Page 8 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2021 Pride Month kicks off with opening of Everett LGBTQ+ Youth Space and Resource Center By Christopher Roberson A fter raising the Pride Flag for the second time in Everett’s history, city and state officials gathered to celebrate the opening of the Everett LGBTQ+ Youth Space and Resource Center. “The center will be a much-needed resource to the community,” Mayor Carlo DeMaria said during the June 1 ceremony. Although the center is not owned by the City of Everett, DeMaria said he would work to provide financial assistance as needed. Operated by Kayla Mangan Shown from left to right are State Senator Sal DiDomenico, Everett LGBTQ+ Youth Space and Resource Center Directors Dom Washington and Kayla Mangan, Mayor Carlo DeMaria, First Lady Stacy DeMaria, Ward 5 School Committee Member Marcony Almeida-Barros, Governor’s Council District 5 Councillor Eileen Duff and State Representative Joseph McGonagle. (Advocate photos by Christopher Roberson) The Pride Flag flaps in the breeze beside City Hall following the second annual flag raising ceremony on June 1, 2021. Mayor Carlo DeMaria and Dom Washington, the center will be housed in the former Pope John XXIII High School for the next two years. While various activities will be available, Mangan said, no child will ever be forced into doing something they do not want to do. “These kids can come to this space and simply exist,” she said. “My hope is that the next generation gets to spend more time with their authentic selves.” Mangan said many individuals in the LGBTQ community do not come out until after high school. “I hated myself for years,” said Mangan. “As much as I loved EvState Senator Sal DiDomenico State Representative Joseph McGonagle erett, I often felt like there wasn’t much here for me.” However, Mangan said she has learned about the importance of the LGBTQ community, adding that many of these individuals have become the backbone District 5 Councillor Eileen Duff of the Governor’s Council of the arts and entertainment industry. “We’re not asking to be normalized,” she said. “Queer culture is definitely intentional.” Ward 5 School Committee Member Marcony Almeida-Barros said the push for LGBTQ equality is “far from over.” He also said there are currently 19 legislators in other states who are sponsoring bills that discriminate against the youth of the LGBTQ community. “These bills are harmful and probably unconstitutional,” said Almeida-Barros. Eileen Duff, the first openly gay candidate to be elected to Mayor Carlo DeMaria prepares to cut the ribbon outside the former Pope John XXIII High School to celebrate the opening of the Everett LGBTQ+ Youth Space and Resource Center. (Photo Courtesy of the City of Everett) a state office, remembered the “hatred, bullying and threats” she encountered when she made her first run for the Governor’s Council in 2012. “The difference between what I experienced in that campaign to what has happened now is earth-shattering,” Ward 5 School Committee Member Marcony Almeida-Barros she said. However, she agreed that the fight for equality is not finished. “We’ve come a long way, but frankly, we have a long way to go,” said Duff. “All we want is to be ourselves.” State Senator Sal DiDomenico said he was a cosponsor of the Transgender Equal Rights Act in 2011. “We had an uphill battle to get that to pass,” he said. Yet, like the other speakers, DiDomenico said there is more work to do, adding that 82 percent of LGBTQ students do not feel comfortable at school. “The jokes by their peers and by adults are prevalent,” he said. Therefore, on March 29, DiDomenico and State Senator James Eldridge filed S.1178, An act relative to nondiscrimination. “We have failed our young people if we don’t do something now,” Everett LGBTQ+ Youth Space and Resource Center Codirector Kayla Mangan said DiDomenico. State Representative Joseph McGonagle spoke about the meaning of the Pride Flag. “This flag stands as a sign that no matter who you are and who you love, you are always welcome in the city of Everett,” he said.
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