Defiance Equality Foundation for Inclusion

10/17/2026

Happening now!

Bake Sale, Blind date with a book, bracelets and more! At the Northtowne Mall. Come and check it out!

10/17/2026

Come stop by the Defiance Mall in front of Luna Moon Market to get your baked goods and support the group! Gluten Free options available too.

09/28/2026

09/11/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/19LjSr6zT7/?mibextid=wwXIfr

25 years ago today, Mark Bingham boarded United Airlines Flight 93. He never made it home.

Mark was 31 years old. He was a PR executive, a rugby player, a son and a friend. He was also openly gay at a time when being out could still carry enormous personal and professional consequences.

A former rugby champion at UC Berkeley, Mark helped establish the San Francisco Fog, a gay rugby club. He believed openly gay men competing in a sport associated with toughness and masculinity could help challenge stereotypes about what gay men were capable of.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Flight 93 was hijacked. Mark called his mother, Alice Hoagland, and told her what was happening. He ended the call by telling her, “I love you.”

As passengers learned that hijacked planes had already struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, they realized their plane was likely part of the attack. Mark was among the heroic passengers who fought back. Flight 93 ultimately crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing everyone aboard but preventing the hijackers from reaching their intended target in Washington.

Mark's legacy continues today. The Bingham Cup, an international inclusive rugby tournament named in his honor, brings together LGBTQ+ rugby players from around the world.

Today, alongside all those whose lives were taken on September 11, we remember Mark Bingham, not simply as a gay hero, but as a whole person who was deeply loved and extraordinarily brave.

08/24/2026

911 GOOD DEEDS. ONE COMMUNITY. BY 9/11. 💙

This year marks the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001.

Across the country, Americans are being called to UNIITE For Good - transforming a day forever associated with tragedy into one of service, remembrance, compassion, and community.

DEFI is answering that call.
Our goal:
911 GOOD DEEDS BY SEPTEMBER 11.

From now through 9/11, we're challenging our entire community to help us complete 911 acts of good.

🐾 Donate supplies to an animal shelter.
🥫 Give food to a local pantry.
🧼 Donate hygiene products.
👵 Write a card to a nursing-home resident.
📚 Donate a book.
🌎 Pick up litter.
❤️ Thank someone who serves our community.
🤝 Help a neighbor.
☕ Buy a stranger a coffee.

Or do something entirely your own.
Big or small, kindness counts.

Do your good deed. Tell us about it. Then challenge someone else to do the same.
DO GOOD. SCAN IT. COUNT IT. PASS IT ON.

We'll keep a community-wide running count until we reach:
911 / 911

Twenty-five years ago, Americans showed the world what it looked like to come together in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

Twenty-five years later, we can choose to come together again. Not because something terrible happened today. Simply because doing good matters.

💙 One Community. 911 Acts of Good. By 9/11.

08/05/2026

Hey gang. Our first meeting of the year will be this coming Monday (August 10th) at 6:30p at Luna Moon Market. Please go in the back so you don’t have to walk around the entire mall when we’re done. If you’d like to volunteer and help out with next year’s event, please come by! Excited to meet new faces.

06/24/2026

Now that we’ve had a few days to recover, wanted to give a huge shoutout to McDonald's for their sponsorship and in kind donations for volunteers. Their sponsorship was integral in our event this year, helping us to bring you the entertainment we all loved so much. Thanks McDonalds!

We also welcome all to post pictures they took at the event and wouldn’t mind being used by us for media purposes.

With that, we will be getting a jump on next year’s planning starting in August. If you are interested in volunteering your time to help bring us the 2027 Defiance Pride, send us a message here and we will make sure you’re added to the list for meeting announcements. We’ve got big ideas and are open to more, so we would love for you to join us as we grow into something better each and every year.

06/22/2026

THIS IS LONG BUT PEASE READ THROUGH IT-SO IMPORTANT!

Thank you to all who participated in the Pride Festival at Triangle Park. The weather was great. Even greater were the vendors (new and old), resource people, food trucks, bands, but best were the Drag Queens that came to entertain. They were phenomenal.

However, we could not put this together and keep it going without the Support from The Defiance Community. We loved to see the number of families who came out this year, along with the young adults, old adults, the teens, some of the local pastors.

Thank you to the businesses who donated to our Raffle Baskets:
Allie's Pet Oasis, Downton Roots, Phoenix Theaters, Fifth THird Bank, Eclectic, Meeks, Biggby Coffee, Frickers, Simply from Scratch, McDonalds.

Thank you to individuals who put together items for our baskets!

The Love, Joy, Happiness and Fun was Evident on Saturday, June 20th at Triangle Park.

06/20/2026

We’re here down at Triangle Park all set up and ready to go! Come by and catch our entertainment while supporting local resource and vendor groups in a day of community!

06/18/2026

Thank You to HUGS-"Hearts of Understanding Grow Through Service." for the 2 SILENT AUCTION ITEMS PICTURED BELOW. This is a local volunteer group, made up of young moms, who want to make the difference in a child's life. Silent auction takes place at the PRIDE EVENT on Saturday, June 20th at Triangle Park.