As the Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance marks its 25th anniversary this year, it continues to embrace a simple message: You are welcome here, you are safe, and you are seen.
Participants in the group’s May 31 Belmont Pride Parade will put those words into action by celebrating and supporting their friends, neighbors and family members from the LGBTQ+ community as they walk the 1.5-mile route.
Now in its sixth year, the parade, which has several sponsors, is a popular, joyful event in Belmont, said Fran Yuan, founder and leadership team member of the Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance.
“There is a sea of people … giving the message that you’re welcome [here],” she said.
Before the Alliance created a Belmont parade in 2020, group members marched in the Boston Gay Pride parade. When Belmont hosted its own event, people participated even during the COVID-19 lockdown, marching at a safe social distance while wearing masks.
Calling the tradition a “celebration of people of all walks of life,” Yuan said, “It’s very important to send out that message … that we see the LGBTQ+ community here, especially young people [and] it’s OK to be visible.”
Along with the parade, there will be tables run by community groups and music from The Freedom Trail Band, an LGBTQ+ musical group.
Quarter-century of support
“I feel like our mission is still very vital to people,” said Yuan, who founded the Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance 25 years ago with the help and support of community members.
“It gives me a great feeling” that the group has thrived for so long, she said. “It brings tears to my eyes.”
Yuan had a very personal reason for helping to create the organization, which is a part of Belmont Against Racism (BAR).
In 1999, her then-15-year-old son Jared Yuan-Vogel came out during his sophomore year at Belmont High School.
Yuan decided to hold a meeting to explore ways the community could show support for LGBTQ+ youth and others, and 30 people showed up. Many attendees were members of BAR and The First Church in Belmont, Unitarian Universalist, where she worshipped.
“I wasn’t a lone person … I felt like I had allies from the start,” she said.
“Concerns about the safety and well-being of … gay and lesbian students in the Belmont schools led to the establishment of the Gay Straight Alliance Committee in 2001, a subcommittee of the well-established Belmont Against Racism,” according to the group’s website. “In 2017, BGSAC’s name was changed to Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance.”
Yuan’s son recalled how much his mother’s push to create a supportive group meant to him and the town in general.
“When I came out, my mom didn’t just support me; she stepped up to support my whole community,” said Yuan-Vogel, 42.
“Relying on BAGLY [Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth] as a teenager [before the Belmont Alliance was created] showed me firsthand how essential it is to have dedicated community groups,” said the Belmont High grad who now lives in New York. “I am so proud of [my mom’s] many years of leadership of the Belmont LGBTQ Alliance, turning her support for me into local action and creating a space where other people could find the same belonging I did.”
Looking ahead, Yuan hopes to inspire the next generation of participants to continue the alliance’s mission of making Belmont a “Welcoming Community” now and in the future.
“There’s a lot of hate going on … that’s very scary and concerning,” she said. “For kids … that can affect how you feel about yourself and self-esteem.”
The Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance aims to counter those messages and will continue to fight against harassment and other forms of bullying.
“I would love it if we could know that every child that grows up here felt safe and felt emotionally supported,” said Yuan. “There are still kids who are suffering.”
More information
The Belmont Pride Parade, a rain-or-shine event, will be held on Sunday, May 31, at 1 p.m., starting at the Town Green next to The First Church in Belmont, Unitarian Universalist, 404 Concord Ave. There will be live music, ice cream from Art’s Creamery, activities for children, and tables from community groups. For more information on the Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance and the parade, go to belmontlgbtq.com.
