No New England Trans Pride in 09

Justin Adkins, a steering committee member of last year's New England Trans Pride March in Northampton, announced this week that organizers were unable to plan a second march for this summer.

Adkins, a resident of Williamstown, said that plans for a second Trans Pride March fell through because many of last year's organizers were unable to get involved this year, and not enough new volunteers stepped forward to fill their shoes.

"I think it became clear about a month ago. There have been notices going out on a lot of regional trans boards, and I stopped receiving messages back," said Adkins. "It was clear I probably could have done it on my own ... but last year was such an amazing event that anything that's going to be under the name Trans Pride and to have a half-hearted kind of event is not doing the whole thing justice."

Last year's march was the first of its kind in New England. Adkins said that originally organizers were uncertain if it would turn into a yearly event. After the success of the first march organizers discussed holding a second in Northampton or Montpelier, Vermont. Adkins said he preferred the latter approach and believes moving the event to a different New England state each year would prevent the organizers in any one state from burning out. But neither event materialized. Several of the organizers of the first march moved out of the region, and Adkins said a critical mass of volunteers failed to come together either in Northampton or Montpelier.

Adkins said he hopes the community comes together to organize a Trans Pride March for 2010. He believes the event may be more sustainable if it is held once every two years rather than yearly. In the meantime he urged members of the community to support local trans activism, particularly those who live in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut, where state legislatures are currently considering transgender civil rights bills.

"At this point my personal belief is we need to put all our efforts behind the legislation in our states. We have three states that have bills, half of New England has trans rights bills before their state Senate or House, and at this point I think we need to put all our efforts behind that," said Adkins.