Event

Politics & Pride: A History of Massachusetts's LGBTQ+ Politicians & Campaigns

Monday, June 12, 2023 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EST
At MHS

In Partnership with The History Project

Mark Robert Schneider

Samantha Gross, The Boston Globe

Byron Rushing

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Register to attend in person

Massachusetts has a long history leading the way for LGBTQ+ rights, from Gerry Studds, the first openly gay Congressman, to the issuance of the first same-sex marriage license in the country. The panelists will consider how being gay affected politicians’ careers, how viewing gay marriage as a civil right helped build African American support that was crucial in passing this legislation, and where the fight for LGBTQ+ issues now stand with the election of Maura Healey as the first openly lesbian governor of Massachusetts. Panelists will reflect on the rights politicians were able to win for the LGBTQ+ community and the ongoing struggles being fought for today.

Hybrid Event

The in-person reception starts at 5:30 and the program will begin at 6:00.

Masks are optional for this event.

The virtual program begins at 6:00 PM and will be hosted on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information.

Upcoming Events

Social Reform and Identity Formation in the 17th Century - A Panel Discussion
Social Reform and Identity Formation in the 17th Century - A Panel Discussion
Hybrid / NOTE: times are shown in EST
Tuesday, April 1, 2025 5:00 PM - 6:15 PM EST
This panel investigates forms of social control in 17th century New England. Arthur George Kamya’s paper examines the regulation of distilled liquor in 17th century Massachusetts Bay Colony, exploring how authorities navigated competing moral, economic, and security imperatives. Initially targeting a cross-section of colonists, liquor laws evolved to focus on servants, Native Americans, and eventually African Americans. The colony's approach shifted from moral censure to pragmatic revenue generation, with officials using fines and licenses to fund government operations. Kamya’s study illuminates how alcohol regulation became a tool of social control, state-building, and the construction of racial hierarchies in colonial New England, offering insights into the complex interplay between commerce, governance, and identity formation in early America. As discussed in Alice King’s work, Connecticut adopted a notable strategy towards certain Indigenous populations during the initial decades of settlement, attempting to control and exploit Native communities by turning them into colonial tributaries who would provide essential supplies, wampum, and military aid. King’s paper considers the evolution of tributary politics at the end of the seventeenth century after the Dominion of New England and Glorious Revolution had destabilized colonial authority and left colonists vulnerable to attack by French and Native forces, including the Wabanaki Confederacy during King William’s War, 1689-1697, when Connecticut leaders sought to raise soldiers for New England’s defense from these historic tributary communities.
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