Pride 2025: We Will Not Go Backward
On a Friday afternoon in April, Ballard Food Bank was closed to the public but remained a gathering place for a special occasion. A handful of folks arrived at Ballard Food Bank as their truest selves.
Outside of the normally busy café, a cozy group of eight neighbors joined staff members Cavan, Katrina, and Garrett for our first ever Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming Lunch Social.
“About a third of the folks [in my case load] are trans and nonbinary folks. When the administration changed, I started hearing a lot of not just fear but also isolation. A lot of people on my caseload are relatively fresh to transitioning or owning whatever their gender identity is. Which also tends to mean they don’t have a ton of community yet. So along with the fear of “What do I do” “Am I still safe” I was also hearing loneliness.”
Katrina Stephens, client advocate and nonbinary staff member at Ballard Food Bank, at their core believes we take care of each other. We – the community. We protect each other, we lift each other up, and we fight for freedom from discrimination.
“ At least if you’re going to be scared, don’t be scared alone.”
Katrina describes a phenomenon where community finds community. It’s as if they gravitate towards each other. Trans and gender diverse people see Katrina and feel safe to share themselves with her. It’s why Katrina says it’s important for Ballard Food Bank to look and feel safe for queer people.
As an event our Trans, Nonbinary, Gender Nonconforming lunch socials show our queer and gender diverse visitors that they deserve to feel safe having fun, taking up space, and being themselves. They also show that this organization is run by a diverse staff that is representative of the communities we work with. We see each other, we are in this fight together, and we will get through this together.
Queer people and especially gender diverse people feel more secure when they know it’s not just people who access services that are like them - the people who run the services also belong to the LGBTQIA+ community.
“I feel like with gender identity stuff most people think it to themselves for a couple of years before they say it to anyone else. Most of the folks on my caseload come to me in that place where they are just sort of seeing what that would feel like for them practically.”
Katrina (she/they) at the Resource Hub desk greeting folks
Because so many neighbors are in this contemplative stage, Katrina knows it’s important that they themselves are visible as a trans person on staff. When folks don’t feel represented in the staff, they may be less likely to access services beyond the food bank out of fear their advocate may be someone “who doesn’t get it.”
Since Katrina’s start date, she has seen more staff who are openly queer than any of her former workplaces and that includes more colleagues using gender-diverse pronouns. Katrina cites Ballard Food Bank as the first place they started using “they/them” pronouns. They are inspired by the growing number of both staff and volunteers who are part of this community.
As an organization, we are also incredibly inspired by the work both of our client advocates do to make Ballard Food Bank a space where everyone feels safe to present as their truest self. As Katrina describes the success of the first event, she thanks Garrett Dulaney, client advocate and cisgender ally, for his emphatic support. He is a vocal proponent and the staff member who raised the suggestion to leadership to place visible signifiers of safety and inclusion like pride flags within the food bank.
Endearingly called the “straight bouncer” for the event, Garrett takes on a serious role of keeping our neighbors safe from real threats of harm. Because unfortunately we live in world with increasingly harmful rhetoric - and physical violence - targeting our trans and gender diverse neighbors.
Especially this year, trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming people and their rights are under attack. According to Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization tracking legislation that impacts trans and gender-diverse people, over 900 bills have been introduced in 2025 that would negatively impact the quality of life for trans people. From blocking access to healthcare, legal recognition of their gender identity, education, and more.
Katrina notes, “Pride started as a protest. It started that way because the AIDS epidemic destroyed community and no one cared, no one did anything. For me this year, it’s more important than ever to find joy within your community. I think community is how we get through. We find our people, we keep each other safe, we go from there. This year it’s important to find that joy and I think this year’s pride will look more like the origins.”
We are putting our foot down and declaring we will not go backward. We refuse to let exclusion and apathy be the norm in our communities. Solidarity is fundamental to Pride Month in 2025. Pride this year underlines the fight against efforts to roll back LGBTQ+ rights in America. Solidarity is why it’s so important for us to host these events to build community for our vulnerable neighbors.
You can find Pride flags throughout the food bank inside and beyond the Community Market
There were board games to smooth over the first meeting. Katrina describes board games as a way to give you more of a peak into the person you’re playing with. After games, they enjoyed a special lunch made by café staff. Sharing a meal with someone, seeing their food preferences, playing games and seeing how someone strategizes. It shows you the real stuff.
More than just the games and food, the promise of a protected space helped the group learn more about each other on a deeper level. Due to the food bank being closed to the public, folks felt more comfortable presenting themselves proudly. Katrina says they were in awe by their clients arriving wearing makeup and clothes that Katrina had yet to see them in. “It was very nice with most of them being in that stage. To see them all show up in ways that was just so them. It was really joyous.”
Establishing a safe space for our trans and gender diverse neighbors is now more important than ever. Every individual is worthy of respect, and we value each person’s dignity, worth, and lived experience. It’s crucial that we boldly claim AND live this value.
After a second, successful lunch social for Pride month, folks built off their growing connections to each other. Katrina was so proud to share that folks even rode the bus home together. Knowing that they’ve made new friends who will make sure they get home safe. That is community care in action.
At its core pride is a protest against the criminalization of identities, forcing people into rigid boxes of acceptability, and the stripping of human rights. We are so proud that we can utilize joy as resistance and create a safe space for our trans and gender diverse neighbors in Ballard Food Bank. We hope and fight for a future where this is the norm everywhere.
Happy Pride!