Along with our Artist Spotlight fundraiser, this Pride Month we’d like to introduce you to some of our staff in the LGBTQIA2S+ community! Meet Junix, our Digital Inclusion Program Associate!

“This Pride season I have been thinking about Chad Booc, a Filipino activist who was a part of the same movement that I am. Chad was a volunteer teacher for Indigenous Lumad students. He chose a hard life in the countryside of serving the people, even though he could have used his computer science degree to get a professional job abroad. Chad was murdered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines last February, along with other members of the New Bataan 5. You can learn more about their stories @anakbayanusa .

Last Pride, Chad Booc posted a beautiful picture of himself which has been circling around social media again. In the photo, he's smiling, holding a rainbow flag and a sign in Tagalog. In his post caption, he spoke about the feeling of Pride being when you are no longer afraid or ashamed. In the way Chad lived his life, he urged others to not only fight for their own liberation, but for the liberation of oppressed peoples everywhere, especially the poor and Indingeous people in today's neocolonies. This Pride, and all the ones after, I want to follow Chad's call. I hope as a community, we can all struggle together towards a world where our safety, joy, expression, art, and love burst from everywhere, like pink blossoms on trees in Spring!

In Chad's words:

‘Fight, gays! Our place is in the struggle!’"

Thank you so much Junix for all of the amazing work you do at our organization!

Want to know how to support Free Geek and an artist in the LGBTQIA2S+ community this month? In celebration of the amazing contributions the LGBTQIA2S+ community brings to the world, for Pride Month we have released new limited edition Free Geek t-shirts designed by PDX-local artist, Dorothy Siemens (@dorothydotcool on Instagram), for our new Artist Spotlight Series. All proceeds go to Free Geek's efforts toward getting technology out to the Portland metro community.

Learn more about Free Geek Pride T-Shirt Fundraiser & purchase a shirt here!