Hey, there! Log in / Register
Taking Pride in Boston
By adamg on Sat, 06/14/2014 - 5:59pm
Aside from a brief and not very heavy spot of rain, it was a perfect day for the annual Pride parade from Copley Square to City Hall Plaza.
We stationed ourselves on Charles Street. By the time it was all over, the kidlet had built up quite the collection of beads.
One of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence:
He's got wings!
There was dancing:
These tots were part of an impromptu pre-parade warmup: Before the parade started, their parents stood them in the middle of Charles Street to pose for photos - prompting applause from everybody else:
Politicians not on the ballot at the Democratic state convention in Worcester were out in force, including Elizabeth Warren, who took time to pose for photos with parade goers:
Giddyap!
Woof!
Ad. More photos below.
Anybody know what this thing was?
After the parade, we strolled towards the North End, pausing briefly near Park Street, where a Jesus guy was trying to convince a crowd of Pride people that God didn't create homosexuals and that "gay" doesn't mean "homosexual." He was not winning when we continued on our way.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Did Charlie Baker march?
Did Charlie Baker march?
No, but
No, but the Libertarian Party did. "We support your right to marry and your right to carry", said their banner.
I don't think so
At least, I didn't see him come down Charles Street (and we stayed to the end - where a cop was shooing us off the little ledge by the garage entrance, where we were sitting, so the street sweepers could do their thing). Doug Bennett, on the other hand, was there.
Doug Bennett? Who?
Oh, you mean this Doug Bennett! :
knowthyneighbor.org 9/1/11
Also from the same piece:
Doug Bennett! Friend of the gay!
Just to be clear...
He supported the bill you support but called it the wrong thing?
Here's the link
I should have included it. Judge for yourself.
http://knowthyneighbor.blogs.com/home/2011/09/we-all-know-that-standing-...
Just to be clear
Doug is clueless on pretty much everything. His positions on issues are frequently incomprehensible. So he supposedly supported the bill, but probably had no clue as to what the bill was really about, and used the buzzword of the opponents of the bill to describe his "support".
Since he is really a Republican posing as a Democrat, that shouldn't be a surprise.
Just look at his juvenile finger-painted signs. That's all you need to know about Dougie.
Teabagger Doug
These comments by Doug don't surprise me. He was making speeches to Teabagger rallies not too long ago. Now he claims to be a Democrat. He tried to shake my hand at the parade and I refused to extend my hand. He is a truly odious individual.
The more you know about Doug, the less likely you are to vote for him.
More Pride parade photos
Arturo Gossage was on Boylston Street.
Happy Pride and a plug for Gender Free Contra dancing
The two folks dancing were actually dancing a 2 Step. In addition there is gender free Contra Dancing. What is Contra? It is a folk dance where everyone lines up and proceeds to dance a series of steps which leads to another series up and down the line. The every other Saturday has live bands playing fun and exciting folk music that fits the dance.
The early part of the evening is easier for new dancers and the dances become progressively complex for more experienced dancers.
What to experience an old fashioned New England Saturday Night folk dancing extravaganza? Come to the Gender Free Contra at the U.U. Church in J.P. at the Monument. It's a low down, high energy stompin', clappin' hootin' and hollerin' evening of dancing.
And tonight's gonna be a sizzling hot!
Now, on a more serious note: Many folks may wonder what the h is Gay Pride about? In the late 70s and early 80s the daddy of Gay parades in New York City was the Christopher Street Day Liberation Parade which commemorated the 2 nights that homosexuals of various sorts said F you to the police, mafia and entire society of homo haters. It has morphed in to Pride because Pride is one word. But Pride also represents the rejection of shame that the homo hating world has always heaped upon Gay men and women.
So Happy Pride all!
Square-b-gone
Thanks for the explanation!
This Year, The Police Were Nowhere To Be Seen!
I watched the parade at the foot of Beacon Street, where it makes its final turn onto Tremont/Cambridge Street, before ending at City Hall Plaza. More surprising to me than anything in the parade itself, was the total absence of police; I could not spot a single uniformed officer anywhere in that area! Even when U.S. Senator Ed Markey came through (he was actually dancing in the street) there was no ominous security presence surrounding him.
The only time I saw any police was at the very end of the parade when a handful of motorcycle officers came through to clear people off the street so the squadron of Pelicans could do their cleanup job. In past years, there seemed to be policemen everywhere, watching the crowd and keeping people out of the parade's path. And of course last year, especially so!
I'm very grateful for all that the Boston and MBTA Police do to keep our city safe. These days, the large visible police presence that accompanies most public gatherings unfortunately serves as a reminder of sad things that have happened in the past. Maybe they were monitoring it all from behind the scenes, and/or maybe they were all in plainclothes (whatever "plainclothes" is for this event), but there was certainly no trouble at all during today's parade!
I sure it reflects much upon the nature of the Pride Parade itself, and the crowds who fill the streets to watch it; positive, welcoming, and supportive of everyone. It was a wonderful parade!
June 14th = Happy Flag Day too!!!
LOL Ed Markey
Yes!! I loved that Ed Markey was dancing to the music from the folks in front of him. It was hilarious! Where was Elizabeth Warren? I don't remember seeing her.
Gee I wish I had known AdamG and a few others were going I would have walked over. I was at Berkeley and Chandler (i was going to the block party after)
Could money or the new mayor be a factor?
As in the Pride Committee was able to spend funds other than on police details if the new mayor didn't insist on them?
Great pics!
The tots are so stinkin' cute!
I have to say I was
I have to say I was completely turned off by the instantaneous street sweeping. No sooner did the last float go by, than we were being shooed off the sidewalk. Is that typical for Boston? I've never seen that in any other city I've been to. And I love me some parades! But jeez. Give us at least a few minutes before you break out the heavy machinery, eh?
DPW
yeah a lot of people were upset about that. Literally seconds after the last float went by the DPW was there cleaning everything up. Sheesh..
And no its not typical.. years past they've waited a little bit as people used to match with the of the parade to the common (or now Gov't Center)
It was Southie
..protesting.
Mardi Gras
As best as I can recall, when I went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, street sweepers went out somewhere around 4-5 AM, except when Fat Tuesday became Ash Wednesday. It wasn't very long after midnight when they went out, then again, it had been a very long week. Yeah, they are as effective at clearing a street as horse mounted police. Agree that they shouldn't be deployed too soon after public events.
Elizabeth Warren should have been with the Village People
Elizabeth Warren should have been with the Village People. Right at home with the other fake Indian.
Offensive to minorities
I think the depiction of a construction worker is offensive to some actual construction workers.
For anyone scratching their
For anyone scratching their head at this comment, this is Markkk making a joke.
Why, didja miss her, fake cop?
Fun fact for those with more brains than UHub's second-rate Ray Simpson:
Felipe Rose, the founding member and inspiration for the Village People, was not a fake Indian. His father was Lakota Sioux (his mother was a Puerto Rican dancer at the Copacabana). The elements of traditional dancing costume from his own heritage that he wore to discos (as well as the skills he developed in formal ballet training) inspired the recruitment of the rest of the band. He's raised millions of dollars for charity and is well-respected in Native circles.
But don't let reality stop your trolling, Fishy.