For this PrideScape conversation, Pride Northwest Executive Director Debra Porta sat down with Madi Bourdon, local school counselor, GSA leader, and children's book author. Madi was formerly the school counselor and GSA leader for a Portland area elementary school that faced extreme backlash, doxxing, and violent threats over a planned Pride event that ultimately was cancelled for the safety of everyone involved. Debra and Madi discuss and break down what happened with Madi's former GSA and the anti-LGBTQIA2S+ vitriol over their Pride event, how she, the other organizers, and the school community were impacted, and how they were able to pivot in order to still hold a (private) Pride event for the GSA members and their families. The two also discuss the children’s book surrounding chosen family that Madi is crowdfunding for, and how people can help. Due to safety concerns, the crowdfunding page is not public, but if you are interested in contributing to Madi's book fund, please email debra.porta@pridenw.org and a link to the page will be shared with you.

As always, please check out pridenw.org for more details about Pride Northwest's year-round work supporting the LGBTQIA2S+ community in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

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