It’s always a pleasure to walk along Brookline Boulevard, and experiencing it festooned in Pride flags made it even more fun. The neighborhood’s inaugural Pride was on Saturday, September 12, and most of the open businesses, if not all, joined in.
There were 16 “Pride Stops,” or local participating businesses, plus booths strung along Brookline Boulevard. The first stop was at Glass Under Fire, a vape shop that shared space with the official Pride booth and Allies for Health + Wellbeing, which also ran a mobile clinic offering free STI tests. A van was selling stickers, too, and then came a long stretch to the rest of the festival.
It was worth the hike.
Pittsburgh is famous for its neighborhoods, each with its own personality, and I’d describe Brookline’s as close-knit, friendly, and welcoming, in a low-key way. Just about every business we visited featured a no-step entrance, highlighting the small neighborhood’s inclusive spirit. It’s not a tourist stop like the Strip, or even Bloomfield on Little Italy Days. Nor is it a gayborhood like Garfield or Shadyside. Yet, of course, most of the businesses joined in the celebration, with many offering special merch or events.
Amarah Studio and Boutique sold pride-themed T-shirts and hosted a photo booth where customers could play with Pride-themed masks. Owner Amanda Osterberger said she and her team wanted to participate as their mission is to be inclusive and empower everybody. “We really believe in that,” she said, and looking around the store, it was obvious, even in realizing that the boutique clothes went up to 3X.
“We’re all about community,” added Amarah yoga instructor Deena Jackson. “We want to make sure this is a safe space for everyone who enters.”
They didn’t make a big deal out of it, but rather their tone was, “Of course we’re participating. This is our community.”
Other highlights included stumbling across the acapella group Voice Steel warming up for their performance at Antonio’s Pizzeria. Five groups in all performed, lovely to hear while walking down the boulevard.
The Coming Out Booth run by Kate Buick was another highlight. It was a pop-up with a rainbow curtain around a small table with a rotary phone on it and a chair. “It’s designed to let people anonymously share their coming out story. They’ll be posted on social media on Coming Out Day in October,” said Kate.
A little further up the street was another tent, The People’s Poem Place, run by Haley Clancy. She writes improvised poems for customers on a manual typewriter perched on her legs. Brookline Pride organizers invited her to attend to write love poems for same-sex couples.
“It’s great that people know they are accepted for who they are and be able to embrace that love through poems,” said Haley. “It’s all about love, and I’m happy I’m here.”
I was happy to be there, too.
Local neighborhood Pride fests are becoming more common, and they’re a way to bring communities together to celebrate love, inclusion, and, well, us. It’s nice to feel welcomed for who we are and have the rainbow carpet rolled out. Most Brookliners will tell you that’s just who they are, don’t make a big deal out of it. And they’re right, it is who they are. Perhaps they deserve a little fuss.
Photos by Jaye Frances Imagery.
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