Photograph courtesy of Berkshire Pride
Pride Month in the Berkshires is a busy time: from tea dances to drag pageants, there’s no shortage of opportunities to connect and celebrate with local LGBTQ+ organizations and individuals. But the local queer community still thrives when June ends—and many leaders in the Berkshires help coordinate year-round programming.
Bart Church, the executive director of Queer Men of the Berkshires (Q-MoB), is one such community builder. “The core of our mission is regular activities,” said Church, “so that in every part of the rural region people don’t have to drive an hour” to have something to do.
When Church and friends decided to host a potluck for queer men in the Berkshires in January 2023, they didn’t expect 40 guests from four states to show up. The outpouring of interest proved that these men, isolated in rural areas, were in desperate need of community. Since that very first potluck, Q-MoB has hosted hundreds of events that bring together queer men in the Berkshires, Northwest Connecticut, the Hudson Valley, and Southwest Vermont.
Hikes and self-defense classes, networking meetings and book clubs, crafts and coffee chats—with more than 25 events per month, Q-MoB’s social events help build what Church calls a “good neighbor network,” a support system for individuals dealing with health concerns, housing insecurity, or other issues that affect members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“While all of this pride activity looks fun, it has a deeper purpose that’s deadly serious,” said Church. “It’s building people’s social networks so that in really rough times, they have people who have their back.”
LGBTQ+ individuals are facing a particularly hostile political climate at present, and Church is “proud and grateful” that the Berkshires have stepped up: in addition to establishing sanctuary cities for trans and gender-diverse people, the county is hosting the “busiest Pride in Berkshire history,” with organizations offering dozens of events from bike rides to DJ sets.
For Berkshire Pride events: berkshirepride.org
For Q-MoB events: queermenoftheberkshires.org
