BAGLY Prom at Boston City Hall, May 13, 2006
(part of MassYouthPride 2006, sponsored by Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth)
Witness account:
I was there on Boston City Hall Plaza outside the BAGLY Queer/Trans prom. (The BAGLY organization – Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth -- uses the word “queer”.) It was a depressing, sad scene. The entrance was decorated with two rainbow-colored balloon archways. Hundreds of excited young people were milling about, waiting for the event to start at 7 p.m. They kept flooding out of the Govt Center T station.
Some were dressed in the wildest outfits imaginable (including lots of cross-dressing), and some were in relatively normal clothes but often with some little rainbow accent. One young girl was in a skimpy spaghetti strap evening dress and heels, standing in the cold, pouring rain with no coat, soaked through, waiting to get in. One tall, skinny man in his mid-20’s or older (certainly older than the supposed 22-year-old cutoff age) was in a ghastly outfit with a mini-skirt, black fishnet stockings, and high black boots, with Goth makeup -- frightening to look at. Same-sex couples were holding hands, and some were kissing.
I couldn’t get the tale of the Pied Piper out of my head. The use the fun rainbow colors, balloons, and promises of indescribable pleasure to entice these unfortunate young people into this snake-pit of depravity. Instead of a hypnotic flute, the modern abductors use queer hip hop groups like “DeepDickollective” to lure the kids. Then the door slams shut on them, and few will escape. (We never did find out what happened to the children once the Pied Piper got them into his cave.)
There was no apparent police presence outside Boston City Hall. (I could not go inside – too old to get in.) There were older people circulating outside. A friend who was younger (who could fit into the crowd) took some photos, and encountered an older man who said he was part of the security, checking party-goers’ ages, but was handing out little flyers recruiting boys to a weekly gay men’s volleyball game. Worse, he handed out a flyer showing two adult men holding a boy between them, with the caption:
Join Our Play & Dinner Groups
Every week
Private apts
No fee
18-40 only
Email us for next party
[gives email and phone#]
At one point, a goon came marching over towards me with an angry expression, as I peered through the glass wall at the entrance to City Hall. (What are they hiding?) After this “warning” I left.
