'Portraits of Pride' to recognize members of the LGBTQ community for Pride Month
BOSTON - They are the faces of your neighbors, co-workers, and members of the LGBTQ community making a difference here at home.
"Portraits of Pride" is scheduled to unveil its latest selection of nominees on June 1st to commemorate the beginning of Pride Month.
Jean Dolin is the curator of the exhibition and gave WBZ-TV an exclusive first look at the people selected as this year's nominees.
"I feel excited and anxious at the same time," said Dolin. The 29-year-old said he had been working for months to create a list of people in the Greater Boston area who represented all parts of the LGBTQ community. "It's really about having conversations with people in the community, who do you know, who do you think, and after the list is done it feels right. It feels like it speaks to the broad community, it feels like it represents everyone, it represents every story."
The portraits feature people working in education, politics, religion, business, and more. Their ages range from 20 to 80 years old.
Reverend Brandon Thomas Crowley is the first openly gay preacher at the Myrtle Baptist Church in Newton. Crowley, is seen photographed with his husband in the church where he preaches. The photo showed the two at the organ with stained glass shining above them.
Also featured in the exhibition, former Massachusetts Supreme Court Chief Judge Margaret Marshall who presided over the case that paved the way for the legalization of same sex marriage in the state.
The portraits will be displayed at Boston City Hall Plaza for the entire month of June. The portraits will stand 10 feet tall and feature families, couples, and generational representations of pride.
John Huet is the photographer behind the portraits. "When I first started talking with Jean, his enthusiasm for this was infectious," Huet said. "That it's not one dimensional. That they are multifaceted just like everyone else in society. They're just other humans that are alive. There's no difference here. And I think that's part of what I hope people walk away with. A better understanding."
Huet said the key to getting that message across lied in understanding the stories behind the people he was photographing. Huet and Dolin said they spent hours with each honoree to better understand their story and the broader impact of their work.
Portraits of Pride Honorees:
- Sabrina Liu, Program Manager at MAP for Health
- Marcony Almeida-Barros, Deputy Chief of Staff, Access and Engagement, Office of the Governor Maura Healey
- Mark Puleo, VP of Customer Success, at Bonterra/NGP VAN
- Quincey J. Roberts, Sr., Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ Advancement
- Janson Wu, Executive Director, GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders
- Mariangely Solis Cervera, Chief of Equity and Inclusion, City of Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu
- Kayden Hall, GLAD Answers Coordinator
- Gary Daffin, Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus (MGLPC)
- Sam Chambers, Public Affairs Manager at Boston Foundation
- Catherine Demato, President of Boston Food Bank
- Aileen Montour, President of LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc.
- Ann McGuire, Ret. Chief of Health and Human Services
- Retired Justice Margaret Marshall
- Alejandra St. Guillen, Chief of Staff, Archipelago Strategies Group
- Ariel Foxman, Vice President of Boston Seaport
- Wilnelia Rivera, Founder and Principal at Rivera Consulting
- Jim Morgrage, Owner of Club Cafe
- Josiane Martinez, CEO and Founder of Archipelago Strategies
- Philippe Saad, Principal at DiMella Shaffer
- Deb Taft, CEO of Lindauer
- Reverend Brandon Thomas Crowley, Senior Pastor at Myrtle Baptist Church
- Rev. Irene Monroe, Multimedia Journalist
- David Zimmerman, Publisher of Spirit Magazine
- Candace Nguyen, Community Relations Specialist, City of Boston Office for LGBTQ Advancement
- Sue O'Connell, Political Commentator
- Rob Phelps, Editor-in-Chief of Spirit Magazine
- Brandon Cardet-Hernandez, Chief Strategy Advisor at MrWordsmith
- Tyrone Sutton, Assistant Head of School, Boston Arts Academy
- Timothy McCarthy, Harvard University
- Corey Yarbough, Assistant Principal, Brook Charter Schools
- Dr. Kenneth Mayer, Fenway Health-Fenway Institute
- Dr. Scott E. Hadland, MD, MPH, MS, Chief, Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Mass General for Children/Harvard Medical School
