Mass. leaders raise Pride flag at State House, pledge to defend LGBTQ rights; lawmaker cites $1M budget line for gender-affirming care

Gov. Maura Healey, state legislative leaders and LGBTQ advocates raised the Pride flag at the Massachusetts State House on Monday in a ceremony that combined celebration with pointed warnings about nationwide attacks on LGBTQ rights.

Senator Julian Cyr, speaking for the LGBTQ Legislative Caucus, said Massachusetts must resist efforts he described as "attacking and demonizing and exploiting LGBTQ people," and called on residents and officials to "stand up, to say no, to reject this hateful political agenda." He described the moment as one in which "we are seeing a very real erosion of our rights."

The event featured remarks from Gov. Maura Healey, who praised the state's record on protections for LGBTQ residents and said Massachusetts would not retreat from those policies. "Make no mistake about it, diversity is a strength and not a flaw," Healey said. "We stand for inclusion and acceptance. We stand for equality, and we stand together."

Senate President Karen Spilka told the crowd that state institutions will block measures that roll back rights. "Not a single bill that attacks the hard won rights of this community will ever make it through my door or the doors of the Massachusetts Senate," Spilka said, citing what she called a wave of anti‑LGBTQ proposals nationally; she said nearly 600 such bills had been filed in other state legislatures.

Speakers also highlighted culture and preservation efforts. Representative Kate Hogan noted that the House had a budget item to support the Boston LGBTQ Museum, which Jean Dolan, president of the Boston LGBTQ Museum, described as "a guardian of truth" and an institution working to preserve and present LGBTQ history. Dolan invited attendees to visit the museum's current gallery at 59 Harvard Ave and said exhibitions will run through the summer.

Representative Sam Montano said the House included a $1,000,000 line item in its proposed FY2026 budget for gender-affirming care. "We hope to see it in the final budget," Montano said, framing the item as a response to federal-level attacks on transgender health care and Medicaid.

Organizers also launched the State House's first LGBTQ resource fair, and Representative John Moran performed a song for the crowd. The ceremony combined symbolic recognition — raising the Pride flag — with calls for continued legislative and community work to protect LGBTQ residents, especially transgender youth and isolated LGBTQ elders.

The event did not include votes or formal legislative actions; speakers described past and proposed budget measures and urged continued advocacy and legislative protections at the state level.