GREENFIELD — The city’s streets were filled with every color of the rainbow on Saturday as hundreds marched in the annual Franklin County Pride parade.

More than 60 groups participated in the parade, which ended with an afternoon rally at Energy Park featuring speakers, drag performances, music, vendors and more. Other Pride-themed events were hosted at businesses throughout the weekend.

“The queers have made Franklin County the place to be,” attendee Kelly Drew said while skating down the street in an iridescent floor-length dress and fake eyelashes. Drew explained she grew up in Greenfield, and has watched the city become the more accepting place it is today. “I feel so comfortable being myself in my town.”

Conway resident Mary McClintock, who marched in the parade with a lesbian visibility group she organized, also spoke to the community’s progression. When McClintock came out as a lesbian in the 1970s, she said lesbians used to meet each other in bars and bookstores. On Saturday, McClintock marched in the parade to be visible to young lesbians and show them how to find community today.

Artemis Muise, owner of the Greenfield business Arising Embodiment, echoed McClintock’s sentiment, saying they also came out for the younger generation of Franklin County.

“It is important to show young people that we love them and that there are queer people present in every generation,” they said.

That message was received by many young LGBTQ-identifying people in the crowd. Lia Little, 14, of Turners Falls, said the parade showed her that everyone should feel safe being themselves.

“You can wear rainbows or be goth and people will accept you,” she said. “This makes me want to express myself more.”

Marcy Meehleder, a student at Four Rivers Charter Public School, and Quinn Mass, a student at Greenfield High School, marched together with the Greenfield High School Spectrum Club. They explained the celebration is helpful for people their age because it makes them feel welcome in Greenfield.

“It is fun to be queer in Franklin County. It is nice to have a community this big,” Mass said. “It feels like I belong.”

Rachelle Macauley and Beth Wright traveled from Athol for the event to be with the LGBTQ community. They said some places are not always accepting of their identities, but seeing crowds of gay people and allies together gives them comfort.

“You don’t realize how many people support this until you come to Pride. It makes you feel really good,” Macauley said.

Politicians at the parade

Politicians at all levels of government also came out to the parade on Saturday.

Mayor Roxann Wedegartner and Precinct 3 City Councilor Virginia “Ginny” DeSorgher, who is running against Wedegartner in this year’s mayoral election, each came out with a group of supporters marching with signs. State Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield, state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, marched together in the parade, with McGovern and Comerford then giving speeches at the rally.

“Together, we are hell-bent to leap into a future that is more hopeful than the present,” Comerford, who identified as a lesbian, told the crowd at Energy Park.

The crowd cheered when Comerford mentioned Massachusetts’ new and first openly lesbian governor, Maura Healey. Comerford went on to talk about the bills she is filing that advocate for LGBTQ issues. Examples include bills that would make gender-neutral bathrooms a norm, break down barriers for gender-affirming health care and mandate non-binary options on all state documents.

“Every day my team and I will see you and affirm you,” she said. “We will fight for you and we will win together.”

McGovern, wearing a shirt that read “Drag is art, drag is a right,” followed Comerford’s speech by talking about how the LGBTQ community and their allies are fighting back against homophobia happening at the legislative level.

Citing statistics from Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group, McGovern said there are 520 anti-LGBTQ bills and 220 bills targeting transgender people that have been proposed across the United States in 2023. The way to combat these bills, he said, is to show up.

“To all of the Republican politicians trafficking homophobia and transphobia: know we are going to keep challenging your hate every step of the way and know that we will win,” McGovern said. “Love will win.”

Bella Levavi can be reached at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.

]]>