Five years ago, after years of marching in the Boston Pride Parade, the Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance organized its first local event.
“These displays and events can be very important to individuals who feel disenfranchised or wonder if they’ll belong in this community,” said Fran Yuan, who founded the alliance in 2001.
Anyone looking to participate in the parade is asked to meet on the Town Green next to the First Church in Belmont on Saturday, May 31, between 12:30 and 1 p.m., when the parade starts. Walkers will march down Concord Avenue toward Belmont Middle and High School, reverse back when they reach Underwood Street, and finally, loop through Belmont Center before returning to the church.
“We have families, we have everybody,” Yuan said. “We encourage people to dress in a celebratory way.”
The event will take place rain or shine, she said, though all post-parade events will shift indoors in the event of inclement weather.
Post-parade, there will be live music, ice cream from Moozy’s, activities–such as games and face painting– for children, and community group tables.
“It’s nothing fancy, but it’s really to gather family together to support the LGBTQ+ community, which is particularly important right now because a lot of people are feeling under great threat, especially transgender individuals,” Yuan said.
At the national level, the Trans Legislation Tracker is following 45 bills impacting the presence of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ( DEI) initiatives on campus, restricting bathroom use to conform with one’s biological sex at birth, and more related to health care, education and military service. In Massachusetts, representatives introduced six anti-transgender bills in February 2025.
“That idea that showing visibility and community support in a very clear way is so important to individuals, particularly young people, but to anybody,” Yuan said. “It’s important to see these events and these symbols that say we recognize you and we support you.”
