Community Corner
Worcester LGBTQ+ Leader Honored At State House Pride Awards
A Worcester community leader was among the LGBTQ+ leaders honored at the State House this week.
WORCESTER, MA — A Worcester community leader was among the LGBTQ+ leaders honored at the State House this week.
Josh Croke, the founder and president of Love Your Labels, was nominated by state Sen. Robyn Kennedy (D-1st Worcester) and recognized Wednesday during the 2026 Commonwealth Pride Awards in the Senate Chamber. The Massachusetts LGBTQ+ Legislative Caucus hosted the event to recognize more than 100 LGBTQ+ leaders across the state for their work in fields including advocacy, public service, education, health care, arts, business and religion.
Kennedy said Croke was nominated from her district for their work in community design, transformative development and cross-sector initiatives focused on strengthening neighborhoods and regional systems.
Croke leads Love Your Labels, a Worcester-based LGBTQ+-led nonprofit that supports queer and trans youth and community through art, fashion, and creative expression. The organization says it works to create welcoming spaces where people can explore identity and self-expression.
Love Your Labels’ programs include Threads, a six-month fashion-and-identity program for middle- and high-school-age youth; Drag Story Time; and Queer AF, an art-and-fashion show fundraiser.
The Queer AF Art and Fashion Show has become a major event of Worcester Pride Week. More than 650 people attended the 2024 show and the 2025 event brought national drag performers, designers and local talent to Mechanics Hall.
Croke told Patch that Love Your Labels is rooted in creating inclusive and loving spaces for queer and trans people. The nonprofit’s Threads alumni were also part of the Queer AF runway, with students showing original designs, modeling and exhibiting artwork.
Croke is a designer, strategist and facilitator working in community and economic development, with past work as a MassDevelopment Transformative Development Initiative fellow in Springfield’s Mason Square District, according to their website.
“Thank you, Josh, for uplifting our youth and making our community better,” Sen. Kennedy wrote in the announcement. "Rooted in a deep care for community, a belief in the power of imagination, and a commitment to collaborative change, they work to create environments where individuals and communities can thrive."
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