Just minutes after Donald Trump was sworn into office, the pages dedicated to LGBTQ rights, civil rights, climate change, women, and immigration were removed from WhiteHouse.gov. While this move only confirmed what we already assumed about this administration, it didn’t make watching our lives being erased any easier. And it wasn’t any easier watching him
On a cold morning last month in Pasco, Washington—despite nearly six inches of freshly fallen snow—more than 40 people came together to develop an action plan to create supportive and safe spaces for LGBTQ students in the Educational Service District (ESD) 123, which educates more than 70,000 Washington students. As someone who has lived in
Since the election, many of us have navigated each day with a deeply unsettling feeling of uncertainty. Now, as the inauguration looms, we are getting a clear sense of what this new administration, along with an emboldened Congress, state legislatures, and city councils hope to achieve in this shifting climate. To be clear, across our
As 2016 comes to a close, and we reflect on the work of the past year, I wanted to share six inspiring moments from this year that your support made possible: In May, Pride Foundation and grantee Identity, Inc. launched the second edition of the Inclusive Alaska Guidebook, which shines a spotlight on LGBTQ-supportive businesses
I am acutely aware of how my emotional and physical safety are under threat. It’s what motivates me to attend law school—to make my community better for everyone, particularly queer and transgender people. Since I began pursuing a career in public interest law, my educational dream has often felt impossible—especially when thinking about my student loan debt. My
Twenty-seven years after the founding of Equity Foundation, I still have big dreams for our future — dreams that I now know can come true only by becoming part of Pride Foundation’s regional network. When I joined others to start Equity Foundation in 1989, we had a bold vision. We wanted to make a promise
When I think about my life growing up in a small Oregon town, I become even more committed to creating safe, affirming communities for everyone in our state. I was raised in Astoria and return to visit often. During a recent visit, I was told that one of the town’s biggest summer events is a
A few years ago, I knew about Pride Foundation and the work that they do, but I got a quick lesson in how they operate when I ran into Pride Foundation’s Katie Carter at a Trader Joe’s in Portland. She had her arms full of bottles of club soda. She told me that she was
As a volunteer for an organization that has received grants from both Equity Foundation and Pride Foundation, I wasn’t sure what their merger would mean for our work to make schools across Oregon safer and more affirming for all students. But the more I’ve learned about the merger — and about Pride Foundation — the
This spring, as we were reviewing a Pride Foundation scholarship application from Sam, a young student from Montana who had been a proud and active leader in his community, we learned that he had died by suicide. Sam’s parents loved and supported him in his transition, but the larger injustices facing transgender people in his