MassEquality ‘Dismayed’ Over Boston pride Decision To Dismantle Organization

In full transparency, the following press release was submitted to SOURCE media for publication.

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BOSTON – MassEquality is dismayed to hear that Boston Pride has decided to dismantle its organization rather than transition it’s assets and reins to new leadership who were prepared to meet the challenge of hosting an intersectional Pride which would better serve all of the members of our community, said the Worcester-based organization.

“There have been challenges with the existing leadership for quite some time, and we were heartened when they initially agreed to make changes to address the issues that were raised.  We were perplexed and dismayed to see that their actions had not matched their words. The community provided a lot of guidance and feedback that sadly did not result in meaningful change, instead it resulted in the loss of an organization with a 50-year history in our city,” said MassEquality.

“I had hoped to see a leadership transition, rather than a dismantling of the organization,” said Executive Director, Tanya Neslusan, “This will be a loss for our community at a time when solidarity is needed.”

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Massachusetts has enjoyed a proud history of being a leader on LGBTQ rights and visibility and the end of this organization will not be the end of Pride in Boston.  It is our hope that a new organization, better equipped to meet the challenges of organizing an event that amplifies the voices and needs of every member of our community, will rise from the ashes, said the organization.

“We support the efforts of Pride For the People, the Dyke March, Urban Pride and Trans Resistance, among others, for having ensured up until now, that the true spirit of Pride has been alive and well in Boston and look forward to seeing the next iteration of Boston Pride. We further hope that as part of the dissolution of Boston Pride Organization that they are transparent in their accounting and distribute their assets to organizations that will continue to serve our communities,” said MassEquality.

Boston Pride is bigger than any organization.  It is grown out of the spirit of our community which cannot be suppressed, said the organization.

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MassEquality is the leading statewide grassroots advocacy organization working to ensure that everyone across Massachusetts can thrive from cradle to grave without discrimination and oppression based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.  We partner across identities, issues, and communities to build a broad, inclusive, and politically powerful movement that changes hearts and minds and achieves policy and electoral victories.