“ Pride reminds us that our community is strong, vibrant, and deserving of visibility and protection. It honors the legacy of those who fought for our rights and renews our commitment to creating a world where everyone can live authentically and safely,”
Dallenbach said the foundation saw a slight uptick in volunteers this year for the event.
Every volunteer looks to partake in Pride events for different reasons, be it connecting with the local LGBTQ community or ensuring that the important celebration takes place.
“ I love giving back to our community. I love seeing so many smiling, happy faces. Just to bring everyone together for such a good foundation,” Dallenbach said.
This year’ s event was the first time volunteering for some individuals like Shay Ward.
Ward said that he has not been too involved in the LGBTQ community in Louisville, and was using the event as an opportunity to take first steps into becoming acquainted with the Louisville queer scene.
Volunteer Brandon Rioux shared a similar sentiment to Ward.
“ It was my first Pride and I just moved back here from Texas, and I just really wanted to get involved with the queer community here,” Rioux said.
Volunteer Zara Blackbar said she was volunteering as a way of welcoming others into the community with open arms. Similarly, Ward wanted to volunteer to ensure there was a space for everyone to be themselves.
Creating spaces for LGBTQ + people around Kentuckiana is as important as ever as the community watches bills in Indiana target transgender people from using public restrooms, changing gender on birth certificates, having equal healthcare rights, being incarcerated in prisons of their biological sex, among many others that have passed or failed.
Many of the bills that have passed in Indiana involve parental rights regarding transgender children.
ACLU of Indiana raised issue with Senate Bill 143 that passed in January, which states that a governmental entity is unable to withhold any information from parents that is either requested, in control of the governmental entity, or relates to the child’ s health or well-being.
The ACLU sees the bill as a violation of student and minor privacy rights.
The bill provides no protection for a government employee concerned that disclosing certain information to a child’ s parent or parents will put that child’ s safety at risk,” the organization stated on its website.
Cross noted that keeping the momentum of the Pride movement is extremely important for queer youth.
“ It is necessary that we provide an example for them to follow as they transition into the future leaders of this fight,” Cross said,“ It shows the naysayers that we will not be moved, pushed or bullied.”
28 DIVERSITY July | August 2025