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Date: 8/25/2021
LONGMEADOW – For one day this September, Longmeadow’s Town Green will be awash in rainbow flags, food, booths and vendors celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community, but the Longmeadow Pride Alliance hopes that the event will encourage equality and respect year-round.
The inaugural Longmeadow Pride Festival, Sept. 12, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., is the first celebration of its kind in the town.
“There’s probably a complex array of reasons why we haven’t had a Pride festival in Longmeadow in the past,” said Elizabeth Morgan of the Longmeadow Pride Alliance, a community organization composed of volunteers. “This celebration will benefit the community greatly in that LGBTQIA+ members of the community including youth, families, and older adults continue to suffer prejudice and discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression.”
The purpose of the festival, Morgan said, is to address the inequality and discrimination, while providing an outlet to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, but she added, “We hope to extend our reach beyond an annual festival and plan other events and opportunities for education throughout the year to continue to reach our goal.”
The Longmeadow Pride Festival will feature speakers, including state Rep. Brian Ashe, state Sen. Eric Lesser and Longmeadow Public Schools Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea. There are also more than 15 nonprofit resource booths offering information on inclusive support services for people who identify as LGBTQIA+.
Participants can learn the significance of various flags, LGBTQIA+ terminology and speak with several booths celebrating LGBTQIA+ authors. There will also be student groups and advisors from the middle school, high school and local colleges. The event isn’t all educational, however.
“We have a great lineup of entertainers including speakers and musical acts, we have food, activities, vendor booths, community resource booths, face painting, and a raffle with some really amazing prizes donated from local businesses,” Morgan said.
Traditionally, June is considered Pride month, but the Longmeadow Pride Alliance is hoping to shake up that idea and recognize Pride all year long. There was also a practical aspect. “The group coalesced in June and we decided that we wanted to go ahead and schedule a celebration for this year versus waiting until next June, so September seemed most doable to us,” Morgan explained.
She added, “We also like that school will be back in session, families might be more likely to be in the area, along with local colleges, so that should increase the likelihood that those groups will be able to participate in the celebration.”
While not a town-organized activity, Morgan said that the Select Board and Parks and Recreation Department have been supportive in allowing the use of the Town Green. Businesses and the wider community have offered financial support, but the organization is still looking for sponsors. There are six sponsorship levels, from $100 to $5,000.
Those interested in supporting the Longmeadow Pride Festival can send checks payable to Longmeadow Pride Alliance, Inc., to 15 Belleclaire Ave., Longmeadow, MA 01106. For the sponsorship form or questions, contact elizmorgan@gmail.com.