Sustaining Our Community, Conserving Our World
For the first time in years, the Parade stepped off under sunny skies and a moderate temperature, pushing the crowd estimate to the highest ever: 500,000. “I think the weather played a role with a lot of
it but for the most part, Boston has embraced the gay community,” observed Pride president Linda DeMarco.
Katherine Patrick, daughter of Governor Deval Patrick, had come out publicly as a lesbian. Bay Windows reported that as she walked with her father, mother, and sister, the streets “vibrated” with thunderous cheers. The year’s “green” theme was embraced by few marchers, with Pride awarding one runner-up award instead of the usual two. Yale Electric was first, with second going to the joint entry of Mass Asian and Pacific Islanders for Health (MAP) and Mass Area South Asian Lambda Association (MASALA). President Barack Obama proclaimed June 2008 to be Pride Month, becoming the second U.S. president, after President Bill Clinton, to recognize Pride.[1]
Boston Pride launched its first ever Green Initiative. The Green Initiative consists of a series of programs and events aimed at making the Boston Pride Celebration more environmentally friendly, at raising awareness of community-wide health issues, and at promoting cohesiveness of the various parts of our Community.
Parade Marshals
Grand Marshal Tim McFeeley – founder of both the Boston Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance and the Bay State Democrats, and former board member of both Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and Boston Aging Concerns.
Celebrity Marshal Leslie Jordan – an Emmy Award-winning actor from Tennessee who is perhaps best known for his role as Beverley Leslie on “Will & Grace.”
Honorary Marshal Cpl. Ciara Durkin – corporal in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, out lesbian and long-time Boston Pride volunteer who was killed in 2007 while serving in Afghanistan.
Festival/Concert Entertainers
Headliners Kat DeLuna and Kimberley Locke
Block Party DJs
Back Bay Block Party – DJ Tracy Young and DJ Ranny
JP Block Party – DJ Kristin Korpos
2008 Boston Pride Photos
LGBTQ Historical Highlight
- The California Supreme Court makes the Golden State the second in the nation to recognize same sex marriage; However Proposition 8 is adopted in November banning same-sex marriage
- Massachusetts activists take part in the nationwide mobilization of Millennials to protest Prop 8, and Join the Impact Massachusetts is organized
- Connecticut becomes the second state to embrace marriage equality after the passage of Prop 8 in California
Event Details
Date: Pride Week June 6-15, 2008
Theme: Sustaining Our Community, Conserving Our World
Organized by: The Boston Pride Committee
Board Members: Linda DeMarco, President; Keri Aulita, Vice President; Pierce Durkin, Clerk; Kristie Helms, Member; Wilfred Labiosa, Member; Sylvain Bruni, Member.
Committee Chairs: David O. Avruch, Cookie Belcamino, Kirk Dobson, Michael Anthony Fowler, Shannon Lank, Jayme Martin, Cale Moore, Sarah Viera, Michael Young.
Bill Berggren, Sylvain Bruni, Gordon K. Burns, Malcolm Carey, Rob Hatch, Shannon Lank, Jayme Martin, Bernadette Smith, and Karthik Ramanna
Parade Route
START – South End, Down Tremont St., Left on Berkeley St., Right on Boylston St., Left on Charles St., Right on Beacon St., Left on Tremont St. to Cambridge St. END – City Hall Plaza