“I think what’s really powerful is my own self determination to be able to decide how I identify, and model that for my child.” -Lourdez Velasco, featured in 2019 TRANSform Washington public education video Launched in 2016 in the face of discriminatory anti-trans legislation, Pride Foundation’s TRANSform Washington program celebrates the dignity, diversity, and humanity
Over the past 35 years, we’ve come a long way in our work to create a world where all LGBTQ+ people can live safely and openly as our whole selves in all the places we call home. All the progress we have seen, and all that we will see in the future, is only possible
One of our newest grantees, Inclusive Idaho, was created in the late spring of 2020 by a group of BIPOC Idahoans who believed that a better Idaho was possible—and we were ready to invest right away in their work to make that vision a reality. Started as a vigil for George Floyd and other Black
In the 1980’s, few resources existed for people living with HIV/AIDS—and even fewer for people of color. In this climate of devastation and scarcity, People of Color Against AIDS Network (POCAAN) was created in 1987. Just two years after their founding, they received a Pride Foundation grant and became one of our earliest grantees. Since
“Working with metal has this kind of draw for me. You take this rock out of earth, apply a great amount of heat to it and end up with this thing that’s…almost otherworldly.” Bri Mango, a 2020 Pride Foundation Scholar, studies Welding Technology and Fine Art at Montana State University, and is working to blaze
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
I woke up this morning holding the dread, anxiety, and nervous hope that I know many of us woke up with. As I wait alongside all of you for every single vote to be counted, and try to find ways to sooth my soul that aches for the places where it feels like a loss of
Happy National Coming Out Day! We love that we get to celebrate this special day by opening our 2021 Pride Foundation Scholarship application. Our scholarships fund LGBTQ+ students who have faced incredible barriers, regardless of school, major, or GPA. We see leadership, and leadership potential, in students who show up for their communities and want
As it has for so many of us, this year has called Pride Foundation to get very clear about what our purpose is, who needs to be centered in our work, and what our role is in achieving full liberation for all LGBTQ+ communities. Today, it is with a proud and tender heart that I share our 2020 Community Grant Recipients—a group of organizations whose work clearly reflects the values that we hold most dear. Each and every one is advancing
The news of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing on Friday sent shockwaves of feelings throughout the country—grief and sadness for the loss of this brilliant and powerful leader, followed by fear, panic, and uncertainty for what the reality of her absence means for our future, especially just weeks before the election. As I worked through