A community of LGBTQIA+ people and their families and allies in Lexington, MA.
 
 

Our Mission:

Equality.

We envision a safe, welcoming, inclusive environment for all in Lexington, MA.

 
 
 

Rainbow Artists Fall 2024

It's time to register for LexPride's fall session of Rainbow Artists! Register at https://tinyurl.com/3mzk3xa4 for our fall session:

  • Ages 8-11: Thursdays 4:30-5:30pm, September 19 – November 14 (skip 10/3)

  • Ages 12-15: Wednesdays 4:00-5:00pm, September 18 – November 6

  • Ages 16-19: Wednesdays 5:30-6:30pm, September 18 – November 6

Rainbow Artists is an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ youth and allies to learn and grow creative expression skills with a community of peers. An experienced art facilitator/therapist guides the meetings, which take place via Zoom.

During a session, the facilitator guides participants through projects while creating a safe environment for conversation and enjoying music. We also bring in special guests to talk about their work and journeys as LGBTQIA+ artists.

Lexington Supports LPS Serious Talks

Express Your Support: Sign the Statement Here

At the request of community members, LexPride created this statement to enable people who live, work, teach, or go to school in Lexington, MA to express their clear and vocal support for the Serious Talks curriculum in Lexington Public Schools (MA). In expressing this support, we (the undersigned) affirm the importance of recognizing all students and families in all our diversity across race and ethnicity, national origin, language, faith, abilities, gender identity, romantic attraction, and other identities.

Developed at Bowman Elementary School, the Serious Talks curriculum has been in place for years. Elements of the curriculum or similar curricula are taught in other elementary schools in Lexington as well. Some people have raised concerns about what topics (especially gender identity) are discussed, at what ages, and, whether the curriculum pushes a single point of view. 

Much of this concern is rooted in misunderstanding or the influence of forces who seek to spread fear and misinformation. We know that Lexington and Boston parents/caregivers value community and the safety of our students. Building understanding will bring us together in support of ALL of our students, including those who now or might in the future identify as LGBTQIA+ and those with family and friends who so identify.

Developmentally-aligned discussions of these topics already exist in our elementary schools. Research shows that children begin recognizing differences between genders well before kindergarten, and preteen crushes are a part of typical elementary development. Students and families in our elementary schools have diverse identities, including transgender and nonbinary identities. Children notice and try to understand these identities. If students cannot have constructive conversations about these topics in school, we leave these families out of the community–and we send a message that there is something inappropriate or dangerous about them.

The 2021 Lexington Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), 1 in 4 students identifies as LGBTQ+. These students are 4.5 times as likely to be bullied at school. These experiences result in more missed school days, lower grades, and low self-esteem. In fact, 3 out of 4 transgender students feel hopeless every day, and 40% of transgender students consider suicide. For transgender youth and people of color, these statistics can be higher with multiple identities layered on.

Research shows these statistics are products of the conditions in which LGBTQ+ students live. When schools have conversations like Serious Talks–and acknowledge and address the diversity of their student body–research shows that students are more safe. Instances of hate crimes, rates of depression and anxiety, and suicide attempts all decrease. These conversations help traditionally centered students understand and be kind to those who differ from themselves–and help students with historically marginalized identities feel seen, respected, and valued. This helps build a stronger and kinder community as a whole. 

We are eager to show our support for the Serious Talks curriculum. We invite you to show your support:

See List of Signers (as of September 10, 2023 at 4pm)