For the fifth year, the Chelsea LGBTQ Coalition and the City will host a Pride Month flag raising, but this year they will move the event to Chelsea Square and add a fun Drag Queen Musical Bingo event into the mix.
Working with the City’s Chelsea Prospers, and building on the momentum of several years, members of the Coalition will stage their largest-yet Pride Month event on Friday, June 5, from 6 to 8 p.m.
“This year we’re moving to Chelsea Square across from Apollinaire Theatre and the Chelsea Police Station,” said Matt Frank. “There’s more space here and everyone can spread out and be comfortable. We did sound checks and Bellingham Square is very loud. Our speakers every year always felt like they had to yell when they spoke. It was mostly the buses. You still have buses in Chelsea Square, but they’re not as prominent. Also, the City was already doing things on Fridays at the Fountain in Chelsea Square. We worked with them and decided to do one big event and help each other out.”
Therefore, at around 6:30 p.m., the Coalition will start the ceremony, which will include Police Sgt. Star Chung – who is a Chelsea native and successfully advocated for rainbow police patches to sell as a fundraiser to other officers in the Chelsea Police. Using that money, she has chosen to fund the Gay-Straight Alliance at Chelsea High.
Frank said he believes Chung will make a compelling speaker, having grown up in Chelsea and gone to Chelsea High School – now raising a child with her wife as well.
“We thought she would be an amazing speaker and she’s from Chelsea and knows a lot of people and went to Chelsea High,” he said. “The Committee thought she’d be great to talk about her experiences and also about being on the Chelsea Police. I can’t think of anyone that has so many intersections crossing.”
The event has a reputation of bringing out interesting speakers with unique voices, and not just the same old stale story, Frank said. They believe Chung will add to that interesting list of speakers that have traditionally taken part in the ceremony.
“We want them to be familiar people and people you might see at the supermarket,” said Frank. “We hope it opens people’s eyes and they see things a little differently.”
The flag raising will take place at the end of the program, but the fun won’t be over yet.
The flag raising is immediately followed with a community celebration at the Fountain. Entertainment will be provided by the hostess for the evening, local Drag Queen Veronica Vandersnatch. Free games and musical fun will mark the evening featuring a musical Drag Queen Bingo. Expect Lots of fabulous prizes, including rainbow masks and mini Chelsea Pride flags. The event will feature a couple of musical performances from Veronica, followed by musical bingo games.
One does not have to be LGBTQ to participate, and the event is open to ALL members of the Chelsea community and is presented in partnership with Chelsea Prospers, the City of Chelsea’s neighborhood initiative, and Jukebox Events. Critical ground work was provided by the Chelsea DPW for the fifth year in a row.
Frank said the Coalition has given great thought to the fact that this will be one of the first in-person events in the City since COVID-19, and certainly one of the first large events in the “new” Chelsea Square area. That being said, they wanted everyone to know that people can come into the celebration, or they can also observe it from a distance if they feel more comfortable doing so.
“We are the first real major entertainment event in Chelsea happening after the restrictions were lifted,” said Frank. “We ask people to be patient with everyone and there is plenty of room to spread out and people can even watch it from a distance if they would like. Anyone who wants to see the flag go up and has time to do so can. That is important to us. That’s what the rainbow is all about – not excluding anyone.”