A TRT Tribute to our Mayor, Thomas M. Menino. Click on the photo and you will be able to see this larger.
Photos: TRT Archives
By: Nicole Lashomb*/TRT Editor-in-Chief—
Massachusetts Makes History Again
Congratulations to all of the newly elected officials of the Commonwealth and New England and kudos to all in a long well-fought battle. We look forward to working with you in the near future.
Massachusetts, making history once again, voted in the first openly gay attorney general, Maura Healey. First endorsed by The Rainbow Times in our June 7 edition, our then endorsement was reiterated on September 3, 2014. We are proud to welcome the newly elected attorney general to office come January 2015. [pullquote]His written words to Cathy are still burnt in my mind: “Here in Boston, to borrow your own words, we are ‘guilty as charged.’ We are indeed full of pride for our support of same sex marriage and our work to expand freedom to all people. … There is no place for discrimination on Boston’s Freedom Trail and no place for your company alongside it.”[/pullquote]
“Maura’s win tonight is an historic victory for LGBTQ people and for LGBTQ equality,” said MassEquality’s Executive Director, K.C. Coredini. “Maura has spent the last seven years in the attorney general’s office making the Commonwealth a national leader on LGBTQ issues with her vision, drive and talent. Now, as the country’s first openly gay state attorney general she is poised to make history again, not only with what more she will accomplish in this critical office, but with who she is. For LGBTQ young people everywhere, Maura is an example of how far they can go, and how much they can accomplish. We look forward to continuing to work with her to ensure a level playing field for all and to raise the bar on equality and justice, both across this state and the nation.”
We concur.
As attorney general-elect, Healey holds impressive credentials, which include having served from 2007 to 2013 in the attorney general’s office first as the chief of the Civil Rights Division and then as chief of the Public Protection & Advocacy Bureau, which oversees a range of operations including civil rights, healthcare, antitrust, environmental protection, consumer protection, and insurance and financial services.
Certainly this will not be the last we hear of Healey.
Farewell to Mayor Menino
On October 30, 2014, Boston lost a tremendous leader, a man dedicated to the Mayor’s office and the residents of Boston. LGBT advocate and icon Mayor Thomas M. Menino succumbed to cancer. Perhaps most known for his overdrive and conviction to truth and fairness in a city that he loved, in a profile on a local news station, the former Boston Mayor said he wanted his legacy to be inclusion, he succeeded.
Beginning as a city councilor, he supported HIV education and prevention and pioneered the first needle exchange program in the commonwealth. He fought on behalf of the LGBT community in a variety of ways. From refusing to walk in the traditional St. Patrick’s Day Parade since the LGBT community was not allowed open participation to addressing Dan Cathy, President of Chik-Fil-A, via an open letter reinforcing his position that the anti-LGBT equality chain would not be welcomed to establish one of its restaurants on Boston’s Freedom Trail. His written words to Cathy are still burnt in my mind: “Here in Boston, to borrow your own words, we are ‘guilty as charged.’ We are indeed full of pride for our support of same sex marriage and our work to expand freedom to all people. … There is no place for discrimination on Boston’s Freedom Trail and no place for your company alongside it.”
We will not forget. I certainly will not.
Whatever was peoples’ plight, it became his own and we, at TRT, honor him for it. Some of Mayor Menino’s shining moments can be found on page 15 of TRT’s November, 2014 issue, captured by our lens in former years. In addition, you will find some of reactions to his passing at: http://tiny.cc/5t8tox.
The Rainbow Times extends its heartfelt condolences to the Mayor’s family, friends and fellow Bostonians.
Other Thoughts
This issue of The Rainbow Times is also devoted to Transgender Awareness Month, the Transgender Day of Remembrance and honoring them both. You will find such pride within the four-page supplement that is dedicated to the transgender community. We salute you and are proud to continue to work with you in the fight for transgender rights, as we adamantly have done since our inaugural issue.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
*Nicole Lashomb is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of The Rainbow Times. Nicole holds a Bachelor’s degree from SUNY Potsdam and an MBA from Marylhurst University. To reach her, contact her via her work e-mail here.
