03/10/2023
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2023 Pride Update: Upon deep reflection and consideration of invaluable community feedback, Identity is taking steps to address our future involvement with Pride. Pride is a celebration for all. We would like to join the community in the establishment of an Anchorage Pride Collective as we seek to celebrate Pride in ways that are fully inclusive of the diversity of LGBTQIA2S+ Alaskans. This collective will act as a productive space for all businesses, nonprofits, and community members to join together in co-creating and shaping how our community celebrates pride. We are happy to organize and host these initial meetings, though we will attend as a single organization in the gathering, not as an entity of ownership.
Identity’s board of directors and newly elected officers are motivated and committed to equity and inclusion at every level. In further response to community feedback, we have taken the first of many steps to improve our organizational infrastructure to better serve the community we support. We are coordinating a Q***r Camp to serve and include youth and young adults in rural Alaska and we are focusing on the importance of diversity in leadership by prioritizing BIPOC board recruitment. Most imperatively, we have created an implementation plan to provide our staff and board training and workshops centered on untangling colonialism, dismantling white supremacy, trauma-informed communication, decolonization, and antiracism.
We are committed to the values of growth, inclusivity, responsibility, and nourishing a healthy community. Our mission is to advance, support, and uplift Alaska’s LGBTQIA2S+ people through advocacy, education, health care, and connectivity. We offer our sincere gratitude to those who have provided constructive feedback and support. Throughout this process of growth and ownership of past and present shortcomings, we will continue to provide vital gender-affirming care, meaningful community programs, and fierce advocacy for LGBTQIA2S+ rights.
Quyanaqpak, Gunalchéesh, Chin’an, Thank you,
Identity Board of Directors
