WASHINGTON — Pride Month is in June, but pride doesn't stop on the 30th – every single day is a day to be prideful within yourself, but for some people that could come with challenges.
For those people in the LGBTQ+ community, there are resources, one of which is Stand in Pride, which connects people to a support network.
The Founder and CEO of the nonprofit, Daniel Blevins, had the idea for Stand in Pride and started it at the beginning of 2021. He says he was raised in a very rural area of east Tennessee, and growing up he knew he was different. Once he realized he was gay, he found no representation for himself as well as his business, and he needed that, so he started content creation on TikTok. From there he was introduced to Sarah Cunningham, the founder of Free Mom Hugs, and saw an interview that she did that inspired him.
Blevins saw what she was doing and thought he could do that as a dad for people.
"So I just made a TikTok video. I was like, hey, if you're getting married and your parents won't come, I will. And it didn't go super viral, but the feedback in the comments was what inspired the Stand in Pride group, the first Facebook group, just as a safe space for people to connect because you couldn't really do that in comments of a video. And so it just took off from there."
Now, around three and a half years later, they have five regional groups in the United States, and in addition, there are 20 other international groups, as well as the original group – making 26 in total.
Stand in Pride was formed during a time when many people were isolated – the pandemic. Many people spent that time at home alone, needing community – not just weddings, Blevins made clear, as standing in for weddings is one way it became so popular.
"The majority of people who come to Stand in Pride looking for support aren't getting married. They're just looking for human contact. And they're happy to have that in the form of virtual, you know, just talking on video or if they're lucky enough to meet someone in their town, you know, getting together for coffee. And we have our allies and members that want to offer to be stand in family. They open up their homes during the holidays, too."
During Thanksgiving and Christmas, for example, many people who would normally spend that time alone, don't have to.
According to the Association of America Medical Colleges, youth who are out to their peers are slightly more likely to have experienced harassment at their school. Among youth who are not out to their families, 30% said their family was "not accepting" of LGBTQ+ people, 19% were scared or unsure how they would react, and 16% cited religious reasons.
Coming out isn't just for youth, it is a lifelong journey, and sometimes that is when a found family or network, like Stand in Pride, shines through.
So how does it work? People are able to join one of the private Facebook groups after answering security questions. Once in, they are encouraged to introduce themselves, whether they are there to provide support or receive it. People can make a post stating where they are from, add photos of themselves, their family or pets, and what they might be looking for – and from there interactions can take place privately. Moderators and admins in the group help to maintain a safe space for everyone involved, as interactions happen organically.
Blevins proudly says they have over 250,000 members worldwide. And from those many members, many have had positive testimonials from their experience. He says with a quiet smile that he has received messages from people saying the group saved their lives because they found the support they needed at the right time.
"We have people that will talk to you. If you just need a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on, we can do that for you. And a lot of times, that's how relationships will begin and, you know, just get to know each other and go from there," Blevins said. "Honestly, I've had people, you know, that have survived domestic violence situations because they met people in the group who gave them the courage to get out. We had a young trans man who was going through his first job interview and couldn't tie a tie, and the dads were scrambling to get on FaceTime to teach him how to do that. We had a young person applying for college, and these moms just jumped in. Like, I've had experience in this with my kids. Let me help you fill out the applications. So there's just so many variances that can happen when you get this many people together and so many different things happening in their lives, and it's just a beautiful thing to see."
Stand in Pride is continuing to work to have more success stories as they grow. One of their biggest goals has been the development of an app, which would help reach people who do not have a Facebook account. The app is expected to rollout this summer.
"I think just getting the app out and having something that will be a global platform for everybody to find the support and the love of chosen family is my biggest goal."
And as people continue to navigate their lives, with pride, Blevins sends a reminder that they are not alone in their journey.
"You are not alone. And that is another thing that people have told me. They're like, it's almost too much when I joined and I introduced myself and all these people just started, you know, leaving all these beautiful comments and supporting me. And they're like, I just – I'm speechless because I don't know what to do. So if you want to be overwhelmed with love, join Stand in Pride," Blevins said with pride beaming from him. "And until we get the app up, I do tell people, too, you can create an account. You don't have to have friends. You don't have to have a profile picture, because I under a lot of people avoid social media like that because of family and things like that. But you can join and still connect with people without any of that. You don't have to have your friends and family on your Facebook. So just don't forget that there are so many people, I mean, thousands of people out there that will offer you the shirt off their back if necessary, and just to support you and make you feel the love that you deserve. Everybody deserves unconditional love."
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