Our Work
The San Juan Island Pride Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation. You know us as SJI Pride, and the work we do is essential for wellbeing, celebrating and sharing 2SLGBTQIA+ culture, and fostering community.
We throw some great parties like our annual SJI Pride Festival and Queer Prom, creating vibrant spaces for visibility of queer art and queer joy. But we don’t stop there— we foster a thriving queer community by bringing queer art, resources, education and social opportunities that have been lacking in our remote, rural island community for decades. We host regular events like our monthly Queer Book Club reading queer authors and Queer Coffee and Connection as well as yearly events like our Queer Pride month celebrations that feature queer music, drag, queer art and, most of all, queer connection and joy. We are always excited to offer more events so please contact us if you have an idea of an event you'd like to host!
We hope to see you at one of our events soon! Check out our calendar for upcoming events to join.
Our History
In the summer of 2021 a group of individuals got together and made plans to host San Juan Island's first Pride, a potluck picnic at Jackson Beach. The picnic was a huge success with nearly 200 people joining the festivities. Attendees shared food and stories, enjoyed beach games and live music and built connections with members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and allies.
In the wake of the picnic's success, the Friday Harbor Pride Foundation was founded in 2021. Community members showed out in force to march with the foundation in the town's annual 4th of July parade, marking the first time in San Juan Island history that the island LGBTQIA+ community had a visible community presence.
In 2022 the foundation reformed as San Juan Island Pride Foundation and became an official 501c3 organization. That same year the foundation began hosting monthly meet-ups providing much needed opportunities for relationship and community building.
Over the years our Pride Fest celebrations have grown, attracting an estimated 2,000 members of the LGBTQIA+ community, friends, and allies from San Juan Island and our neighboring communities. We’re continually expanding our advocacy and allyship efforts year-round to promote diversity and inclusivity—and to call our community to action.
Mission & Vision
To serve 2SLGBTQIA+ folks on SJI by cultivating connections to one another, resources, and our regional community and culture
The vision of SJI Pride is for SJI to be a place where 2SLGBTQIA+ people thrive as their whole, authentic selves.
SJI Pride is a registered 501c3 organization (EIN: 87-1855049). All donations are tax deductible.
