The Boston Pride board consists almost entirely of cisgender white people who hold exclusive power over all Boston Pride–related decisions. Today, as a rising senior with far more knowledge and experience with LGBTQ+ activism during the time of Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate, I understand why I felt like an outsider as a trans person of color at Boston Pride.
Throughout the day I continued to feel overwhelmed, confused, and like I didn’t truly belong there. Pride began as a riot against police brutality led by Black and Latine trans women, so the corporatization of the Boston Pride Parade by historically white companies felt extremely disrespectful of its roots. Where were the trans and BIPOC community organizations? Where was my community? I was deeply disappointed to find that many large companies were profiting off of the LGBTQ+ community’s desire for visibility by slapping rainbows on their products and calling themselves allies. Upon arrival, I was quickly overwhelmed by the intense corporatization of Boston Pride and the countless floats distributing capitalist swag with “special” rainbow logos. Unfortunately, the journey there was the highlight of my day. I remember feeling pure joy as we walked from Brookline to Government Center, where the main festivities were being hosted-seeing everyone convene was like watching a stream become a river flowing into the ocean.
I had difficulty falling asleep that night as I kept imagining what it would be like to be in community with people who looked like, felt like, and experienced the world like me. I remember my excited anticipation the evening before, trying on countless outfits to ensure that I looked as visibly queer as possible. On June 8, 2019-the summer after my first year at BU-those same friends and I arranged to attend the annual Boston Pride Parade together in celebration of our community.
As a first-year undergraduate student, I was lucky enough to make some really wonderful LGBTQ+ friends who fully embraced my whole being and supported my queer awakening and transition. As an adopted queer, trans, Chinese person, I feel that I didn’t fully grow into my multifaceted identity until I arrived at BU, where I was surrounded by a diverse student body.