Boston’s $500 ‘Wellness Allowances’ for LGBTQ+ Migrant Massages, Haircuts Paused

OUTnewcomers, a grassroots LGBTQ+ migrant group based in Greater Boston, announced it has paused its city-funded “wellness allowances” due to backlash from the exposure of the types of services paid for under its Project Belonging Matters project.

“We are taking this pause to assess risks and ensure that we can continue

our mission in a way that protects those we serve,” OUTnewcomers Founder Sal Khan reported in a statement claiming that he and his organization had received “threats and threats of being reported to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the project’s public launch.”

The outrage began when news of the program was reported by Mass Daily News:

“The City of Boston is partnering with a nonprofit to hand out $250 to $500 to LGBTQ+ migrants for yoga, meditation, massages, hair salon visits, acupuncture, and gym memberships.

“The program, called ‘Belonging Matters,’ is a collaboration between OUTnewcomers and the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement — a city agency under Mayor Michelle Wu. Priority goes to ‘low-income, isolated queer and trans migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.’”

According to the nonprofit’s (now deleted) Instagram post, the wellness allowances can reportedly be used for things like:

• Massages
• Hair salon and acupuncture appointments
• Yoga and meditation
• “Creative healing”
• Peer support
• Gym memberships

According to the OUTnewcomers website, other services wellness allowances can support include:

• Storytelling
• “Creative expression spaces”
• “Gentle movement”
• Reflection activities
• Poetry
• “Community healing circles”

The project is funded, in part, by a direct partnership Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu’s Office for Immigrant Advancement, which prioritizes "low-income, isolated queer and trans migrants, asylum seekers and refugees." The City of Boston’s official @bosimmigrants Instagram account has touted the OUTnewcomers “wellness support for LGBTQ+ migrants in Boston” allowances.

While it is unclear exactly how much taxpayer money is being spent supporting the project, the funding is drawing fierce and widespread criticism on both social and traditional media – especially since the city faces a $100 million deficit and plans to lay off hundreds of public school teachers and classroom aides.

While the OUTnewcomers wellness allowances can be spent on “community

healing circles,” they do not clinical therapy, psychiatric services or medical treatment.