By: Chuck Colbert/TRT Reporter
October 3, 2011
BOSTON, MA–For eight years a small independent group of volunteers has organized Greater Boston’s celebration of Latino LGBT Pride. Now, Latino Pride is a program of its parent organization Boston Pride. The new relationship stems from a merger of Boston Pride and Latino Pride in April of this year amidst hopes of expanding the reach of Latino Pride.
The local festivity is “the longest and oldest celebration of its kind in the country,” said Wilfred Labiosa, vice president of the board of directors for Boston Pride.
Labiosa’s observation came during brief remarks at this year’s Latino Pride Community Awards Reception, held on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Foundation Room on Lansdowne Street in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood.
There, Latino Pride presented three awards.
The Boston GLASS Community Center, located on the 3rd Floor at 93 Massachusetts Ave., received the Community Ally Award. The acronym GLASS stands for Gay & Lesbian Adolescent Social Services. GLASS is drop-in center for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth between the ages of 13 and 25.
Latino Pride’s ally award recognizes an individual or organization, which demonstrates education and commitment in supporting the local Latino LGBT community.
In accepting the honor, Ismael Rivera, GLASS program director, said the community center offers a wide range of services for high-risk young people “not just with issues of sexuality and identity, but health services, including HIV and hepatitis screening, vaccinations, other clinical services, and support groups for men, women and transgender people.”
In brief comments, Earnest Sampkin, GLASS support services coordinator, voiced hope that being “an out, proud, black, gay male” who “lives in his own truth” would “give permission for others to do the same.”
In another recognition, Alfredo Hernandez received Latino Pride’s Community Member Award, an honor given to someone who has made valuable and significant contributions to the Latino LGBT community.
For twenty years, Hernandez has worked tirelessly to provide HIV/AIDS education and prevention services to Latino men.
In brief remarks, Hernandez spoke about one person’s appreciation of Hernandez’s disclosing an HIV-positive status. “Thank you for doing it because I cannot do it,” he recalled the man saying. “That you are healthy and okay brings the message of prevention and education everywhere you go.”
In yet another honor, the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition received the Community Partnership Award for its role as “collaborative and inclusive organization” dedicated to “the unique and complex needs of the black and Hispanic communities.”
In brief remarks, Corey Yarbrough, HBGC’s co-founder and executive director, said the organization “was born of a need.”
“Blacks and Latinos lacked a lot of services and opportunities,” he said.
“When you look at the statistics: HIV infection rates, high school and college drop-out rates, and poverty [indicators], the black and Latino communities are side by side. The statistics mirror each other,” said Yarbrough. “It’s up to us to come together to solve some of our problems.”
Altogether, this year’s celebration of Latino Pride spanned five days from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2., which Boston’s mayor, Thomas M. Menino, proclaimed, through his liaison to the LGBT community, Marco Torres, “Latino Pride in Boston.”
In addition to the awards reception, Latino Pride’s programming included everything from club nights for dancing to a panel discussion for the serious-minded to a film night for movie buffs to a picnic for family fun to a Ms. and Mr. Latino Pride of Massachusetts pageant for aspiring divas.
Marta Perrupato and Paul Carnes served as co-chairs of the 2011 Latino Pride steering committee.
Why is it important to celebrate Latino LGBT Pride?
“In Boston, our Latino community is spread out,” said Perrupato. “It’s nice to have something that brings us together, to see that we exist, and to raise our visibility” within the larger LGBT community, she added.
The Community Awards Reception drew nearly 50 people, one of whom was Boston City Councilor John Connolly.
“Any time Boston Pride is celebrating, whether the Latino LGBT community or the whole LGBT community, I want to be there,” he said.
Another elected official in attendance was state Rep. Liz Malia, D-Jamaica Plain.
“I represent a majority minority district and have gotten to know a lot of young people of color and language,” she told the gathering. “I know the need to reach out to them and build bridges. To provide the kinds of experience you offer and the examples you represent can be the difference between life and death.”
NOTE: The Rainbow Times was a proud media sponsor of the event and ran the only Latin@ Supplement prior to the week-long celebration. To view photos of all of the 2011 Latin@ Pride events this year, visit: http://on.fb.me/pSCX9J
