Plus: 💃 Drag storytime is BACK
By Gia Orsino, The B-Side and Emily Schario, The B-Side
Happy Friday, Boston!
🍩Also, Happy National Doughnut Day!To celebrate, Dunkin’ will beoffering a free doughnutwith any bev purchase all day, and Loretta’s isgiving 100 free doughnutsto its guests this morning. Bon appetit!
👀What’s on tap today:
- Game 1? CHECK.
- A major moment for LGBTQ+ parents
- Drag storytime is BACK
Up first…
SUMMER FRIDAYS (PRIDE EDITION)
Parades, parties, and PRIDE!
Image: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe
Happy Pride month, B-Siders!For this Summer Friday send, we’re focusing on all the local Pride festivities going down this weekend, including Saturday’s Pride parade, festival, and block party.
Here’s what to know:
🌈The parade kicks off at 11 a.m. near Copley.The1.7-mile routetakes a windy path from Boylston Street at Clarendon Street to the Common, heading down Clarendon and back up Berkeley by way of Tremont Street, then taking Boylston and Charles back toward the Common, arriving near the Public Garden.
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✨This will be year twothatBoston’s Pride for the Peopleis in charge of the festivities, which are meant to celebrate LGBTQ+ culture, commemorate the Stonewall riots and 20th century BIPOC queer and trans activists, plus educate and empower the community.
🚃As for getting to the parade …Per usual,road closuresnear the parade route will make driving a headache, so avoid the area if you can. And keep in mind thatif you’re taking the T(nearby stops include Copley, Arlington, Boylston, and Back Bay), you’re going to contend with major weekend shutdowns on theRedandOrangelinesandthe commuter rail.
👀There are lots of ways to get in on the action.
- If you want to watch along the route …Things can get squishy in high traffic areas (especially near the Common), but you should have a little more wiggle room near the beginning and middle of the route.
- If you want to march in the parade …You can still sign up to do itwith an organization.
- But if you can’t make it IRL…you can always stream ithere.
🏳️🌈By parade’s end, the party will only just be getting started.Once the parade arrives at the Common at around 12:30 p.m., there will already bea Pride festival underwayuntil 6 p.m., with headlinersJordyandMila Jam. Afterthat,if you’re of legal drinking age, there will also bea block partyat City Hall Plaza, complete withanother stage of performers, plus beer, wine, and seltzer from local breweries (and a dedicated sober area, too!) from 2 to 8 p.m.
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🤩Still got questions?This website’sgot answers.
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CITY
Quick & dirty headlines
Image: Barry Chin/The Boston Globe
🏀Game 1? CHECK.If there’s one takeaway from the Celtic’s commanding107-89 victory over the Dallas Maverickslast night, it’s thatKristaps Porzingis is BACK. The 7-foot-2 superstar hadn’t played since April 29 due to a calf injury, and yet, you wouldn’t know based on the 20 points he scored. And he was just as hot defensively with multiple emphatic blocks (this video of him drilling a deep threefollowed by a sick block could possibly replace your morning coffee). We’re back at TD Garden for Game 2 on Sunday, so please pray to the basketball Gods to keep this energy going.
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📝Boston City Council had a busy week.The council approved$15 million in changesto Mayor Wu’s proposed $4.6 billion city budget, reallocating funding from the Police, Fire, Public Works, and Transportation departments, in a 10-3 vote. Some of the biggest reallocated line items include $2 million for youth jobs funding, $1.5 million for city housing vouchers, and $1.5 million for down-payment assistance. In an 8-4 vote, they also approved Mayor Wu’scontroversial commercial property tax rate hike, an effort to protect homeowners from the financial impacts of declining commercial property values. But state lawmakers will still have to OK it.
👩👩👧👦A major moment might be coming for LGBTQ+ parents.At Mass.’ official Pride flag raising ceremony, Mass. House speaker Ron Mariano announced lawmakers’plans to take up a parentage equity billthis month. The bill would redefine who can be considered a parent when couples use IVF or surrogacy. The laws, which Mariano called “archaic,” haven’t been updated in 40 years, meaning non-biological parents using IVF and surrogacy have to adopt their child after birth in some cases.
THINGS TO DO
Weekend checklist
🌈DIY your own Pride attire.Rebel Rebel is teaming up with Tiny Turns Paperie to host a (free!)cookout and tie-dyeing eventpost-parade Saturday. This year’s theme is Bikini Bottom.
🎥Watch a (queer) cult classic.Trident is holding aspecial Pride screeningof “But I’m a Cheerleader!” Saturday evening with food and drink. Did we mention it’s free?
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🥳Keep the party going all weekend.Pridebar festival istaking over some of Fenway’s hottest barsthis Sunday, featuring DJs, drag, a vendors market, and live music.
👠Catch a drag show.Night Shift Brewing’s Everett taphouseis having one this Sunday, hosted by Queen Binx. Plus, a portion of the ticket proceeds will go toBoston Proud.
🏃Run in a sea of rainbows.Boston Theatre Company is putting on its annual“Road of Rainbows” Pride-themed 5k run/walkon Saturday, kicking off at the Boston Common. Plus, there will be a post-run festival with local queer talent!
ONE LAST THING
Drag storytime is BACK
Image: Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe. Illustration: Gia Orsino.
The Cambridge Public Library is proof that story time is better with a drag queen.
Every June for the past six years, the Cambridge Public Library celebrates Pride month by swapping its regular Saturday morning story hour with adrag story hour. And this year is no exception.
A drag queen is invited to read children’s books about drag and Pride month, with names like “If You’re A Drag Queen And You Know It,” and “Twas The Night Before Pride.” The stories are meant to help children learn about Pride and drag, and depict kids with queer parents, or attending parades.
The events kicked off last weekend with a reading from Roxbury-based queen Briar Blush. You can readmore about the event here.
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— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
📚 Thanks for reading!Are childless adults allowed at drag story hour? Asking for a friend.
💜Special shoutout to today’s sponsor,Mount Holyoke, for supporting local journalism and providing higher education to diverse communities.
🌊The results are in:B-Siders are either really knowledgeable about cliff jumping, or you’re all cheating. Over 60% of readers correctly answered that 193 is the world record for highest cliff jump. I choose to believe the former.
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