Portraits of Pride 2025
A Celebration of Legacy Makers
On View: June 1st - June 30th 2025
Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park
100 Atlantic Ave, Boston MA
Presented by
Portraits of Pride: A Celebration of Legacy Makers
On June 26 1971, two years after Stonewall riots in New York. Boston became one of the first cities to host an LGBTQ+ parade. This parade was a bold declaration that queer people belonged in the city’s streets, neighborhoods, and future. For generations, LGBTQ+ people have been fighting against systemic oppression, violence, and to this day, we are still fighting for the active erasure of our humanity, our history and our presence. Despite the challenges of the last 70 years, LGBTQ+ people have persisted, they have continuously broken down barriers, demanded equality, and as a result of their advocacy, they have changed history. Their courage have laid the foundation for the rights we hold today. The courage that LGBTQ+ leaders modeled over the past 7 decades and beyond, serve as a pillar upon which America will reach its promise of freedom.
This year, Portraits of Pride 2025 presents 20 portraits to honor extraordinary individuals whose work, activism, and sheer presence have shaped Greater Boston’s LGBTQ+ movement. Some are legends whose contributions span decades; others are still forging paths forward. Their stories are a testament to resilience, a call to action, and, above all, proof of what is possible. This exhibition arrives at a critical moment; a moment in which the LGBTQ+ lives are under attack. With bans on our literature, attempts to distort our history, and legislation threatening our very existence, we stand firm in the conviction that we will not go back.
These portraits are more than tributes, they are blueprints for resistance. They remind us how far we’ve come and how much further we must go. Whether their faces are displayed here or not, we honor every LGBTQ+ leader who has stood in the trenches of this movement. Their fight is ours. Their legacy is our strength.
This is our history, this is our pride, these are our legacy makers!
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Dr. Robert Goldstein
Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner
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Julie Chen, Ph.D
Chancellor of University Massachusetts LOWELL
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Craig Bailey
Photographer, Artist & Historian
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Gary Bailey
Professor of Practice and MSW Program Director, Simmons University
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Abe Rybeck
Founder of Theatre Offensive
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Philip A. Nardone, Jr.
President & Chief Executive Officer, PAN Communications
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Arnold Sarpenter
LGBTQ+ Trailblazer
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Susu Wong
Founder and Chief Connector of Tomo 360
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Former Mayor Kenneth Reeves & Greg Johnson
LGBTQ+ Trailblazers
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John Ward
Founder of Glad Law
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Harold du Four-Anderson, M.Ed, LADC I
Founder of the Bayard Rustin Breakfast
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![Mary L Bonauto]()
Mary L Bonauto
Civil Rights Attorney, GLAD Law
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John Lam
Associate Professor of Dance, Boston Conservatory at Berklee
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Joseph Reed
LGBTQ+ Trailblazer
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David Aronstein
Founder, OutStandinglife
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Gretchen Van Ness
Executive Director, LGBTQ Senior Housing
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Jeff Perrotti
Founding Director, Safe Schools Program
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Jerome Smith
Executive Director of BAGLY
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Paul Glass & Charles Evans
FOUNDERS of LGBTQ+ Elders of Colors
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Mayor Denise Simmons
City of Cambridge
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David Hodgkins
Artistic Director, Corro Allego
Tributes & Profiles
Throughout Pride Month, we will be updating this section with tributes and profiles celebrating the 2025 Portraits of Pride honorees. Check back regularly to learn more about the lasting impact and legacy of these exceptional individuals.
A tribute by Amir Dixon, Former Curator in Residence of Boston LGBTQ+ MuseumCraig Bailey
Craig, I want to honor and thank you—not only for the images you’ve gifted us, but for the quiet, consistent way you’ve held space for Black queer life through your lens. In every frame, you’ve captured our essence: our joy, our defiance, our beauty, and our complexity. You are not just a photographer—you are a keeper of our memory, an elder whose work ensures that we will not be erased. In a time when our stories are under attack, your photography reminds us that we have always been here, and we have always mattered. Your eye doesn't just witness us—it affirms us.
As someone who also works to archive and uplift the voices of our community, I’ve long looked to your work as both inspiration and foundation. You’ve given us a visual language to name our presence in a world that too often seeks to render us invisible. Your images are not just art—they are legacy. And as we move forward in struggle and celebration, your work will continue to guide us, ground us, and push us to dream even bigger. Thank you for seeing us, for loving us through your craft, and for helping make sure that our stories live on.
A tribute by Alia Cusolito
Jeff Perrotti
Jeff Perrotti has an energy that can make anyone comfortable with him, which is an incredible skill for building community as well as educating people unfamiliar with queerness. He cultivates spaces which encourage conversation, connection, and leadership building. Throughout his career he has affected the lives of thousands of students and adults by helping them to find their potential and advocate for themselves and others.
He is willing to listen, learn, speak, and be everyone’s biggest cheerleader, and he makes sure to capture every experience in dozens of photos. Each person he interacts with is given attention and care to their personal story, and he will also connect different people with one another to create lifelong bonds. It is a pleasure and privilege to know Jeff, and he ensures everyone knows that he feels just the same about them.
Mary Bonauto A Profile
Earlier this year, civil rights attorney Mary Bonauto stood among a select group of 19 Americans at the White House to receive one of the nation’s highest civilian honors: the Presidential Citizens Medal. President Joe Biden recognized Bonauto for her pivotal role in securing the right of every American to marry whomever they love.
For decades, Bonauto has been a force behind some of the most consequential legal battles for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. From defending marriage equality in Massachusetts in 2003, to leading efforts to pass a marriage equality bill in Miane 2009. Though the legislation was initially signed into law, it was swiftly overturned by referendum. Undeterred, Bonauto helped guide a grassroots campaign that turned the tide. In 2012, Maine voters approved same-sex marriage at the ballot box, a rare and powerful shift in public sentiment.
Bonauto’s most historic moment came in 2015, when she stood before the U.S. Supreme Court to argue Obergefell v. Hodges. The landmark decision legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, affirming what millions had long fought for: dignity, equality, and recognition under the law.
“Talk about a huge exhale,” Bonauto recalled of the moment the ruling came down. “I was so relieved and so happy. It was an eruption of joy—and that’s what I’ve seen consistently over the years. It’s hard to be upset about people getting married.”
Despite the accolades, Bonauto remains deeply humble. “I’m just one of thousands in millions across the country who were part of this fight,” she said.
But few have carried the weight of that fight quite like she has or changed the course of history with such quiet resolve.
John Lam
A Tribute Mikko Nissinen, Artistic Director of Boston BalletJohn Lam’s journey to the pinnacle of ballet has been one of perseverance, talent, and unwavering dedication. Raised by Vietnamese immigrant parents against a backdrop of adversity, Lam defied societal expectations and cultural stereotypes to pursue his passion for dance. Known for his versatility, quicksilver footwork, and mastery of a range of styles and vivid storytelling, he has performed works by world-renowned choreographers such as Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Helen Pickett, Ken Ossola, Christopher Wheeldon, and Akram Khan, earning acclaim from both critics and audiences.
“John Lam’s artistry, integrity, and versatility have been a special part of Boston Ballet for the past two decades. His dedication to his craft and his commitment to excellence have been admirable. It has been a true pleasure to work with John over 20 years. We have experienced a beautiful arc from his early training at Marin Ballet at age 10 to decades later with Boston Ballet. I will miss John and wish him all the best.”
David Aronstein
A tribute by Diane Felicio, President of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of ArtDavid Aronstein is a compassionate visionary with a sparkle in his eyes that tells you everything you need to know about his tenacity, resolve, and sense of justice.
When fear and stigma were running rampant in the 1980’s, and the LGBTQ community was under siege, David was on the frontlines with the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts as an advocate, community activist, social worker, and health policy expert. Because of David, gay men and trans folks in particular, who would have otherwise gone without housing or healthcare, were rightfully tended to. Because of David, people lived and died with dignity.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, David became a forerunner in the movement to assure LGBTQ elders, who were at great risk of being alone and invisible, had community, housing, and political clout. He founded and grew Stonewall Communities, a non-profit initiative that emboldened LGBTQ seniors as power block in Massachusetts, and from then on, they would be silent no more! I was on the board of Stonewall Communities and witnessed David's quiet fortitude, sense of humor, and absolute love for the people he fought so furiously to uplift.
David has since put his health policy and analytical skills to good use at Boston Alliance for Community Health, and he went on to launch OUTstandingLIFE, yet another organization dedicated to LGBTQ older adults who are now able to connect and build community via online programming.
For decades and still, David has generously, humbly, and courageously dedicated himself to the health and wellbeing of the LGBTQ community. This is his legacy.
Mayor Denise Simmons
Tribute by Former Cambridge Mayor Kenneth ReevesComing soon
Robert Goldstein, MD, PhD.
A tribute by Governor Maura HealeyComing soon
A tribute by Adrianna Boulin, President of Boston Pride for the People
Gary Bailey
Gary has a gift for making me feel truly seen. He peels back what feels like chaos to reveal who I really am, reflecting it back with a clarity that is pure love. His wisdom, straight from years in the game, comes wrapped in this magnetic energy that just pulls you in. The way he drops knowledge is like getting gems that both lift you up and keep you honest. There's this deep soul connection where I feel completely seen, valued, and respected. The kind of connection that makes you know it's all real. His generous spirit has touched so many of us in the community, dropping wisdom and building us up along the way. That's the legacy he's already gifted to this world, a legacy of love, wisdom, and seeing the light in each of us.
Grechen Van Ness
A tribute by Aileen MontourGretchen Van Ness is a civil rights attorney representing and advocating for the LGBTQ community. Since 2021, she has been the Executive Director of LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc., the only local organization devoted to facilitating access to welcoming, safe, and affordable housing for low-income LGBTQ seniors. Gretchen’s extensive experience in law and nonprofit governance includes serving as one of the attorneys challenging the ban on the Irish-American LGBT organization to march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Gretchen’s decades of work in advocacy, community commitment, state and local politics, and strategic planning—and her dedication to justice, equity, and inclusion—were instrumental in the 2024 opening of The Pryde in Hyde Park, New England’s first LGBTQ-affirming affordable senior housing.
Gretchen’s consistent commitment to creating a sustainable, inclusive, and just community is marked by her warm personality and honest engagement with individuals and organizations. She is guided by the vision of “Radical Hospitality” and looks for solutions that address injustice while working best for everyone, standing firmly on the principles of anti-racism and feminism. Whatever issue or matter arises, she first asks: How does this impact the community? How can we make it work best for everyone?
We celebrate Gretchen’s many accomplishments and her invaluable contributions to creating, growing, and strengthening the LGBTQ community.
Phillip Nardone Jr.
A ProfileComing Soon
A ProfileJulie Chen
Coming Soon
Abe Rybeck
A tribute by Harold Stewart, President of New England Foundation for the ArtsComing soon
Paul Glass & Charles Evans
A tribute by Cory YarboughComing Soon
Harold Dufour
A tribute by Craig BaileyComing Soon
A Tribute by Ricardo MartinezJohn Lam
Coming Soon
Jerome Smith
A tribute by Sam Chambers-TullyJerome is the kind of leader who changes lives not with fanfare, but with fierce love and quiet determination. As Boston’s former Chief of Civic Engagement, he carried a deep sense of responsibility to those whose voices are too often unheard. But his work has always gone far beyond the job title. Jerome has poured his heart into supporting LGBTQ+ youth, especially young people of color — seeing their potential, honoring their stories, and fighting for their futures. He shows up, not for recognition, but because he truly believes in the power of community and the promise of every young person. His support is steady, his advocacy relentless, and his belief in a more just world unshakable.
Using the word "family" in a professional setting is frowned upon, but as the head of Neighborhood Services, Jerome created just that. He brought in the best of each neighborhood and constituency and allowed us to both thrive and make mistakes and we became closer because of that. He publicly cheered us on and privately fought on our behalf, even when we thought we were alone.
Good leaders are humble, and Jerome is one of the best leaders this Commonwealth has. He deserves this honor and so much more.
Former Mayor Kenneth Reeves and Greg Johnson
A Tribute by Mayor of Cambridge Denise Simmons Coming soon!
David Hodgkins
A tribute by Ruthie MillerComing soon
Arnold Sarpenter & Joseph Reed
A Tribute by, Paul GlassComing soon