Boston Public Library no longer hosting 'trans period pride' event after backlash

Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald on Jun 1, 2026

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BOSTON — A “trans period pride” event that caused an uproar on right-wing social media channels will no longer be hosted by the Boston Public Library, and will be moved to a new location, city officials said.

A notice for the June 17 event that was initially set to be held at the Central Library in Copley Square “with support from the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQIA2S+ Advancement” is now listed as “canceled” on the Boston Public Library website.

Mayor Michelle Wu’s office and the Boston Public Library said the event will proceed, just not at the city-owned library building.

“This event was booked by an external organization and has been rescheduled to a different location,” a Boston Public Library spokesperson said Monday in a statement to the Herald.

Wu’s office concurred, and referred further comment to the organizer, Mass Now, which did not respond to a Herald inquiry. Mass Now states on its website that the location change for the event is “to be announced.”

“Join us for our third annual trans period pride consciousness raising,” Mass Now wrote on its website. “We’ll be learning about trans experiences with menstruation … Catered dinner will be provided and free period underwear will be given to all attendees.”

An Instagram flyer posted last week said the event is set to include a “consciousness-raising discussion on menstrual equity and the experience of trans menstruators.”

The announcement sparked backlash after it was picked up by right-wing social media influencers like Mass Daily News and Libs of TikTok, and then reported more widely by conservative news outlets like Fox News.

Wu’s office did not respond to a Herald inquiry about whether city funds are being used for the event.

Sasha Goodfried, executive director of Mass Now, told Them, an LGBTQ+ outlet, Friday that “the backlash only reinforces why this work … is so important.”

“At a time when extremist voices are trying to shame, erase, and isolate transgender people, events like Trans Period Pride are about building community, dignity, and access to essential care,” Goodfried told the outlet.

“Menstrual equity is a public health issue that affects anyone who menstruates, and no one should be excluded from that conversation because of their gender identity,” Goodfried added.

In April, Mayor Wu was criticized for funding wellness grants for queer and transgender migrants amid a $100 million budget shortfall, spending that her office confirmed was inappropriate.

Amid backlash, the LGBTQ+ organization Outnewcomers returned all grant funding to the city intended for queer migrants to use on gym memberships, yoga, meditation, massages, reflection activities, transportation, and childcare support.

While the Boston Public Library is no longer hosting this month’s trans period event, it is moving forward with other Pride Month-oriented programming like a series of drag queen story hours for families that have sparked concern from the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts.

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