Giuliano D’Orazio 

Sunny skies, longer days, patio hangs and baseball games… spring is in the air, and it may be more welcome than ever. After a year-plus enduring quarantine, isolation, loss and all the various tribulations of a once-in-a-century pandemic, collective feelings of elated anticipation and revelry are palpable in every restaurant and community space, as we begin to shed a season of hibernation like no other. I know I can’t wait to get back to spontaneous social gatherings, random run-ins, and late nights with friends old and new. For the LGBTQ+ community, one of the highly-anticipated events this time of year is Pride, traditionally observed in June. For several reasons, our very own Pride here in Worcester will no doubt look quite a bit different in 2021. How do you envision it? What would you like to see?

As many will note, Worcester has traditionally held Pride in September, the weekend after Labor Day, and while most Prides were cancelled last year solely due to the pandemic, Worcester Pride saw a disbanding of the long-standing organization. The changing of the guard was not a clean-cut handover from one organizational party to another, but moreso, folks in the community have stepped up and taken a by-us-for-us approach to reimagining Worcester Pride. I outlined some of this process in my September 2020 article: What’s Next For Worcester Pride?. I mentioned the open letter that Shades (formerly a QTPOC-lead branch of Worcester Pride) penned to Worcester Pride, wherein they called out a culture of inequity and white supremacy, as evidenced by the homogeneity of voices who were able to effect change and influence over the organization’s vision.

Worcester Pride Remix, the community cohort that immediately stepped in to fill the void and rebuild, has evolved into 508Pride, the current entity behind reimagining and planning what Pride in Worcester will look like in 2020 and beyond. The Worcester Queer Coalition, a collective of various LGBTQ+ serving organizations in the city, have also been involved in conversations around reimagining Pride. I have listened in on several of these meetings, and while no concrete plans have been announced, I think we can look forward to some positive developments.

Pride, as I’ve said in the past, should be about more than a flashy parade, a fun festival, and a raging party. I love that stuff as much as the next gay, but as a community, it’s important we focus our major efforts around initiatives that uplift and include everyone in our community, especially BIPOC and Trans folks, who continue to face high instances of marginalization and violence, from without and within our own spaces. I’m happy to say that I hear these sentiments echoed in every conversation I’ve had or heard when it comes to reshaping our Pride. Focusing efforts not only on revelry, but centering the celebration around activism-minded action. 

While there are some stellar members of the community who are already hard at work on these efforts, 508Pride is looking for invested community members to lend a hand. According to a post by Rush Frazier, 508Pride board President, the team is looking for action-oriented folks who not only have ideas to voice, but are willing to dedicate a bit of time and effort to pushing them forward. If you are interested in throwing your hat in the ring, check out 508Pride on facebook. Shoot them a DM or an email at 508@gmail.com. 

How would you reimagine an inclusive, equity and action-centered Pride in our city?

Bio

Giuliano D’Orazio (he/him pronouns) is a Worcester native, musician, music educator, active member of the local LGBTQ+ community, and a board member of Love Your Labels. Follow him on instagram @musicbygiuliano