Dear Friends, The community has spoken and Pride 2008’s theme and marshals have been selected! Read on to find out all the details! With less than three months until Pride, our Committee is in full swing to bring you another breathtaking Pride Week. Scroll down to find out the details about our volunteer organizing event April 3 at the Milky Way! Also Feel free to stop by one of our weekly meetings, Tuesdays at 6:30 pm in the Wainwright Bank Community Room, right next to the Back Bay T stop on Dartmouth St., Boston. We’d love to see you. The Boston Pride Committee

In this issue 1. Theme and Marshals Selected! 2. Shop (Online) Till you Drop 3. Get to Work on that Float! 4. Boston Pride, Out and About 5. Join the Fun, Why Dontcha? 6. NERP Thank Yous! 7. Allied News: Fenway’s Women’s Dinner Party 8. Allied News: The Sunset Soirée 9. Allied News: A Message from the Mass. Transgender Political Coalition 10. A Note about Our Theme 11. Weekly Pride Meetings 12. About Boston Pride

1. Theme and Marshals Selected! After weeks of deliberation and hundreds of votes, the Boston Pride Committee is excited to announce the theme of Pride Week 2008: Sustaining Our Community, Conserving Our World This theme is about a lot of things. Clearly, it’s green-leaning, and that’s amazing, because preserving the environment is an issue of local, national and global importance. But we think that the theme is also about "sustainability” and can be used to address issues like health care and social reform. Our 2008 theme invites all members of our community to come together and work for a stronger, more just, cleaner, kinder world. We thank all those who voted and we look forward to celebrating with you. Our Celebrity Marshal for 2008 is Leslie Jordan, an Emmy Award-winning actor from Tennessee who is perhaps best known for his role as Beverley Leslie on “Will & Grace.” Congratulations, Leslie! Our Honorary Marshal for 2008 is Cpl. Ciara Durkin, corporal in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, out lesbian and long-time Boston Pride volunteer who was killed in 2007 while serving in Afghanistan. We miss you, Ciara, and we are so proud to honor you. Our Grand Marshal for 2008 is Tim McFeeley, founder of both the Boston Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance and the Bay State Democrats, and former board member of both Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and Boston Aging Concerns. We’re thrilled to have Tim, an individual whose contributions to our community hardly can be overemphasized, as our Grand Marshal. Again, profound thanks to all those who voted on our web site, www.bostonpride.org, and made their voices heard in the selection of our 2008 theme and marshals.

2. Shop (Online) Till you Drop Visit Boston Pride’s new online store at www.cafepress.com/bostonpride. You’ll find the official source for tons of high-quality Pride gear, including clothing for the whole family and accessories galore. Huge thanks go to our spectacular Merchandise Chair, Cale, for all his hard work on this project. You also can access the site through a link on our web site, www.bostonpride.org. Shop away!

3. Get to Work on that Float! Now that the theme is announced, get your group together and start gearing up those float ideas! Parade registration has been open for several weeks already, so download an application from www.bostonpride.org/parade and do it fast! Late fees apply beginning April 1, and the last day to register is June 1. Jump on it!

4. Boston Pride, Out & About Last week members of the Boston Pride Committee had the opportunity to express their solidarity with the LGBT community by attending a memorial ceremony held downtown by BAGLY and GLSEN in honor of Lawrence King, the Oxnard, California 15-year old who was murdered on account of his sexual orientation and gender expression. Our thoughts go out to the King family in sympathy for their loss.

5. Join the Fun, Why Dontcha? “Hi, this is Sarah, the Volunteer Chair. Do you have anything exciting planned for June 2008? Well, the Boston Pride Committee does, and we want you to join us! Anyone with a passion for Pride and a desire to be a part of something awesome is invited. The 2008 Boston Pride festivities kick off June 6 and we are looking for fun, fabulous, and fierce volunteers to help make this year’s Pride Week the hottest one yet. If you have an interest in making Boston Pride a bit “greener” (check our theme above) then this is your year to shine. Run to your closet, dig out that rainbow t-shirt and visit www.bostonpride.org/volunteer to fill out a volunteer application. Another fabulous idea would be to stop by the Milky Way Lounge and Lanes in Jamaica Plain on April 3rd at 6:30pm. For directions go to www.milkywayjp.com/bowling.html. We are hosting the first of 8 special volunteer meetings, which will be held on Thursdays, and we would love to see some “prideful” faces! Feel free to stop by, ask some questions, fill out an application, and meet some wonderful people! All you need to do is show up and let the door staff know you are there for Boston Pride, and let the good times role! Talk to you soon!”

6. NERP Thank Yous! NERP was amazing. To those of you who attended the 20th anniversary of the Northeast Regional Pride Conference, thank you so much for an incredible weekend. For us, seeing it come together made all the planning and preparations more than worth it. One particularly excellent moment was the unanimous election of Boston Pride’s very own VP, Keri Aulita, to serve as Co-Director of Interpride’s Region 6! Big thanks also go to our sponsors and to Big Moves, All The Kings Men and DJ Kristin Korpos for their amazing performances during Friday evening’s conference dinner.

7. Allied News: Fenway’s Women’s Dinner Party The Boston Pride Committee is proud to support Fenway Community Health Center, one of the city’s leading LGBT health organizations. We hope to see you at this important and exciting event! Details: Saturday, April 5, 2008, 6:00 pm to 1:00 am, the Westin Copley Place, Boston. Evening Program: 6:00 pm Cocktails, Social Hour & Silent Auction 7:00 pm Dinner and Program emceed by Kate Clinton Dance Party until 1:00 am with DJ Mocha Buy your tickets here! Enter the 2008 Women's Dinner Party Raffle! You can win 2 tickets to the Women's Dinner party, passes to the CEO VIP reception, a room at the Westin and cool Kate Clinton swag. Enter here! The Women's Dinner Party was started in 1992 to support women's care services at Fenway Community Health Center. The Women's Dinner Party supports vital programs and helps us ensure that every woman who comes through our doors is able to receive high-quality, culturally-competent care, regardless of her ability to pay.

8. Allied News: The Sunset Soirée Boston Pride is proud to support The Friends of GLBT Youth, a non-profit dedicated to eradicating homophobia and transphobia in order to allow all young gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people the opportunity to reach their full potential. Please consider joining The Friends of GLBT Youth at The Sunset Soirée! Come out for a night of fine food, open bar, dancing, a dazzling auction and good will. On that very night The Friends are committed to raising $100,000 to support Youth Pride, and its leadership programs for GLBT youth. Thursday, May 8th, 2008 6:30-10pm The Hotel Marlowe 25 Edwin H Land Blvd Cambridge, MA Tickets are $75 (regular) or $150 (VIP: Valet Parking, VIP Bar with Top Shelf Liquor Selection, VIP Express Auction Check Out (No Lines!), and a Surprise Gift!). To purchase tickets please contact soiree@friendsofglbtyouth.org or visit www.friendsofglbtyouth.org.

9. Allied News: A Message from the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition Support Transgender Civil Rights in Massachusetts by asking your legislator to support HB 1722, an act relative to gender-based discrimination and hate crimes. Three things you can do to help get HB 1722 passed: 1. Meet with your legislators in person about why you support HB 1722. The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition will provide you with all necessary materials and lobbying training. If you're planning on doing this, please call 617-778-0519 or email gscott@masstpc.org. Afterwards, let us know how it went. 2. Please write your legislator a personal letter about why you support HB 1722 and why you want them to support HB 1722. See our website at http://www.masstpc.org on tips for writing letters. 3. Consider holding a holding a letter writing party for HB 1722 with your friends and family. Letter writing parties are a great way to generate letters to a diverse number of legislators. Invite your friends, family and co-workers over for a night of letter writing for HB 1722. Contact info@masstpc.org to receive a letter writing party kit that includes instructions, sample letters, list of legislators, paper, and envelopes. For more information on HB 1772 visit www.masstpc.org.

10. A Note About Our Theme We’re trying to get into the conservation movement, and you should, too! Think it over before you print out this email!

11. Pride Meetings The Boston Pride Committee meets every Tuesday, at 6:30pm, at the Wainwright Bank Community Room, 155 Dartmouth Street in Boston (next to Back Bay T Station). Meetings are open to anyone and we welcome your participation.

12- About Boston Pride The Boston Pride Committee is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization registered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Meet the Board of Directors and the Chairs of the Committee: Keri Aulita - Vice President, Board of Directors vp@bostonpride.org David Avruch - Community Outreach Chair outreach@bostonpride.org Cookie Belcamino - JP Block Party Chair jp-blockparty@bostonpride.org Sylvain Bruni - Board of Directors sbruni@bostonpride.org Malcolm Carey - Parade Chair parade@bostonpride.org Sarah DeChick - Volunteer Chair volunteer@bostonpride.org Linda DeMarco - President, Board of Directors president@bostonpride.org Pierce Durkin - Clerk, Board of Directors clerk@bostonpride.org Michael Anthony Fowler - Logistics Chair logistics@bostonpride.org Kristie Helms - Board of Directors khelms@bostonpride.org Wilfred Labiosa - Board of Directors wlabiosa@bostonpride.org Shannon Lank - Entertainment Chair entertainment@bostonpride.org Jayme Martin - Festival Chair festival@bostonpride.org Cale Moore - Merchandise Chair merchandise@bostonpride.org "The Boston Pride Committee, Inc., serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and allied community, works to enhance the visibility of Boston 's LGBT community through a week of events each June, in conjunction with year-round activities, to promote LGBT awareness, dignity, and understanding." Web: www.BostonPride.org Email: info@bostonpride.org PrideLine: 617-262-9405