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Massachusetts leaders raise pride flag at State House and pledge to defend LGBTQ rights; parentage bill set for discussion
Summary
Governor Maura Healey, House Speaker Ron Mariano and other lawmakers raised the pride flag at the State House in Boston and pledged to protect LGBTQ rights amid national legal challenges. Mariano said a long-running parentage bill will move into discussion soon; advocates invited the public to Pride events.
Governor Maura Healey joined legislative leaders at the Massachusetts State House to raise the pride flag and call for continued protections for LGBTQ residents.
"We see you. We hear you. We love you. We stand with you," Healey said, telling supporters gathered on the State House steps that Massachusetts must lead by example as national legal and political challenges mount.
The event drew legislative allies from across the Commonwealth and leaders from state agencies, as speakers framed the flag raising as both celebration and political statement. House Speaker Ron Mariano warned of nationwide threats to LGBTQ rights, saying, "You have 5 members of the court who wanna take your rights away," and urged state lawmakers to act.
Mariano previewed plans to advance a long-standing "parentage bill," saying the measure has seen "at least six or seven iterations" and that lawmakers expect to begin formal discussion in the near term. He characterized the bill as a technical, multi-part effort to modernize how family relationships are determined under state law and said the Legislature will continue working to refine it.
Leader Sarah Peake, co-chair of the legislature's LGBTQ Caucus, recounted the 20th anniversary of marriage equality in Massachusetts and noted the state's record on measures including anti-bullying laws, a ban on conversion therapy and expanded insurance coverage for life‑saving treatments and prevention tools such as PrEP. Peake said that while Massachusetts has made progress, local disputes continue, citing book bans and limits on some drag-related activities in parts of the Commonwealth.
Community leaders also addressed the crowd. Gary Daffin, executive director of the Multicultural AIDS Coalition, invited the public to Boston Pride events and highlighted the role of protest and celebration in advancing rights. "The parade starts at 11 o'clock at Copley Square," Daffin said, adding that the parade is larger this year and that the festival and a City Hall Plaza block party would follow.
The program closed with Representative John Moran performing "True Colors." Organizers said the flag raising was intended to reaffirm Massachusetts' commitments to inclusion and equality and to marshal support for legislative work ahead.
No formal votes or motions were recorded during the ceremony.
