The Utah Pride Center has had a transformative 18 months and sent a message of gratitude, resilience, and a call to collective action. In a heartfelt letter launching the Center’s end-of-year giving campaign, executive director Chad Call reflected on what he described as “nothing short of a rebirth” over the past year and a half.
“Our small but mighty team has worked tirelessly to bring programs, support, and joy back to our community,” Call wrote. “And truly, it’s because of you that we are here.”
The Center’s new downtown home has become a lively hub for connection, healing, and celebration. Call noted that the building “has truly come alive,” now welcoming drop-in visitors five days a week and offering programming and community groups seven days a week. Longstanding offerings like Pride in Recovery and Religious Trauma continue to anchor the Center’s support network, while new groups, including the Latine Social Group, Sapphic Voices, and Sit & Stitch, have expanded its reach. Pride Nights with Real Salt Lake, the Utah Grizzlies, and Pioneer Theatre Company added to a year filled with community partnerships and queer joy.
Utah Pride, the Center’s flagship program, also made a statewide impact. In March, the organization unfurled what it believes to be “the world’s largest transgender flag” and marched it down State Street for Transgender Day of Visibility. June brought Utah’s largest Pride celebration, featuring David Archuleta and CupcakKe, which the Center proudly hosted “all while staying in the green.” Beyond Salt Lake City, the organization supported dozens of local celebrations and even helped bring Brigham City its first-ever Pride in the Park.
And the HalloQueen Ball? Call had just these words for its success: the community “showed up in a BIG way.”
These milestones, he said, highlight something essential: “Utah’s queer community is strong, resilient, and full of light. That’s where our strength in our community shows. Utah knows how to show up.”
But Call also acknowledged the challenges facing LGBTQIA+ nonprofits nationwide, noting widespread “funding cuts, scaled-back programs, and postponed Pride celebrations.” While he emphasized that the Utah Pride Center remains financially stable, he added that it has “not been immune to nationwide corporate giving declines, even as demand for our programs continues to grow.”
This year’s campaign, aptly titled Make the Yuletide Gay, is both a celebration of community spirit and an appeal for sustaining support. “Your money goes directly to programs, to support groups, to transgender joy, to Latine community gatherings, to rural Prides, to the people and places that need us most,” Call wrote. “And yes: even $10 a month makes an incredible difference in our work.”
Call stressed that the Center’s donor base is built not on wealth, but on solidarity. “Most of our donors are not wealthy. They are students, teachers, artists, parents, baristas — people who give what they can because they believe every queer Utahn deserves to thrive.”
“That’s my dream. It may be lofty, but it’s why I dedicate my time, energy, and heart to this movement. It’s why I’m proud to ask you to join us,” he said.
If more community members joined as monthly donors, he said, “we could expand our programs statewide, build more local Pride celebrations, support queer youth and families, and ensure no LGBTQ+ Utahn ever feels alone.”
In the letter’s closing, Call made his commitment personal. “I love this community. I love you. I see you. I show up for you. And I promise to steward every dollar with ethics, responsibility, and unwavering commitment to our mission: to Unite, Empower, and Celebrate.”
As the holiday season approaches, he urged supporters to “do what we do best and let’s show up for each other and ‘Make the Yuletide Gay.’”
The Utah Pride Center will also host its Big Gay Holiday Show on Friday, December 19, at 7 p.m. at the Urban Arts Gallery — another chance for the community to gather, celebrate, and continue the momentum of a year defined by resilience and revival.
Donate at givebutter.com/pDoU6n
