At our town hall this July, we heard that Stanford Pride needs to change. In response, we are embarking on a six month initiative for organizational change. We are setting aside conventions, structures and bylaws to re-envision who we are and what we do. To become a better and more useful version of what Stanford’s intergenerational queer community can be, we ask that you not only take part in – but also help steer – our journey in transformation.
The town hall and subsequent organizational change initiative came in the wake of our response to anti-black racism this past June, where we:
- recognized the leadership of low-income Black and brown transgender people, sex workers, butch lesbians, homeless gay youth, and drag queens in the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and justice
- stated Black Lives Matter and Black Trans Lives Matter and
- acknowledged Stanford Pride’s failure and silence in addressing racism and systemic injustices within and beyond the queer community.
We are committed to several actions to hold us accountable to change.
| STATUS | COMMITMENT | ACTION | OUTCOMES |
| Completed | Host an open Town Hall to hear members’ thoughts and feedback on how we can become a more inclusive and responsive organization and expand on our mission to reflect the diversity of our community. | Town hall on 7/15/20 | Recognized as a Board that we needed deep organizational change and committed to a process to enable that change |
| In progress | Survey new graduates, current Stanford students, and Pride Members with a focus on queer and trans students and alumni of color to inform how Pride can best serve our diverse community | Take our Queer and Trans Alum Survey or Queer and Trans Student Survey, which each end on 10/10/2020. | Aggregated results will be shared with the community after the survey ends. |
| In progress | Hold a special election so that the composition of the Board better reflects the Stanford Pride community. | Apply to the Board of Directors and/or Refer Someone | Selected board members will be shared. |
| In progress | Coordinate with Stanford National Black Alumni Association and other affinity alumni organizations to host more joint events about the shared history of our communities and about advocating effectively for societal change. | Register for Diverse Alumni End-of-Summer Happy Hour. A Film Tribute to Marsha P. Johnson was also held. | Additional events to be shared in the monthly E-Updates |
| Soon to come | Revise and add new programming to attract and engage the full population of the community we serve. | In progress. |
At a high level, our organizational change process will adhere to the following timeline:
- August – September: Create and disseminate surveys.
- October – December:
- Share survey results with the Stanford Pride community.
- Assemble focus groups
- Meet with focus groups to define and refine Stanford Pride’s mission, goals, and activities
- January – March:
- Draft Stanford Pride’s strategic plan.
- Finalize work with focus groups
- Share strategic plan with the Stanford Pride community.
- Beyond March: Execute & evaluate.
If you are interested in working with us to create the future of Stanford’s intergenerational queer community, please indicate so in the alumni survey or student survey.
Please also consider registering for our (virtual) Stanford Pride Homecoming Reunion and Connecting Across Generations: Queer Women* & Non-Binary Members of the Stanford Community and other upcoming events. You can also stay in the loop through social media, below.
Our Website
Our Facebook Group
Our Facebook Page
Our LinkedIn Group
Stanford LGBTQ+ Alumni Mentoring Group
Princeton’s BTGALA Event Calendar
StartOut