Pride Celebration Weekend

Carl Streed, Jr., is an associate professor in the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and the research lead for the GenderCare Center at Boston Medical Center. After attending medical school and residency in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins, he completed his fellowship in General Internal Medicine at Brigham & Women’s. Nationally, he has chaired the American Medical Association Advisory Committee on LGBTQ Issues, served on the board of GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality, and currently serves as the president-elect of the US Professional Association for Transgender Health. 

Dr. Streed's efforts to improve the health and well-being of sexual and gender minority individuals and communities have earned him several awards, notably from the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins University Alumni Associations, the American Medical Association Foundation, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, as well as recognition from the Obama White House.

Dr. McKowen is a child psychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He is the clinical director of the Addiction Recovery Management Service (ARMS), a program treating youth with substance use and psychiatric illness. Dr. McKowen has also expanded his clinical and research work to address the impacts of climate change on youth mental health. He is co-chair of the MGH Climate and Mental Health Initiative, associate at the MGH Center for Environmental and Health, and member of the Climate Psychology Alliance – Youth Subcommittee. He is trained in climate-aware therapy, holds community Climate Cafés, and conducts research to address climate change and youth mental health and optimize strategies for sustainable behavior change.

Shaina Sadai is a climate scientist and critical physical geographer. Her research is interdisciplinary, combining the physical science of future climate and sea level modeling with social science to analyze climate justice and advocate for corporate accountability. She currently works in climate litigation where she uses science to help people around the world strengthen court cases in pursuit of climate justice. She is passionate about justice-centered responses to climate change that are inclusive of the full extent of the beautifully diverse life on this planet, including all humans and the broader ecological web of life. She holds a PhD in Earth, geographic, and climate sciences, an MS in applied mathematics, a BS in astrophysics, and a BS in hpysics.

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i, Amila is a queer, trans, mechatronics engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For eight years, his primary focus has been on subsystem robotic interaction testing for sampling subsystems on Mars missions, like the Perseverance Rover and Mars Sample Return. At the same time, he works in JPL’s Office of Inclusion on DEIA initiatives and strategies. He received his BS in mechanical engineering from Northeastern University (’16), and his MEd in diversity and equity in education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (’22). In his free time, Amila enjoys being a cat dad, road tripping, eating good food, and throwing axes.

Casandra became a nurse at the age of 45 after her mother died of cancer. She initially worked as a bedside nurse taking care of oncology patients and then, knowing that there are not enough good treatments for many types of cancer, she jumped at the chance to work in oncology research. As the nurse director of the Termeer Center it has been a priority for her to have a diverse staff representing many races, genders, sexual preference so that the make-up of the unit mirrors the patients coming in for treatment. Casandra has lived as an out lesbian all of her adult life and has two children with her wife. 

Nationwide there is a problem with oncology research in that diversity in the patient population is underrepresented. It is a primary goal of the Termeer Center to offer cutting edge clinical trials for new cancer therapies to diverse and underserved patients.

Bryan Bryson completed his BS in mechanical engineering and PhD in biological engineering at MIT. He completed postdoctoral training at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. He started his group at MIT in 2018 where his group uses a mix of experimental and computational approaches to understand aspects of phagosome biochemistry, macrophage polarization, and antigen presentation to design new vaccines for tuberculosis.

Music that hits all the feels. Boston-based singer/songwriter CH!ARA draws on influences from Phoebe Bridgers and Billie Eilish to the Cranberries to create her own unique sound. Come check out a show and see how she captivates the crowd with her soulful voice.

OUT to Dance, a queer-owned and operated dance studio based in West Roxbury, offers every body the opportunity to learn how to dance with style, grace, and joy. Director Liz Nania has been teaching adults of any level of dance experience, even those who think they have two left feet, for over twenty-five years. OTD specializes in salsa, swing, ballroom, country, and wedding prep classes, with LGBTQ classes and classes for everybody. Www.OUTtoDance.com

Don’t miss a special drag extravaganza as host Candace Persuasian takes over the Blue Wing with performances from Pristine Christine, Destiny and Chanel The Angel! There’s nowhere to hide from the fabulousness in this immersive drag experience you won’t want to miss- only at the Museum of Science!

Don’t miss a special drag extravaganza as host Coleslaw takes over the Blue Wing with performances from Severity Stone and Arabella Ladessè The Goddess! There’s nowhere to hide from the fabulousness in this immersive drag experience you won’t want to miss- only at the Museum of Science!

Celebrate PRIDE with inspiring and entertaining true-personal stories told by popular LGBTQ+ storytellers from New England. This program is hosted by Stellar Story Company, a Boston-based business that helps people and institutions deliver extraordinary stories and unforgettable events that lead to meaningful change.

The Femmes are an all-woman and non-binary wedding band specializing in songs by female and non-binary artists. When you’re at a Femmes show, you’re at a high energy concert experience.