LGBTQ pride celebrations continue in the Boston area this month, including in Brookline and Arlington – MassLive.com
The typical pride month celebrations have concluded for 2021, but a few Boston area communities are promoting events in November to support and engage with LGBTQ residents.
Brookline will host its annual public health policy forum Monday at 6 p.m., with this year’s event focusing on health and wellness for queer youth. The virtual event will be moderated by Dr. Natalia Linos of the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights at Harvard University and will explore mental and physical health disparities faced by LGBTQ youth, ways to make health care more inclusive and equitable, and how to create safer school environments.
“The Town of Brookline prides itself on being an inclusive community, and we are committed to having open conversations like these to promote health equity for LGBTQ+ community members,” Interim Health Commissioner Patrick Maloney said. “It is so important for all members, especially the youth, to feel heard, accepted and loved.”
In Arlington, officials have organized a trio of events to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance, which takes place Nov. 20 and commemorates transgender and gender-nonconforming people lost to anti-trans violence. Next week, transgender pride flags will be on view on the lawn of the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Pleasant Street “to provide visibility to the continued murders of Transgender individuals in our country and around the world,” according to a news release.
On Nov. 18, members of the LGBTQ community in Arlington and beyond are invited to attend a free intergenerational meal and karaoke night at the Town Hall, co-organized by the Arlington Council on Aging, the Arlington High Gay Straight Alliance, the Arlington Rainbow Commission and LexPride. And on Nov. 20, there will be a virtual ceremony to honor victims of transphobic violence with a reading of names, as well as highlight local transgender and nonbinary people and encourage discussions of allyship.
Registration is required for Brookline’s forum, “Advancing Equity: Health & Wellbeing for LGBTQ+ Youth.” For more information, contact Administrative Coordinator Darlene Johnson at 617-730-2301 or djohnson@brooklinema.gov.
To reserve a free meal at the SAGE Table LGBTQ+ Intergenerational Meal in Arlington, RSVP to 781-316-3419 or mshapiro-ide@town.arlington.ma.us.
You can register for the Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony here.