In the wake of backlash and negative press coverage of Plateau Pride 2025, community leader and drag performer, Galactic Molasses offered the following reminder of who we are, why we are here, and why our work is so important to the health of our community. 

Hope Development Practice began, as most things do, with a common goal: an idea that people of all colors and creeds might have access to affordable mental health services. This idea is not uncommon, particularly among mental health professionals, who understand that mental health therapy has an abundance of benefits, from building stronger relationships with loved ones to boosting a person’s physical health. To do that, we had to create a community based around Hope. And the hope of HDP was, and will always be, to create a space where individuals may feel comfortable being exactly who they are, rather than masking themselves to try and fit into a box that they simply do not fit.

We firmly believe that different is beautiful, a stance that is periodically politicized in such a way that people may feel divided by the very things that make them special. In particular, this has been evident with harmful rhetoric and propaganda used to demonize the LGBTQIA+ community. This community, which has only had the right to share romantic love in all 50 states since 2003, and only the right to marry since 2015, has been proudly fighting for equity and equality in the United States for decades. From the blossoming of Drag out of the Ballroom scene of 1970s Harlem, New York, to the bustling Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilities campaigning for gay and lesbian rights in 1950s California, the LGBTQIA+ community has been standing tall to be seen and heard, regardless of the volume of their opposition.

In essence, while we believe that people should be exactly who they truly are and love who they love, it is with one small caveat: as long as you don’t hurt anyone. With the explosion of the internet and social media, people who express themselves, their art, their passion, and their community publicly are consistently under scrutiny of others. And while there will always be overwhelming support of colorful individuality, we are aware that there are just as many whose goal is to use preconceived notions and ideals to break people down.

There is an unfortunate epidemic of mental health issues among LGBTQIA+ youths and adults in the United States. It does not stem from Identity Crisis, but from Discrimination. Hope Development Practice can attest– hateful rhetoric and discrimination against Queer Communities can happen anywhere. It does happen anywhere. That is why we created Plateau Pride, an all-ages Pride Event to bring Queer community to rural Washington, because regardless of where you live, you deserve open access to safe, community spaces, where boosting love, joy, art, creativity, and individuality is not just tolerated, but celebrated. Because not only do you exist, you are seen, heard, cherished, and above all, you are loved.