroutil from Boston Latin School and Mark Snyder founder of QueerToday.com.
Snyder talked about the importance of his group's style of direct-action protest — which most notably have included a 2005 protest at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston in which a number of same-sex couples kissed during a Catholic mass, that event made national headlines; as well as a 2006 protest of an appearance by James Dobson's Anti-Gay Group Focus on the Family.
It is the responsibility of youth, he said to "hold adults in our movement responsible," when their actions don't live up to the goal of equal rights for all, said Snyder. "We believe that working together is the only way for us to achieve equality."
After the rally, Youth Pride Day participants marched through the streets of Boston.. The parade stepped off from in front of the bandstand, where marchers were greeted by Boston Alliance of Gay Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth Executive Director Grace Sterling Stowell, and made its way through the Common, up Beacon Street, past the State House, down Bowdoin Street to Boston City Hall, and back to the Common via Tremont Street. Participants, representing youth organizations from across the Commonwealth, chanted slogans demanding safe schools and transgender rights and reminding observers to not "assume their kids are straight."
From Bay Windows:
"...At the post-march festival, Mark Snyder, founder of the activist group QueerToday.com and one of the honorees of this year’s Youth Pride, also fired up the crowd’s activist spirit. He urged the youth to hold adult activists in the community accountable to progressive values.
'...If you don’t think the adults in our community should endorse pro-war candidates or anti-immigrant candidates or anti-women’s rights candidates, let me here you,' shouted Snyder, prompting cheers from the audience.
Of course, for all the focus on youth violence and politics, fun was still the first order of business on the Youth Pride agenda. Hundreds of marching youth filled the streets with rainbow banners, rainbow signs (one sign advertised "free hugs"), rainbow costumes, and rainbow umbrellas, the latter of which proved unnecessary after the overcast morning gave way to a warm sunny afternoon. Erica Paszkowski, a sophomore from Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, attended her first Youth Pride decked out in a rainbow-feathered headdress, rainbow leg warmers and face paint.
'I just wanted to dress up. I just wanted to be a giant rainbow. I love to dress up anyway,' said Paszkowski."
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