South Coast LGBTQ Network

WELCOME TO THE SOUTH COAST LGBTQ+ NETWORK

Discover the many ways in which the South Coast LGBTQ+ Network creates and supports a thriving LGBTQ+ community on Massachusetts’ South Coast where members can freely, safely, and joyously celebrate their true selves and realize their full potential.

be forever proud

It started with a Pride flag-raising at City Hall. It ended with a gathering of friends and family. And in between we celebrated art, history, wellness, spirituality, and the pure joy of being together after a year filled with challenges. Pride 2021 was another exciting chapter in the history of the LGBTQ+ community's growth and progress in the South Coast. Join us for a look back at the magic of an event that reminds us of all the reasons we should be forever proud.

CATCH ALL THE ACTION

Learn About the Network

We want to create a community where members can freely, safely, and joyously celebrate their true selves and realize their full potential.

Join Our Community

Attend an event, join a committee, volunteer your time. Show your love. We’ve got lots of opportunities to engage with the LGBTQ+ community every month.

Support Our Mission

We’re a nonprofit, so every dollar you donate funds 100% of our activities and outreach. Please give generously to make our community a better place.

CELEBRATING the Legacy of Joan M. StrattoN

We commemorate the passing of Joan M. Stratton, 70, who died on February 12, 2021, from complications due to COVID-19. "Joanie" was a long-standing board member at The South Coast LGBTQ+ Network. Her many contributions to the LGBTQ+ community helped pave the way for other trans and nonbinary individuals seeking to live their lives fully and authentically.

Joan, who officially came out as trans in 1994, told Network President Andy Pollock in a 2019 interview that she regretted having to "live [her] life wrong for the first 47 years" out of fear of discrimination and violence. The Stonewall riots in 1969, which took place two weeks after she graduated from high school, would ultimately inspire Joan to dedicate her life to activism, counseling, and social work. Her efforts to raise awareness for transgender rights at UMass, where she received her bachelor's degree in Sociology, and Bridgewater State University, where she received her MSW in Social Work, led to the creation of gender-neutral bathrooms and gender-appropriate housing policies.

When asked what advice she had for future generations of LGBTQ+ people, Joan marveled at the medical and political progress that had been made over the past several decades, and stressed that the sacrifices made by previous generations made it each new generation's responsibility to pay it forward. "Never forget our history," she said. We will never forget yours, Joan.

Read Joan's obituary here.

remembering lenny amaral

Lenny Amaral, who served on the board of The South Coast LGBTQ+ Network and was an active member of our community, passed away on September 11, 2021, after a long period of declining health. Lenny worked most recently as an advocate for HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and treatment at Health Imperatives of New Bedford and, earlier in his career, for The Men's Health Project (TWIST), a prevention and education program focused on substance abuse and sexual health in the gay community. He also volunteered his time at the South Coast Alliance of Gay and Lesbian Youth (SOCO-AGLY). Although Lenny has departed, his legacy will live on in our community. Read Lenny's obituary here.

YOU CAN MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE

Donate your time or your money. Attend an event. Everything you do for the South Coast LGBTQ+ community can make a difference in people's lives and make the world a better place.

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