Y’ALL means ALL Y’ALL.
Building a Community Where Everyone Belongs
Who we are:
Orange Pride is a community organization founded in 2025 to provide opportunities for connection and advance the rights of LGBTQIA2+ individuals living in and around Orange, Virginia. We strive for a future in which ALL Orange residents are free to be their authentic selves without fear of violence or discrimination.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Orange Pride believes that LGBTQIA2+ people deserve to be treated with dignity and to thrive as integral members of the Orange community. We believe that queer joy and freedom of expression are central to pride, and encourage opportunities for creativity and celebration.
NO PRIDE WITHOUT PROTEST
We believe that there is no pride without protest, and that LGBTQIA2+ individuals and allies must be ready at all times to take a vocal stand against tyranny and hate. We believe that silence is complicity.
We know that the struggles of all marginalized and vulnerable groups are tied to one another, including women, BIPOC, those with disabilities, immigrants, refugees, and the poor. We believe in listening to the voices of those facing intersecting forms of oppression and standing with them in solidarity. We believe that together, marginalized community members can accomplish more than we ever could on our own.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
We believe Orange has always been a hub of innovation to overcome hate — particularly in the case of the Black community’s fight against Massive Resistance policies during the civil rights era — and that if we can educate ourselves on the historical context in which we live, we can learn from those examples and implement strategies that have proven to be successful.
WHY NOW?
Let’s be clear: Through every part of Orange’s history, LGBTQIA2+ people have been a part of this community. However, recent rollbacks on hard-won human rights victories, both locally and at the national level, are a bleak reminder that rights too loosely held are bound to be snatched from our hands. In order to restore what has been lost and create a brighter future, we must be an active, visible presence within our Orange community. This means advocating boldly and unwaveringly for institutional changes which protect LQBTQIA2+ dignity and better our quality of life.
WHAT WE DO AND HOW WE DO IT
Orange Pride hosts events and provides educational opportunities for LGBTQIA2+ residents of central Virginia, with a focus on community building and civic participation. We provide safe spaces for LGBTQIA2+ neighbors to meet one another, organize and celebrate. We welcome partnerships with likeminded community organizations and strive to support them in their own efforts.
August 13, 2025
6:30PM
SPELLED INK
132 W. Main Street, Orange, VA 2260
A Very Gay Book Club: Activate
Want to make our community a better place, but not sure where to start? Our first book club series will focus on successful activism, from organizational strategies to how queer and other civil rights movements throughout history have accomplished their goals.
Our August/September book pick is “Love’s Next Meeting: The Forgotten History of Homosexuality and the Left in American Culture” by Aaron S. Lecklider. Please have the first four chapters read for the Aug. 13 book club. Join us for a vibrant discussion and, of course, snacks 🙂
Books can be purchased independently or ordered from our host, Spelled Ink, at www.spelledink.com/our-bookshop-picks or by contacting Cindy at spelledinkshop@gmail.com. (We highly recommend the latter for those who are able – Spelled Ink is an amazing, woman-owned independent bookstore and one of the only visibly LGBTQIA-friendly businesses in downtown Orange.)
