About 

Aerin is an openly queer parent in the Fox Chapel Area School District. She and her family moved here from South Dakota in search of a welcoming and diverse community. Aerin is passionate about strengthening and nurturing that community for her children and the generations to come. 

Kim is the Artistic Director & Founder of apHRa10Gey (African Technology), and is also an Information Technologist and US Veteran/Wounded Warrior. She has 20+ years of advocacy and leadership experience and recently became the first elected African-American School Board Director of Fox Chapel Area School District since its inception in 1862. She is also an accomplished drummer who has performed as a W. African percussionist with Abufasi, Sankofa Village, and Legacy Arts Project, August Wilson Center, as well as local and International events. Kim is also the recipient of the PCA Folk & Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant award 2 consecutive years to apprentice for  Fode “Lavia” Camara,  world-renowned folklorist and master W. African percussionist.  As an Information Technologist, Activist and musician, she was able to find correlations in messaging found in folklore and the principles for transmitting messages in IT networking systems. 

I'm excited about Fox Chapel Pride because I want my grandkids to grow up in an inclusive and accepting environment.

We moved to the Fox Chapel area two summers ago from a fairly conservative area to raise our children in a more inclusive and diverse community. We are so excited to be a part of FC Pride in the Park and to be a part of creating a more accepting world for everyone.  

Cara has lived in Aspinwall for technically 16 years, but actually 9 years. She has had a strong tie to the LGBTQIA+ community since before she even realized that she was part of it 8ish years ago…… Lol 

A member of the LGBTQ+ community since 1991, Leslie is proud to have attended the historic "March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation" in Washington, D.C. in 1993. 

In her current job as Director of Development for Temple Sinai, a reform Jewish congregation in Squirrel Hill, Leslie provides leadership and coordination of all aspects of donor engagement, fundraising, and stewardship. Leslie's previous experience includes serving as Director of Development and a Grant Writer for Persad Center, a non-profit counseling center with the mission of meeting the needs of the LGBTQ+ community.

An active resident of Aspinwall since 2019, she can frequently be spotted walking around the neighborhood with her rescue dog, Alfie.

Lee, known to some as Thomas, is 33 years old and has lived in the Fox Chapel area since 1995, having lived in Florida and Connecticut prior. He grew up with six siblings in a very large and diverse family; his father is Polish and Irish, and his mother is Irish, Mexican and Native American.  Lee attributes his interest in other cultures, languages and religions to that upbringing from an early age.  

Lee is the LGBTQ+ representative to the FCA Social Justice Group, and is exicted for the opportunity to help make positive changes in the community and futhering equality for all.  

Lee and his partner have been together since 2015 and live in O'Hara Township. 

Tim and Joey are connected to the Fox Chapel Area through Tim’s employment as a Speech-Language Pathologist at O’Hara Elementary School. In addition to working with and supporting the needs of children within the FCASD, our connection to FC Pride in the Park is as local small business owners. We are the owners of Sleepy Hollow Handmade, Pittsburgh’s favorite LGBTQ-owned, vegan soap and bath care business! 

I'm an Aspinwall resident and a junior at Fox Chapel Area High School. I agreed to be part of this event to help fellow LGBTQ+ high schoolers feel welcome and involved in our community, and to give them a space to show their pride! 

I am a native Pittsburgher and a trans woman who is currently attending Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. I denied who I was for many years because of religious and social stigma. I want my son to grow up in a different world where queer people are accepted as normal and loved for who they are. 

The idea for FC Pride in the Park was inspired by a conversation I had in 2021 with my child, who is a member of the LGBTQ community. They wondered who else was in their community and if their school would do anything to celebrate Pride month. I wanted to create a space where members of the LGBTQIA+ within the Fox Chapel Area could connect with each other and also know that they were welcomed and supported by allies within the community. The community's response has been overwhelming and I can't wait to gather again. 

Owner of Spark Books and mom of two, Adriene got involved with the inaugural FC Pride in the Park after hearing that kids weren’t being seen, supported and loved. She wanted to give a giant community hug to our LGBTQIA+ kids and families and to send the message of ‘We see you, we love you, we’re here for you and we’re going to not only support you but celebrate you.’ My kids, your kids, all kids deserve love and respect. If they are lacking those things at home or in the classroom, that responsibility falls on the shoulders of the adults around them in their community—in other words, all of us. 

I am a parent of young children and resident in O'Hara Township. Though my family is relatively new to the area, having moved here about 4.5 years ago from Oregon, we are proud to call it home. I want to live in a place, and want my kids to grow in a place, where diversity is celebrated and self expression is welcomed. I am involved in FC Pride in the Park as a devoted ally with the hope that LGBTQ+ individuals, and particularly the next generations, can be their truest selves and be met with love, acceptance and equity in this community.