By now, a “new” reality is starting to take shape as we celebrate the Supreme Court ruling at the end of June.

There is no way to overestimate the impact this will have on families of all kinds for the foreseeable future. It is well established that couples formed where marriage is not legal are more tenuous and the couples experience more negative health effects. Healthier families equal healthier communities!

I attended a celebration of the SCOTUS decision with Mayor Joe Petty, and it got me to thinking about how lucky we are to call Worcester home! We are so fortunate to live in the first state to have Marriage Equality (now, thankfully, just marriage). Our LGBTQ Pride organization is called Worcester Pride for a reason!

I believe Worcester has three gems that we should, as a whole, polish and accentuate. First, Worcester is a creative city, full of innovation, invention and inspiration! We should tell that story.

Second, Worcester is brimming with diversity! We know and should tell the story of why diversity matters. I am enriched when my classroom is not all straight, not all the same color and when not everyone speaks the same mother tongue. We need to tell that story.

The third gem is activism. Worcester is a city that cares! We show how much we care through our actions. There are so many examples of when our citizens decided to get together and take an action. I have been pleased with how responsive, on the whole, our city government has been. We need to tell that story.

I believe these gems have a positive social and economic impact on our city. How do you know a city is a vibrant place where things are happening? You hear that story.

There are many groups telling that story here in Worcester, but two, in particular, are focused on professionals that identify as lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, cisgender, queer, genderqueer or gender non-conforming. We have links to these and other groups on the WorcesterPride.org site.

The Worcester Young Professional Women’s Group, founded by Barbra Zerillo, hosts a wide range of events: dinners, billiards, concerts, plays, pottery, painting, book clubs, trivia nights, bowling and even weekend trips. Barbra says while the group focuses on young women, it would support the membership of anyone who agrees with the mission.

The Worcester Gay Professionals group meets on the second Wednesday of every month (currently at Bocado). This is a new, energetic group that is designed for networking and social interaction. The meeting room has been packed with area professionals, some familiar faces and some new.

It is interesting that now there are 34 states where you can legally be fired just because of the gender of your spouse. While the SCOTUS decision is a milestone, we have many more miles to go to include all the letters and all the colors of our community.

What is your story? Email me: OutandAboutWorcester@gmail.com.

John Trobaugh is the president of Worcester Pride and a diversity project specialist in the Diversity and Inclusion Office of UMass Medical School. For more information, visit worcesterpride.org.

By John Trobaugh