6.3.19 Boston Pride Week – Deborah Drew from the Board of Directors joins Joe to talk about this fantastic week!

June 1, 2019, marks the first day of Pride Month, which celebrates the everyone in the LGBTQ community. The month also honors the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, otherwise known as the Stonewall Uprising, which saw members of the LGBTQ community fight back against harassment from the police in Greenwich Village in June 1969.

Boston Pride began it’s celebration on Friday, May 31st, for a Month Long Celebration…. check out the entire schedule of events.

Deborah Drew a member of the Board of Directors joined Joe to talk about the month long celebration and the 50th Anniversary of the Stone Wall Uprising.  Boston had it’s very first Pride and March a year later in the continuation and solidarity of the Historic events that took place over a three day period in the Soho area of NYC.

This is such an important Pride this year as we look back and remember all the sacrifice, pain and hard work that brought us to where we are today.  It is also so important that we continue the fight and prevent a backsliding from the hard fought rights we enjoy today.

We still are witness to suppression, torture, criminalization and bigotry around the world.  As we can cheer and celebrate great milestones like Taiwan passing Gay Marriage we have other nations further criminalizing the LGBTQ+ community.

I was very thrilled to have Deborah Drew join me.  Deb and I have been friends for years and I’ve worked hard to honor the VP Seat on Worcester Pride since assuming that role upon her leaving Worcester Pride.

For a WEB Edition of Boston Pride

You can Volunteer to help out at Boston Pride

Button from the 4th Annual Christopher Street Gay Pride Day held in Greenwich Village, NYC. Button shows illustration of the Stonewall Inn, scene of a riot prompted by a police raid. DAVID J. & JANICE L. FRENT/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES

December 18, 2018 – Boston Pride announced that it has named two new members to its board of directors: Deborah Drew of Worcester, MA and Steven Cullipher of Wareham, MA. Both bring years of advocating for the LGBTQ community.

“With the addition of Debbie and Steven, the Boston Pride board is now stronger than ever,” said Linda DeMarco, Vice President of Boston Pride. “They have spent countless hours advocating for the LGBTQ community both through Boston Pride and their everyday lives.”

Steven has been a member of the Boston Pride Committee since 2010. During his tenure, he served as the festival chair and merchandise manager. He works at Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) as a chemistry professor and has worked with students, faculty, and staff at MMA to create Safe Harbor, an on-campus program for promoting visibility and support of LGBTQ campus life and producing educational programming for the campus community. He has been resident of Massachusetts for 10 years and currently resides in Wareham.

“Becoming a board member at Boston Pride is the right decision for me as I have been volunteering for several years,” said Cullipher. “Boston Pride has allowed me to build relationships and serve in leading roles during events.”

Deborah (Debbie) Drew is the President and CEO of GovMojo Inc, a management consulting and employee development company that focuses on diversity and inclusion. GovMojo is a Veterans Administration-verified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). Debbie is the Past Vice President of Worcester Pride and is the Secretary of Log Cabin Republicans of Massachusetts. In 2016, Governor Baker appointed her as a Commissioner on Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing. She is also an Associate Director on the Board of her credit union. Debbie is a veteran of the US Army and has over 24 years of leadership experience at pharmaceutical companies around the world. She has held leadership positions in LGBTQI employee networks in large international corporations, is the past Chair of the Out&Equal Workplace Advocates Transgender Advisory Committee and a member of the team that wrote Out&Equal’s Workplace Gender Identity and Transition Guidelines.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to join the board and continue to build relationships at Boston Pride,” said Drew. “Joining the board allows me to better serve the community at a higher capacity with a greater reach,” said Drew.