Tag Archives: Fenway Health

Making friends: Boston LGBTQ social groups

With the influx  of so many new residents at the start of each academic year, I like to update and share this post. If you are new to the area or looking to meet more people outside of a bar setting, the groups listed below might be a good first step. 

If you don’t see relevant or up-to-date information in the links shared below, contact me, and I can help find a contact for that group to learn more. 

BAGLY is a youth-led, adult-supported social support organization committed to social justice, and creating, sustaining and advocating for programs and policies for gay youth (volunteers are always welcome).

Boston Gay Men’s Chorus is one of New England’s largest and most successful community-based choruses.  Auditions will be held January 19 and 23, 2022.

Boston Gay Men’s Books Club is monthly book club on MeetUp that focuses on literature by and about gay men. Their next MeetUp is on 9/19 at the BPL to discuss Virology by Joseph Osmundson.

Boston Gaymers is a thriving gaymer community, that holds various in-person and virtual events to bring together members and to have fun.

Boston Lesbigay Urban Foundation creates safe spaces for events to help build lasting relationships by breaking the cycle of disfunction in marginalized communities and helping to make medical and mental health awareness a priority to help lift up the black / brown / latino LGBTQ+ inner city community. 

Boston Prime Timers is a social organization of mature gay and bisexual men and their friends who join together for educational, support, and social activities.

Boston Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence an areligious Order of Queer, Clown Nuns who pledge to promulgate joy and to eliminate stigmatic guilt by volunteering, activism, entertaining, and educating people.

Boston Sober Gay Sundays is a private FB group that organizes social events for people who identify as sober in the LGBTQIA+ community. Learn more about the group, members, and activities they organize by requesting to join the group.

Dignity Boston is a progressive, inclusive community of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics and their allies.

Fenway Health has been serving the local LGBT community for more than 40 years; the Fenway and AAC are always looking for volunteers.

Gay Beer Club is a Boston based organization that produces events and gatherings for members of the gay community.

Gay For Good mobilizes the LGBT community to interact with the greater community by volunteering their time with different monthly activities.

gay boston

Gays for Patsy is a country western dancing club that meets weekly on Sundays at the Calvary Church, 300 Mass. Ave. 6:30-8:30 pm. The first hour is for beginners.

History Project is a volunteer-driven organization established in 1980 that focuses on preserving the history of Boston’s LGBT community to make it accessible to future generations.

Keshet works to ensure the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and their families. The group also create spaces in which all queer Jewish youth feel seen and valued and work to advance LGBTQ rights nationwide.

LGBT Elders of Color is a local group that conducts outreach to isolated LGBT older adults of color who build community through events, creative programs.

Mass Asian & Pacific Islanders (MAP) is a group that provide health counseling & support, referral & screening services, as well as general health promotion and advocacy for APIs in the Boston metro area and beyond.

Mass Bears & Cubs is a non-profit corporation, organized to provide and promote an inclusive LGBT+ community through charitable fund raising and other community events.

Men of Melanin Magic is an active social group for those who identify as queer men of color. They host an annual Men of Color Weekend in Provincetown and co-host Bussdown Fridays with Gay Mafia Boston at Legacy each Friday night.

Mountain Tops if you like to get out and hike, check out this gay hiking group in Boston that organizes trips and hikes regularly.

Naked Yoga for Men Naked Yoga For Men has been meeting since January 2000. For most of its history it has met twice per week.

Non-Scene Gay Friends of Greater Boston is a place for the LGBTQ+ community to hang out, make friends, explore Boston, and have fun doing a wide variety of activities typically separate from the gay bar “scene.”

Opus Affair while not exclusively a LGBTQ+ organization, it draws many from the community and is probably best known for their monthly cocktail parties to help raise money for local arts organizations.

OUTbreath offers a safe space for those who identify as queer, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning to come together to explore the practice of meditation and support each other in community.

Queer Boston Board Gamers is a friendly LGBTQ+ meet up group that connects regularly to play board games.

Yankee Cruising Club brings LGBTQ+ boaters together to meet, make friends and most importantly get out on the water. You don’t need to have a boat to join – just a passion for boating.

Apologies if I have overlooked any gay organizations in the area. Add information in the comments section or reach out to me, and I’ll be happy to add your group to this list.

Monkeypox: What you need to know

Earlier this week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would order 2.5 million more JYNNEOS doses – the vaccine for Monkeypox. The agency said it would also make an additional 131,000 doses available to states and jurisdictions to address the recent Monkeypox outbreak. The first case reported in the US was here in Boston at Mass General Brigham hospital on May 18, 2022, but since that time outbreaks have been reported in 43 states.

UPDATED AUG 5, 2022:
New Guidance from CDC including how to lower risk during sex, what to do if a new or unexplained rash (or other symptoms) appear, and how to lower your chance of exposure at places like raves, parties, clubs, and festivals: Updated CDC Guidance.

New York has the most confirmed cases with just under 500 cases as of July 15th. Massachusetts has 51 confirmed cases by July 15th. You can see how many reported cases are in your state using the CDC 2022 U.S. Map and Case Count.

Fenway Health has set up an excellent site to address questions about Monkeypox, that includes a fact sheet, information on how the virus is spread, symptoms to watch for, and treatment. And this week The Boston Globe published an excellent article about how Provincetown has mobilzed in response to the outbreak for those interested in learning more read, Inside Provincetown’s ‘Herculean’ effort to save the summer from monkeypox.

Vaccination eligibility
If you live or work in Massachusetts and are interested in getting the JYNNEOS vaccine, you will need to meet the CDC’s current eligibility criteria, prioritizing those who are most at risk of exposure to an individual with monkeypox. This includes:

Known contacts identified by public health via case investigation, contact tracing, and risk exposure assessments (this may include sexual partners, household contacts, and healthcare workers); as well as
Presumed contacts who meet the following criteria:
+ Know that a sexual partner in the past 14 days was diagnosed with monkeypox
+ Had multiple sexual partners in the past 14 days in a jurisdiction with known monkeypox

How to obtain a vaccine
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health intends to expand eligibility as more doses become available. You can follow the latest updates including how (and where) to make a vaccination appointment on the MassGov webpage set up to address questions about Monkeypox.

Where I can get the Monkeypox vaccine
The state of Massachusetts currently has more than a dozen vaccination sites but considering the increasing concern and spread of the virus bookmark this page as more sites may be added.

Exclusive screening of documentary: 5B

Tuesday, March 15th Fenway Health and the Coolidge Corner Theatre will host a complimentary screening of the documentary film 5B, which honors the amazing nurses, physicians, and caregivers who built Ward 5B at San Francisco General Hospital in 1983 — during the height of the AIDS crisis.

Not all superheroes wear capes & masks
Some wear scrubs & stethoscopes

This is an an inspirational story about men and women who took extraordinary action to comfort, protect and care for the patients of the first HIV/AIDS ward unit in the United States. The program is free but will be limited to 60 participants so register to get your seat while they last.

The film will be followed by a brief Q&A with former Ward 5B nurse Alison Moed, Boston Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Chapter President Justin Alves, and Fenway Health’s Adrianna Boulin, Director of Community Impact and Engagement.

Making friends: Boston LGBTQ social groups

With the influx  of so many new residents at the start of each academic year, I like to update and share this post each September. If you are new to the area or looking to meet more people outside of a bar setting the groups listed below might be a good first step.  Note that some groups may currently be inactive due to the constraints resulting from COVID-19.

If you don’t see relevant or up-to-date information in the links shared below, contact me directly, and I can help find you the name and email of a contact for that group to learn more. 

BAGLY is a youth-led, adult-supported social support organization committed to social justice, and creating, sustaining and advocating for programs and policies for gay youth (volunteers are always welcome).

Boston Gay Men’s Chorus is one of New England’s largest and most successful community-based choruses.  Auditions will be held January 19 and 23, 2022.

Boston Gay Men’s Books Club is monthly book club on MeetUp that focuses on literature by and about gay men. This month’s book is The Street Kids by Pier Paolo Pasolini and they will next meet on Sunday, September 19 at 5PM at the Public Garden.

Boston Gaymers is a thriving gaymer community, that holds various in-person and virtual events each month to bring together members and to have fun.

Boston Lesbigay Urban Foundation aims to create safe spaces for events to help build lasting relationships by breaking the cycle of disfunction in marginalized communities and helping to make medical and mental health awareness a priority to help lift up the black / brown / latino LGBTQ+ inner city community. 

Boston Prime Timers is a social organization of mature gay and bisexual men and their friends who join together for educational, support, and social activities.

Boston Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are an areligious Order of Queer, Clown Nuns who pledge ourselves to promulgate Universal Joy and to eliminate Stigmatic Guilt. They are active in the community, engaging in volunteering, activism, entertaining and educating people.

Boston Sober Gay Sundays is a private FB group that organizes fun social events for people who identify as sober in the LGBTQIA+ community. Learn more about the group, its members, and the activities they organize by requesting to join the group.

Dignity Boston is a progressive, inclusive community of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics and their allies.

Fenway Health has been serving the local LGBT community for more than 40 years; the Fenway and AAC are always looking for volunteers.

Gay Beer Club is a Boston based organization that produces events and gatherings for members of the gay community. This group was very active pre-pandemic but their website is no longer active and their future is unclear at the moment.

Gay For Good mobilizes the LGBT community to interact with the greater community by volunteering their time with different monthly activities.

Gays Against Guns this group of civic-minded individuals meet and plan social programs aimed at raising awareness about gun violence and advocating for sensible regulations.

Gays for Patsy is a country western dancing club that holds events each month. Beginners are encouraged to join. According to their website they will begin dancing again, starting September 18th but bookmark their webpage to get the latest updates.

History Project is a volunteer-driven organization established in 1980 that focuses on preserving the history of Boston’s LGBT community to make it accessible to future generations. Next week they will be partnering with LGBT Elders of Color to host Stories of Our Inheritance, in Nubian Square.

Keshet works to ensure the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and their families. The group also create spaces in which all queer Jewish youth feel seen and valued and work to advance LGBTQ rights nationwide.

LGBT Elders of Color is a local group that conducts outreach to isolated LGBT older adults of color. They help build community through social engagement events, creative programs, and provide necessary resources for health care and aging services.

Mass Asian & Pacific Islanders (MAP) is a group that provide health counseling & support, referral & screening services, as well as general health promotion and advocacy for APIs in the Boston metro area and beyond. MAP is always looking for those interested in getting more involved. You can learn more about how to do that here.

Mass Bears & Cubs is a non-profit corporation, organized to provide and promote an inclusive LGBT+ community through charitable fund raising and other community events.

Men of Melanin Magic is an active social group in the Boston metropolitan area for those who identify as queer men of color. They host an annual Men of Color Weekend in Provincetown each summer and currently co-host Bussdown Fridays with Gay Mafia Boston at Legacy each Friday night.

Mountain Tops if you like to get out and hike, check out this gay hiking group in Boston that organizes trips and hikes regularly.

Naked Yoga for Men Naked Yoga For Men has been meeting since January 2000. For most of its history it has met twice per week. Our purpose is to improve our health and also to make friends.

Non-Scene Gay Friends of Greater Boston is a place for the LGBTQ+ community to hang out, make friends, explore Boston, and have fun doing a wide variety of activities typically separate from the gay bar “scene.”

Opus Affair is probably best known for their monthly cocktail party hosted at local restaurants and bars that are also used to help raise money for local arts organizations.

OUTbreath offers a safe space for those who identify as queer, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning to come together to explore the practice of meditation and support each other in community.

Queer Boston Board Gamers is a friendly LGBTQ meet up group that connects regularly to play board games. The group has been on hiatus during the pandemic but their remains posts on their Facebook page that indicates they may be getting ready to come back again.

Yankee Cruising Club was founded over 25 years ago to bring LGBT boaters together to meet, make friends and most importantly get out on the water. You don’t need to have a boat to join – just a passion for boating.

Apologies if I have overlooked any gay organizations in the area. Add information in the comments section or reach out to me, and I’ll be happy to add your group to this list.