The Cape Ann Pride Coalition and Steering Committee held a fundraiser social Thursday, called “Survive and Thrive in 2025!,” at Minglewood Harborside’s Captain Courageous Room in advance of the second annual Cape Ann Pride Weekend.
The fundraiser drew more than 80 people as organizers looked back on the success of last year’s first-ever Cape Ann Pride Weekend and ahead to planning for this year’s upcoming Pride weekend scheduled for May 29 to June 1.
“The Cape Ann Pride Coalition is a grassroots group of diverse people and organizations advocating for, bringing together, celebrating, educating and supporting LGBTQIA+ people and our allies throughout Greater Cape Ann,” Cape Ann Pride Coalition Chair George Grattan said about the group’s mission. “Just by being here tonight you are joining that coalition. Thanks to your support tonight I’m happy to be able to announce that the ‘Good Ship Survive and Thrive in 2025’ is safely in the water and ready to set sail.”
The Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce is a co-founding and co-organizing partner of Cape Ann Pride Weekend, which together launched the first one here in 2024.
“This is a very special night,” said Greater Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce Director of Community Relations Colleen Murdock. “We are celebrating not only the incredible energy of Cape Ann Pride we are also convening a partnership between Cape Ann Pride Coalition and the chamber. This collaboration began with a shared vision to create something special and inclusive symbolizing Cape Ann as a welcome environment to all.”
“Here’s to a continued collaboration to growing Pride on Cape Ann and to building a community where everyone belongs,” Murdock said after thanking the sponsors, organizations and individuals that contributed to last year’s Pride weekend.
Among those on hand were Ward 2 Councilor Dylan Benson, City Council President and at-Large Councilor Tony Gross, at-Large City Councilor Jeff Worthley, former City Councilor Melissa Cox, former School Committee Member and attorney Joel Favazza, as well as Mayor Greg Verga and former City Council President Paul Lundberg, who have announced they are running for mayor.
Verga said multiple people reached out to him before the fundraiser saying they did not feel safe being out in public right now.
“So, that’s where we are,” Verga said, “but that’s why our theme tonight and for this year is, ‘survive and thrive in 2025.’”
“This is just a sad commentary on where we are in this country right now,” Verga said, “that one individual and one 900-page book, ‘Project 2025,’ has just completely shaken up this country and shaken us all to our core … It’s really a problem, and we look at the LGBTQ+ label, there’s one more letter that needs to be put in there to remind our friends and neighbors, and that’s the letter ‘P’ for person … We are all people, and this vitriol that’s coming out of Washington and from other parts of this country, it’s disturbing, and it’s time for us to fight back, and we, the city of Gloucester, are still going to be part of this Pride coalition.”
He said the city will be raising the Pride flag at the end of May.
“This is an incredibly important organization,” Lundberg said, “the partnership with the chamber is quite unique and it is really something that we, in the city, can be quite proud of.”
Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714, or at eforman@northofboston.com.