A week ago, some 12,000 people from throughout New England converged on Northampton to celebrate marijuana and continue a push for its legalization in Massachusetts, a 25-year fight poised to become reality this fall when voters decide whether to remove prohibitions on its recreational use.
Many who attended Extravaganja at the Three County Fairgrounds simply wanted to smoke marijuana in a public place and relax. Others, including the event organizer, the UMass Cannabis Reform Coalition, carried a greater mission to dispel the myths and stigmas surrounding marijuana. November’s vote may change Extravaganja’s focus.
New laws certainly haven’t ended the fight for another national movement set to take center stage in Northampton this weekend – the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Here, the stakes are considerably higher.
This Saturday, for the 35th time, the city will host Northampton Pride, a parade that began as a small group of people who felt compelled to conceal their identities at first because they risked too much, personally and professionally, to put their true pride on display. Over time, the event has morphed into an all-out pride party that draws 20,000 people from throughout New England. The event is so large that it takes marchers some two hours to travel a mile from downtown to the fairgrounds.
Like Extravaganja, this too is a celebration. There’s no doubt the gay rights movement has come a long way, reaching a milestone last June when the Supreme Court extended marriage equality to same-sex couples in all 50 states.
Another big moment may be on the horizon, should the White House create a national monument to the gay rights movement on a small piece of New York City parkland across the street from the Stonewall Inn, where a 1969 uprising helped inspire the push for equality. The idea is under consideration.
But the pursuit of equal rights for all – everywhere – remains unfinished, as events unfolding in North Carolina prove. There, a fight rages over a new law limiting protections to LGBT people by requiring them to use public bathrooms that conform to the sex on their birth certificate. Other states have passed similar laws.
Closer to home, Massachusetts lawmakers are weighing a bill that would expand a 2011 state law banning discrimination against transgender people in the workplace and housing by also prohibiting discrimination in restaurants, malls and other public accommodations, including restrooms or locker rooms. The bill would allow transgender people to use public accommodations corresponding to their gender identity.
Events like the Northampton Pride not only mark the past, but help strengthen the continuing gay rights movement.
So, yes, it’s been 35 years. And yes, the movement has come a long way. But there is still much to discuss at Saturday’s parade, which is traditionally held on the first Saturday of May as the national kickoff for other LGBT celebrations throughout the country.
This year’s theme, “Love. Strength. Progress,” highlights the 35-year LGBT struggle and affirms advances and growing acceptance. At the same time, organizers acknowledge that LGBT people in other states and countries have a long way to go. “Justice is not complete until it is felt by all,” the group said in a press release.
This year’s march again starts downtown at noon Saturday, departing Hampton Avenue near Northampton Brewery. From there marchers head up Old South Street, then onto Main Street to the fairgrounds. Performers at the post-march event will include Ephraim Adamz, a musician and DJ; Solosexx, music by women seeking political alternative to male-dominated hip hop; and Ayisha Knight, a poet musician; The River Valley Co-Op’s Queen Mary Band; drag queens and kings; and the Northampton mayor for his annual proclamation.
On Saturday, the fight for rights returns to Northampton. Let’s all celebrate its success.