Boston Pride announced today that it is is proudly co-sponsoring Pride: 40 Years of Protest & Celebration, a joint exhibition between the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE) and The History Project. The exhibition will be open from May 15-June 30, 2012 and will be free and open to the public from 9am-5pm at the Boston Center for Adult Education, located on 122 Arlington Street, Boston.

The pieces displayed in the exhibition showcase the immense cultural and political changes that have affected New England’s LGBT communities over the decades. Accompanying Pride: 40 Years of Protest & Celebration will be Fierce Pride: 1992, an exhibition of portraits taken during the 1992 Pride Celebration by Photographer Joel Benjamin. These never-before-exhibited portraits reflect the rich diversity of LGBT communities and the role of Pride in creating a safe space for self-expression.

The opening celebration of Pride: 40 Years of Protest & Celebration will be held on Friday, May 18^th from 6-8pm and is themed, “Sip the Rainbow.” The event is being held at the Boston Center for Adult Education and will feature three complimentary cocktails.

To register for the opening night celebration click here

Boston– May 9, 2012 – Boston Pride is congratulating President Barack Obama for affirming his support for marriage equality.  The President told Robin Roberts of ABC News today, “I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.”

As members of a community who every day face discrimination in this country and around the world, we appreciate President Obama’s willingness to take this courageous stand.  Massachusetts was the first state to legalize same sex marriage, and since then, we’ve only seen support for marriage equality grow.  Yet even while it has grown, there are those who would continue to deny us the basic right to love, marriage, and family.  As such, we thank President Obama for his public statements in support of marriage equality and we look forward to the day that all Americans have the right to marry their partner, regardless of gender or orientation.

We’ve seen a lot of good things happen regarding marriage equality in the past few months, but yesterday’s vote in North Carolina amending their state constitution to discriminate against same sex marriage is disappointing.  What is even more troubling is how this amendment goes beyond state law, which already made marriage between individuals of the same sex illegal, to removing legal status from other kinds of domestic unions.  While the vote in North Carolina is discouraging, those who have worked hard for marriage equality in that state deserve our thanks for continuing to represent the views of our community there.

Even while we are seeing our rights curtailed in places like North Carolina, we are seeing support for our views regarding marriage equality at the highest levels of government.  Over the weekend, Vice President Biden expressed his support on NBC’s Meet the Press.  And just a few minutes ago, President Obama told ABC News that he felt it was important to “affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married.”  President Obama’s interview will air tomorrow morning on Good Morning America.  We congratulate President Obama for his public support and we look forward to the day when marriage equality is achieved for all Americans.

With Pride just around the corner, what better time to reflect on the mountains we still have to climb.  It is moments like these that we realize that the fight for full equality- in all matters and areas- is still waging.  On Saturday, June 9th we will be marching for freedom.