Gov. Maura Healey vowed Massachusetts would stand firm against attacks on LGBTQ+ rights and celebrate Pride Month, but some of that backlash hit closer to home this week.

The big picture: Massachusetts, the first state to legalize same-sex marriage, isn't immune to anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment.

Catch up quick: Three days into Pride Month, Boston's LGBTQ+ community has faced backlash to the Boston Public Library's drag story hour series, threats to Trans Period Pride and other incidents.

• An AI-generated Facebook post by state Rep. John Gaskey, a Carver Republican, that says "Pride Month? How about American Pride Month?" made the rounds among queer lawmakers.
• State lawmakers walked into the House chamber Wednesday afternoon and saw small Pride flags stationed near Gaskey's seat.

State of play: Surrounded by LGBTQ+ state lawmakers, Healey declared the state's defense of freedom for various communities as a cornerstone of Massachusetts politics as the nation celebrates its 250th birthday.

What they're saying: "When it comes to life, liberty and freedom, we're going to stand our ground here in Massachusetts," said Healey, the nation's first openly lesbian governor.

• "That's my message to everybody this morning with love, with affection, with solidarity and with real resoluteness about where we are in this moment."

The other side: "While every adult has the right to live as they choose and be treated with dignity under the law, I do not believe state government should devote public resources, official ceremonies, or legislative attention to advocacy events such as Pride Month," Gaskey wrote in an email to Axios.

• Gaskey also said his post was solely about patriotism and pride in America, not a criticism of any group or social movement.

Between the lines: Elected officials routinely promote Massachusetts as a beacon of LGBTQ+ rights as other states ban gender-affirming treatments for youth, drag story hours and gender-neutral bathrooms.

• Massachusetts ranked No. 1 on the State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index recently, and Greater Boston is packed with Pride events year-round.
• But it's also had a front-row seat to strife and controversy over LGBTQ+ rights, from the 2019 Straight Pride Parade to the counterprotest to a 2025 incident where a lesbian was misgendered and kicked out of a bathroom at the Liberty Hotel.

Zoom in: Some Boston-area leaders have responded similarly to Healey.

• State Rep. John Moran, an openly gay Boston Democrat, posted a response video to Gaskey's post after it triggered comments referring to LGBTQ+ people as mentally ill.
• Moran didn't mention Gaskey by name, but he blasted the post as offensive, saying it incorrectly suggests American pride and LGBTQ+ pride are mutually exclusive. (Gaskey says Moran decided to "project his own assumptions" about his Facebook post.)
• Contrary to initial reports, the Trans Period Pride event is still on for June 17 at a different location, despite threats (the new address will be announced soon).

Spread the word

Massachusetts needs at least another 60,000 new immigrants by 2030 to prevent the economy from shrinking, a new report says.

Why it matters: Massachusetts already risks losing its lead in life sciences, health care and other industries amid rising costs, an immigration crackdown and competition from other U.S. tech hubs and China.

State of play: The report, authored by Boston Indicators and the MassINC Policy Center, warns that U.S. immigration levels could dip 90% by mid-2026 compared with their peak in 2024.

• Massachusetts' net international migration fell by more than half in the first six months of President Trump's second term, per the report.
• If the trend continues, the health care, higher education and construction industries will lose workers crucial to their work, with ripple effects across the state's economy, researchers predict.

Threat level: The report suggests that losing new immigrants would dampen state spending.

• Immigrant heads of households generated $50.5 billion in spending power in 2024 and billions more in state, local and federal taxes, per the report.

The other side: Republicans, including Gov. Maura Healey's rivals in the governor's race, have hammered the Healey administration over rising outmigration and its efforts to retain immigrants, regardless of legal status, arguing they are detrimental to public safety.

Go deeper

🥬 Clover, the Boston-based health food chain, plans to reopen some of its stores for lunch service after a last-minute infusion from an anonymous investor. (Globe)

🏀 Celtics star Jaylen Brown listed his old penthouse condo in Fort Point for just under $5 million. (BBJ)

🗳️ The Mass. House approved a bill, 125-28, to narrow the scope of the legislative audit voters approved in 2024. (State House News Service)

• The bill also sets up a process for legislative public records requests and opens the governor's office to public records.

Authorities have identified a girl who was found dismembered in Chelsea 26 years ago as Tiffany Bradley, then a missing 16-year-old from Pennsylvania. (WCVB)

Some 50 people gathered in Davis Square Tuesday in memory of Steven McCluskey, who died in March after falling down an escalator entering the T station. (Cambridge Day)

This weekend is packed with events surrounding the Pride for the People's annual parade on Saturday.

State of play: The parade starts at 11am near Copley Square and ends on the Boston Common.

• The festival on the common starts at noon, with performances by artists like the viral duo Flyana Boss and local band The Femmes.
• The Copley Square block party starts at 2pm.

Keep reading: Dyke March, parade after parties and more

Anything can become art.

Case in point: Suffolk University students working with Revolutionary Spaces took 100 milk crates to build two large arches and a "1776" sculpture.

• Think of the crates as individuals within a democracy, flimsy on their own but stronger when united.

The installation is on display at the Old State House and Old South Meeting House through August.