Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

is a hub of

LGBT culture LGBT culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. It is sometimes referred to as queer culture (indicating people who are queer), while the term gay culture may be used to mean "LGBT culture" o ...

and

LGBT activism Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Some focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, while others focus on liberation, as in the ...

in the United States. Were_a_gay_and_happy_family_wagon

History

The nation's first openly gay state representative,

Elaine Noble Elaine Noble (born January 22, 1944) is an American politician and LGBT activist who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for two terms starting in January 1975. She was the first openly lesbian or gay candidate elected to a stat ...

, was elected to the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

in 1974.

is the birthplace to the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders ( GLAD).

Barney Frank Barnett Frank (born March 31, 1940) is a former American politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democrat, Frank served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committee ...

, who formerly represented the 4th Massachusetts Congressional District in

Greater Boston Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston (the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England) and its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern ar ...

, is considered one of the most prominent gay politicians in U.S. history. Due in part to actions in Boston, especially by prominent city government officials, Massachusetts was the first state to legalize

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

"Gayborhoods"

In Boston proper, there are several neighborhoods with sizable LGBT populations, with the South End being one of the most notable. Other areas with high LGBT populations include Jones Hill, the Savin Hill and Melville Park areas of Dorchester, and

Jamaica Plain Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of the former Town of Roxbury, now also a part of the City of Boston. The commun ...

Bars and entertainment

Boston has a handful of permanent LGBT establishments including Club Café,

The Alley Bar The Alley Bar (also known as Alley Bar and The Alley) is a gay bar in Boston, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Description and reception The "unabashedly queer" bar hosts regular parties such as Casual Fridays and Fuzz, as well as disc joc ...

, Cathedral Station, dbar, Blend (formerly Peggy O'Neil's) and Trophy Room (formerly the Fritz). Boston also plays host to several scheduled and rotating event calendars. These include "gay nights" at regularly "straight establishments" hosted by promoters such as Gay Mafia Boston (formerly known as Chris Harris Presents), Jim Murray Events and The Welcoming Committee. The city's annual Pride Parade was large and well attended with an estimated 25,000 marchers in 2014. In addition to the parade, the Boston Pride Committee scheduled a full week of events to celebrate the community's diversity and social progress. Boston Pride, the organization that organized the Pride Parade each year, disbanded in 2021 amid allegations of racism and transphobia. Former Bars * Boston Eagle closed March 2021 * Paradise (Cambridge, MA) closed 9/15/18
Machine / Ramrod

Noteworthy LGBT organizations

Fenway Health Fenway Health (formally Fenway Community Health Center, Inc.) is an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) health care, research and advocacy organization founded by Northeastern University students and headquartered in Boston, Massachusett ...

Founded as the "Fenway Community Health Center" in 1971, Fenway Health has evolved to become a national contributor in the research of health issues particularly concerning the LGBT community. Fenway Health's mission is to "enhance the wellbeing of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and all people in our neighborhoods and beyond through access to the highest quality health care, education, research and advocacy." The Fenway Institute is a research organization dedicated to "research, training, education, and policy development, focusing on national and international health issues." They focus largely on supporting those with AIDS/HIV health problems.

The Welcoming Committee

The Welcoming Committee is a social outreach organization founded in Boston in 2007 that promotes "takeover" events, where the organization advertises "typically straight" events and establishments for the LGBT community to attend. The most frequently occurring events are their monthly Guerrilla Queer Bar (GQB) and Flannel Takeover Company (FTC). They also have takeover trips to casino resorts, ski mountains, and cruises. The Welcoming Committee is expanding to other cities as well, which already include Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

Boston Gay Men's Chorus The Boston Gay Men's Chorus is a group of vocalists located in Boston, Massachusetts. The group currently has over 300 members and has been directed by Conductor Reuben Reynolds for over 20 years. The group is heard by over 10,000 audience members ...

The Boston Gay Men's Chorus is a group of vocalists located in

, Massachusetts. The group currently has over 200 members and has been directed by Conductor Reuben Reynolds for over 20 years. The group is heard by over 10,000 audience members per season and has performed across the globe. The chorus performs songs from a wide variety of genres and song selections are always "hopeful and optimistic." The chorus has had over 1,600 members during its history and has performed at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

, Symphony Hall, and Jordan Hall.

The History Project

Founded in 1980, The History Project is a

-based, volunteer-run community

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

archive. Its archives house over 150 collections from organizations and individuals and more than one million items, making it one of the largest independent LGBTQ archives in the United States. In 1996, The History Project opened an exhibition of pre- Stonewall LGBTQ history at the

Boston Public Library The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also the Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse'') of the Commonweal ...

, entitled ''Public Faces/Private Lives''. The History Project continues to regularly host events for the public, including its online exhibitions and Out of the Archives presentation series.

References

External links

Boston Pride Photo/Video Collection (1971-1988)Timeline of Boston's LGBTQ African American History 1782-1992Timeline of Boston's Latino History 1800-1999KikiPedia, A Boston-Based Bar and Event Guide for the LGBTQ Community
{{LGBT Americans by location Culture of Boston