Town kicks off Pride Month with flag raising ceremony

CHS junior Atlas Curran-Barker addresses the crowd. (Photo courtesy of Dan Busler Photography)

Members of the Canton Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee (CDEI) joined with dozens of local residents last Wednesday, June 1, on the front lawn of the Canton Public Library to celebrate the first Pride event held in the town. CDEI members Dr. Alan Rapoport, Amy Peterson, and Sheryl Wagner planned the celebration, which included speakers, music, and the raising of the rainbow flag — a symbol of LGBTQ pride — on the library’s flagpole on the first day of Pride Month.

CDEI member Julie Beckham welcomed the public, many of whom wore clothing and accessories with the colors of the Pride flag. She asked for a moment of silence in memory of the victims of recent hate crimes and gun violence across the country.

Rapoport, who grew up in Canton, began the evening by sharing some of his own personal experiences. “This is really a big deal,” he said of the event. “As a struggling young man trying to find myself in life, I always found refuge in this library. I always found it a place of acceptance and inclusion. And so, this is always a second home to me. I’m thrilled to be on the grounds here to have our first event.”

He introduced state Representative William Galvin, who spoke of the honor of being invited to the event. “Every individual deserves to live their most authentic life without discrimination,” Galvin said. “Pride Month allows us to celebrate and encourage individuals to embrace who they are and fully live their lives.”

Galvin referenced the Stonewall riots of 1969, a series of violent protests between gay rights activists and the police, which led to the gay rights movement, and also spoke of the need for communities to stand together against discrimination and injustice. “It has been a long and difficult journey since Stonewall in 1969,” he said. “But we have made progress. We still have a lot more to do to ensure individuals feel safe and supported.”

Galvin said voting to legalize same sex marriage is one of the proudest moments he has had as a state legislator.

Canton Select Board Chair John Connolly, who was wearing his Gay Pride tie as he has for many years, read the Standing Together statement on behalf of the board. “In the interests on community, unity, and tolerance, and promoting the core values of what makes this country one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all, the Select Board condemns any acts of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age or disability, including all forms of religious intolerance, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, racism, and bullying, cyber or otherwise.

“Further, the board condemns any acts of violence targeted at police officers or first responders. Accordingly the board invites all citizens of Canton to work with his or her neighbors, regardless of party affiliation to continue to make Canton, Massachusetts, and the United States places to be proud of.”

The Canton High School Contemporary Music Workshop played and sang the song True Colors while members of the Galvin Middle School Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) raised the pride flag on the library flagpole.

Parker Campbell, the president of the Canton High GSA, talked about the need for everyone to take a role in doing away with ignorance in the world. “Though the root of ignorance is hate,” he said, “we need to have the analytical and emotional intelligence to combat it. We as people can all choose to be the educators of our next generation. But I think it’s our duty, especially in the young people of the audience to teach the ignorant people of this world to be better and to do better.”

GMS eighth grade civics teacher Brandon Chin and CHS guidance counselor Katie Leazott have worked with the GSAs at their school for several years. Leazott has been involved with the GSA since she started working at Canton High. “I just want to say that it’s a safe place for our LGBTQ youth and their allies,” she said. “A place where they’re safe to talk, to plan, to educate.”

Chin shared statements from members of the GMS GSA. He read, “‘It helps me find people to connect with who are like them and they also said that GSA is a place where they can find others in the community, talk to people who are similar to them and it provides them with a spot to relax after a long after a long day of school.” Chin added that he has been involved with the GSA since he started teaching at the school four years ago and the time he spends working with the group is one of his favorite parts of his week. “I love getting to see each and every one of them come, hang out, feel comfortable and really just know that they belong in school,” he said. Two students from the Galvin GSA talked briefly about their membership in the alliance and invited anyone who might be interested to join them.

In July of 2017, Atlas Curran-Barker worked with three other students at the Galvin to research and found the GMS GSA. Now a junior at Canton High School, Curran-Barker talked about his experience of creating the GSA so that by the end of his eighth grade year, the GMS alliance held its first meeting and had the support of at least 10 teachers to help run the organization. “It’s just been such a great thing since it started,” he said.

Last year, he attended many GSA meetings via Zoom, which allowed him to see how the group had grown. “Seeing how many kids are here tonight is incredible,” he said. “The middle school GSA has led to a lot of members joining the high school GSA. And everyone else who is just a queer student in our community knows that we’re all here and that we’re safe people to talk to, which is just a great thing.”

Rapoport shared a list of famous gay people with the crowd to show that young people can grow up to be who they want to be: athletes Michael Sam, Jason Collins and Megan Rapinoe; civil rights leader Bayard Rustin; gay rights activist Barbara Gittings; British mathematician Alan Turing; ophthalmologist and tennis player Renée Richards (born Richard Raskind); Apple CEO Tim Cook; astronaut Sally Ride; and drag queen RuPaul.

Beckham thanked Rapoport for his work preparing the event. She reminded everyone that upcoming events include the Canton Farmers Market on the front lawn of the Rodman Building on June 12 at 10 a.m. and the second annual Juneteenth celebration, which will be held Saturday, June 18, at 1 p.m. at Northern Spy restaurant. CDEI is looking for new members and volunteers to help with upcoming events. Meetings are held the second Monday of each month on Zoom. For more information on joining CDEI, contact Town Hall.

The Contemporary Music Workshop sang Mama Mia to conclude the ceremony. Afterwards, attendees made their way to Big D’s for pizza.

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