Waltham Queer History

Waltham has been an important place for LGBTQ+ people in New England since at least the early 1980s, as the home of one of the oldest trans rights organizations in the US, Trans Community of New England, founded in 1978. Originally known as the “Tiffany Club,” this organization began as a support group and safe house for trans women and male cross-dressers with a spin-off called the “Adam Club” for trans men and female cross-dressers. In the 1990s, Waltham was also home to Vernon’s, a store on Moody Street that specialized in clothing for trans women and male cross-dressers. In the 1980s-1990s, the group “Way Out Waltham” organized gatherings for the local LGBTQ+ community, including a local party after Boston Pride.

Waltham High School has had a GSA club since at least 2006. In June of 2019, the Waltham City Council passed its first-ever resolution recognizing Pride month. It was introduced by Councilor Kristine Mackin, who also shared that she is bi, making her Waltham’s first out elected official. In the 2021 election, Waltham had two out city council candidates. In 2020, Waltham’s first Little Free Library focused on LGBTQ+ books, the Little Queer Library, was founded.

In 2020, the “LGBT Waltham” Nextdoor group was started. Then, in early 2021, a “Queer Waltham” Facebook group was also created and it grew quickly. From there, the possibility of an outdoor event was discussed so these online communities could meet in person. At the time, Boston Pride was being planned as an online-only event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was also facing a boycott supported by many LGBTQ+ groups in the area. So, it seemed like the time was right for Waltham to have its own Pride. The first Waltham Pride event took place in June 2021 at a private home in the Highlands neighborhood.

Although a lot has changed since the 1980s, LGBTQ+ people, especially trans and nonbinary people, face intense backlash against gains in visibility and acceptance. Many bigots choose schools and libraries as their battlegrounds, claiming LGBT-inclusive education is part of a conspiracy to “groom” or “indoctrinate” children, and unfortunately Waltham has not been immune to this trend. In 2022, the Waltham LGBTQ+ community came together to defeat an attempt to ban two books from the Waltham High School library, and to respond to apparent attempts to censor the Little Queer Library.

Waltham Pride 2022 focused on visibility, solidarity, and education, and took place for the first time on Waltham Common. Hundreds joined for music, speeches, tables, and an opportunity to show the entire city that there is a community of LGBTQ+ people and allies in Waltham that will continue to welcome, support, and defend each other. And so, the tradition of a public Pride festival in Waltham was born and continues to this day!