Pride Worcester 2023 Starts After 'Harmful' Diocese Policy Issued

WORCESTER, MA — Pride Worcester's 2023 celebration will begin in earnest Saturday with a pageant at Mechanic's Hall, an event that follows a week when local Catholic church leaders issued new restrictions on LGBTQ+ expression affecting students in Catholic schools.

The 2023 Pride Worcester Pageant at Mechanics Hall Saturday will "showcase the diversity of and give a voice to the local LGBTQ+ community," the organizers said in a news release. The pageant will also be a competition, with the two highest-scoring participants being crowned as the First Majesty of the Worcester Royal Court and Second Majesty of the Worcester Royal Court for Pride 2023.

Worcester's annual LGBTQ+ Pride celebration takes place in September rather than June so local college students can participate. The official start of the celebration will be Aug. 31, when a Pride flag will be raised above Worcester City Hall.

Earlier this week, the Diocese of Worcester revealed a new set of policies aimed at restricting how students in about 19 local Catholic schools can express their gender and sexuality. The polices will require students to use pronouns that match their gender assigned at birth, and prohibit students from either in engaging in or expressing support of same-sex relationships.

Joshua Croke, who organizes the Queer AF fashion show as part of Pride Worcester, called the policies issued by Bishop Robert McManus "harmful," pointing to the higher rates of suicide among queer and trans youth.

"If the Catholic Church fails to prioritize preserving life, affirming our youth, and celebrating their authentic identities, they're failing to create safe environments for learning and contributing to the violence we face daily as LGBTQ+ people," Croke said.

At least two local Catholic schools that are geographically inside the diocese but operate independently of it have chosen not to adopt McManus' new policies.

The diocese's new policies on Thursday were met with a counterpoint. School Committee member Tracy O'Connell Novick asked the committee to approve the creation of a new affinity group supporting parents and guardians of LGBTQ+ students, similar to groups the district has for students who are English language learners and in special education programs. Novick filed the order weeks ago after a candidate forum sponsored by Pride Worcester — it passed unanimously at Thursday's meeting.

The Pride Worcester Pageant begins at 6 p.m. Saturday at Mechanic's Hall downtown.