In the fall of 1998, Nathan Harris began his undergraduate education at Central Washington University in Ellensburg. He also came out as gay.
His time at CWU was challenging, and motivated him to apply for a Pride Foundation Scholarship. Nathan’s daily experiences of threats and hostility on campus and in his rural community only fueled his passion for justice.
Looking back, he remembers how formative receiving the scholarship was: “Beyond financial assistance, the scholarship gave me a mandate to sustain my leadership on campus and provided comfort in knowing that I was not alone.”
That passion went on to sustain Nathan’s 16+ year social justice career at organizations like Transgender Law Center, ACLU of Northern California, Freedom for All Americans, and now, with Oregon Food Bank. In these roles, Nathan has helped advance change that now ripples out into our communities through transformational policy, groundbreaking litigation, and innovative programming.
Today, he considers himself to be in a “long-term, committed relationship with Pride Foundation” as a volunteer, donor, committee member—and one of hundreds of Scholar Alumni committed to showing other LGBTQ+ students that they’re not alone.
Originally printed in Pride Foundation’s 2019-2020 Gratitude Report