Carol from The Brady Bunch Wants to Wish You a Happy Pride Week
Florence Henderson, who played the mom, Carol, on The Brady Bunch, has a special message for Boston residents: “Happy Pride Week.”
Henderson’s siple well-wishes are just one of many celebrity endorsements that will be rolling in as the city kicks off the events scheduled for this year’s Pride Week. The series of happenings, taking place between June 6 and June 15, include the annual Pride Parade that weaves through the streets of Back Bay, celebrating decades of gay rights in Boston, the Pride Festival, neighborhood-specific parties, and an event called Queeraoke.
At noon on Friday, Mayor Marty Walsh and officials from Boston Pride will also be raising a flag on the steps of City Hall to commemorate Pride Week. The flag will stay up for the entire span of events during the celebrations.
Henderson isn’t the only celebrity that will be sending congratulatory messages to residents from Boston, either. According to a spokesperson from Boston Pride, other Hollywood names putting together a brief shout out include Joan Rivers, Medford native Maria Menounos, and Tyler Glenn of the band Neon Trees. Additional celebrity messages will be added to the Boston Pride website and YouTube page as well, but the organization is keeping those names under wraps for now.
Collecting videos from famous faces has become somewhat of a tradition for organizers of the annual festivities. Last year, Debbie Gibson, comedian Hal Sparks, singer Melissa Etheridge, and Kelly Rowland submitted their own videos. In 2012, Boston received supportive messages from the Kardashians, Lisa Lampanelli, and Perez Hilton, just to name a few. “The positive support Boston Pride receives from celebrities is incredibly inspiring,” said Sylvain Bruni, Boston Pride’s newest president. “Each video proves how much love and admiration people from all over the country have for Boston’s LGBT community.”
Last month, Boston pride announced that Governor Deval Patrick would serve as the Grand Marshal of the 44th Annual Boston Pride Parade, which will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 14, rain or shine. Boston Pride officials said Patrick was appointed to the role because he has heralded gay rights in Massachusetts throughout his tenure, and helped it become the 16th state to recognize transgender citizens as a protected class when he signed “An Act Relative to Gender Identity” into law in 2011, legally protecting those who identify as transgender. “Governor Patrick has also made it part of his mission in office to improve the lives of LGBT youth with his swearing in of new leadership to the Massachusetts Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth. He continues to fight for equal rights for all,” they said.
The full calendar of events for Boston Pride Week can be found on the organization’s website.
