Sudbury Family Pride Day Will Mark LGBTQ+ Month

SUDBURY, MA — Sudbury's annual family Pride day will take place this weekend, marking a month that celebrates the struggles of LGBTQ+ people locally and across the nation.

Sudbury's Pride event follows a recent select board proclamation affirming the town's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and recognition of Pride month.

"Pride is a time to recall the trials the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community has endured and to rejoice in the triumphs of trailblazing individuals who have bravely fought — and continue to fight — for full equality," the proclamation read in part.

Pride Month takes place every June to mark the Stonewall Uprising, a tipping point in the struggle for equality among people who identify as LGBTQ+. New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969. Such raids were common, but patrons fought back, resulting in days of violent clashes across Greenwich Village.

The 2023 Pride celebrations come amid a rising tide of hatred against LGBTQ+ people locally and in other states. A hate crime investigation is ongoing in Bolton after Pride banners were vandalized over the weekend with anti-gay epithets. In North Brookfield, the ACLU had to intervene after the select board attempted to block a drag performance scheduled as part of a Pride event.

Sudbury's family Pride event will take place Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. at the Sudbury Cooperative Preschool, 26 Concord Road. The event will feature performances, food trucks, a book fair and craft activities. The event is being sponsored by the preschool with help from the Goodnow Library and Memorial Congregational Church, and is a fundraiser for OUT MetroWest.