Rochester Trans Pride Fest did not appear out of nowhere. It was born from community need.

​

A few years ago, NGMT partnered with other community organizations to help create Pride at the Pond. A  free community initiative developed as an alternative to attending the Rochester Pride Festival after the parade.

​

In past years, NGMT donated tickets to help community members gain entry into the larger Pride festival. But we quickly learned that even when people could get inside, the cost of basic necessities remained a barrier. Water was expensive. Food trucks were costly. The simple things people needed to celebrate safely. Hydration, nourishment, rest, and care were often out of reach.

So we created something different.

​

Across the road from the larger festival, Pride at the Pond offered a free community-centered space where people could still hear the music, still engage with Pride as they wished, and most importantly, have access to free food, free water, snacks, and the basic necessities needed to celebrate fully and safely.

Pride at the Pond reminded us that our community deserves spaces where joy is not conditional on income, access, or who can afford the extras. We deserve spaces built with our realities in mind.

​

Now, three years later, that same spirit has grown into something bigger.