The streets of Oak Bluffs were filled with rainbow outfits and glitter-covered faces this weekend as hundreds of Vineyarders took part in the annual Pride Parade.
This year marks the fourth Pride Parade to march up Circuit avenue, organized by the Oak Bluffs Association to celebrate the Island’s LGBTQIA+ community and promote inclusivity.
Leading the parade Saturday afternoon, dancing alongside the Up-Island Marching Band, was Vineyard resident Jennifer Knight.
“Theres something about moving together with music that facilitates just this deepening of community,” she said.
As a first-time marcher, Ms. Knight was moved by the energy of the parade and the spirit of those involved.
“I was really excited to be out here. I could really feel the energy on the street, some of it really joyous and some felt really grateful,” she said. “There’s a point at which I almost felt moved to tears. It just felt really good.”
Following Ms. Knight and the Up-Island Band in the procession were Island companies and organizations, from the Martha’s Vineyard Museum to the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Gay-Straight Alliance Club, all marching with signs promoting inclusion and love.
Abby Bender, founder of Built on Stilts, marched with her organization for the third consecutive year and felt passionate about continuously taking part in Pride on the Island.
“Anytime any group’s rights are being taken away you have to double down, show up, and say that’s not okay,” she said.
Others were marching with the organization for the first time, including Marquetta Drake and Toni Kauffman with the Vineyard chapter of NAACP, an organization that advocates for political rights and racial equality.
Ms. Drake shared her thoughts on the importance of Pride to the Island community, particularly during a time of such division.
“I think it’s important to show the local community and broader community that this is a safe place for everybody and that you will be accepted here and celebrated.”
The parade concluded at Ocean Park, where marchers and supporters gathered to continue the celebratory afternoon. A resource tent, organized by Scott Mullin and featuring organizations from across Cape Cod and the Vineyard, stood in Ocean Park to offer information and support services for the LGBTQIA+ community.
This was the third year the resource tent was a part of the celebration. The idea stemmed from Mr. Mullin following the first parade in 2021, in collaboration with QueerHubMV, Martha’s Vineyard Community Services and Martha’s Vineyard Youth Pride.
“The first year they did parade I kind of was like there’s a missed opportunity for folks to know that queer people are here but that there are also resources available to them here, so with the work of those three organizations we came up with the idea for [the] human resource tent” he said.
Having helped coordinate the resource tent and being involved with the parade itself since its start, Mr. Mullin was in awe of the strides the Vineyard community has made over the past four years.
“The biggest part for me is that I’ve lived here for 32 years and it’s amazing to see at this point, in the last 10 years or so, the LGBTQIA+ community really come out and being able to provide services like this and events like this,” he said. “That’s really all it’s about.”
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