HRDEI Committee Votes to Co-Sponsor Four Community Programs

HRDEI Committee · Meeting of September 15, 2026

Wayland's HRDEI Committee backs four new co-sponsorships and fields a resident's concerns about a proposed youth center's pastor. The committee unanimously approved co-sponsoring an October 29 Museum of Fine Arts tour with the Council on Aging ($20 per person for van transport), a September 28 domestic-violence program featuring Massachusetts Women of Color Network director Kishana Osei, a Native American design lecture series with the Wayland Museum and Historical Society, and a December 10 Human Rights Day event focused on climate change. Resident Jennifer James Young submitted public comment saying she was "particularly concerned about the potential impact on LGBTQ plus youth" of a pastor's past statements describing deliverance "from the bondage of homosexuality," tied to a proposed youth center; the committee could not discuss the matter under its own rules but thanked her.

Members also approved their 2025-2026 annual report and revisited a summer statement responding to an anti-transgender note found at the Wayland Library. One member called festival outreach timed between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur "inexcusable."

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 4,861 words

Source: the HRDEI Committee meeting of September 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.