Trigger Warning: This article contains hate speech against the LGBTQ+ community.
Boston is a city of firsts – debuting America’s premiere public school, college, public park, and more. Recently, a new initiative has appeared: Boston’s LGBTQ+ Senior Housing Inc., a nonprofit designated to create safe, welcoming, and affordable housing for low-income LGBTQ+ seniors. The organization repurposed the former Barton Rogers Middle School to become The Pryde building. Nestled in Hyde Park’s Cleary Square and situated beside the Hyde Park Public Library, The Pryde received its name as a demonstration of queer representation and pride in Hyde Park’s community — hence “The Pryde!”
According to LGBTQ+ Senior Housing’s website, the new building contains 74 affordable housing units — made up of studio apartments, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom homes with several units set aside for unhoused individuals. The building has a 10,000 square foot Community Center for art showings and a public gathering space. Additionally, the building has a multipurpose area for neighborhood meetings, a courtyard, and a residential sunroom. Finally, the building’s public area has an office space for the 54th Regiment, a volunteer organization dedicated to honoring the history of the African American soldiers that trained at Camp Meigs in the Readville section of Hyde Park and served in the Civil War.
Unfortunately, not all reception of The Pryde has been good. In July 2022, the construction signs surrounding the building were vandalized with hate speech. Additionally, Congress voted to cut around $850,000 of funding to The Pryde in 2023 – arguing that the building discriminated against those who aren’t LGBTQ+. WBUR reported Pressley’s response to it, calling it “blatant homophobia.”
However, that didn’t stop The Pryde! Boston.com documented that the nonprofit received an additional $1 million donation (following its prior raised $3.5 million donation) in 2023 from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, which helped boost its support from many in the metropolitan area, including Mayor Michelle Wu and U.S. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley.
Despite the foundation’s initial hardship, the plan shined brightly onward. In 2024, a lottery was held for prospective residents, and occupancy began this spring. Pride Month was celebrated with the project’s grand opening in June 2024, with a multitude of speakers praising the initiative.
Many elder queer individuals worry about finding a home where they can express themselves without facing harm. According to The Pryde’s website, 50% of LGBTQ seniors in the U.S. are not out, and are more likely to be poor with one-third living at or 200% below the poverty line. This is exactly what the project is hoping to address: How do we create a safe and affordable communal space where elderly residents can freely express themselves, their gender identity, and sexuality? “We know that The Pryde is just our first project,” the program’s Executive Director Gretchen Van Ness said in an interview with WBUR following The Pryde’s grand opening. The program plans to continue its work across the U.S. to ensure safe communal and living spaces for queer communities to express their authentic selves.
