The ACLU of Massachusetts isn't backing down in the face of what they perceive as discrimination by North Brookfield officials, filing a lawsuit challenging the town's refusal to host a 2024 Pride event complete with a drag show. This legal throwdown is the latest in the ongoing saga where the rural town's Select Board is pitted against LGBTQ+ advocates.
The suit, lobbed into Worcester Superior Court on Monday alleges Board Chairman Jason M. Petraitis and Vice Chair John Tripp turned down the event application simply because the festivities included a drag performance—a move the ACLU argues reeks of discrimination. "This is discrimination based on the viewpoint our clients seek to express: that all members of the community deserve to live and participate fully, openly, freely, and joyously," the ACLU’s Executive Director Carol Rose was quoted as saying in a statement obtained by The Boston Globe. The Rural Justice Network, behind the push for Pride, got the cold shoulder at a November board meeting when Petraitis and Tripp effectively killed the permit process.
Turn the clock back to earlier this year; the 2023 version of the Small Town Pride event almost didn’t see the light of day due to the same officials’ qualms. “I’m not voting for it,” Petraitis declared during the town meeting, as referenced in the lawsuit. “If you’re not going to have that stuff hidden from kids, I’m not voting for it.” His dissent shook the event's plans until the ACLU chimed in with the threat of legal action, prompting the Board to backtrack their decision and let the event proceed.
According to the latest reports by MassLive, the lawsuit aims to grease the wheels of justice to ensure the event—including the drag show—goes off without a hitch next year. By offering this upfront challenge, the organizers hope to prevent the kind of logistical nightmare that hampered last year's event.
The lawsuit accuses town leaders of stepping on free expression, association, and assembly rights. It also highlights the potential negative impacts these repeated refusals could have on planning as well as on financial aspects of the event, with town common reservations being a first-come, first-served affair. Amidst the Select Board's refusal to budge, the Rural Justice Network remains committed, calling for a "community, family-friendly event that provides a safe and fun space to celebrate people of all gender identities, orientations and expressions."
