About Gaylabration
Short version: we throw the biggest, gayest dance party of Portland Pride weekend, and then we give the money away.
Slightly longer version: Gaylabration is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises real funds for the LGBTQ community's health, education, safety, and equality. We just happen to do it on a packed dance floor with premier DJs, jaw-dropping production, and a few thousand people who came to sweat for a good cause.
How we started
The year was 2011. New York had just passed marriage equality, Oregon had not, and our community decided that the appropriate response to injustice was to put on our best outfits and dance about it. That first Gaylabration was equal parts celebration, protest, and party. Love won the room before it won the law.
We have been at it ever since. The fights have changed, the outfits have gotten better, and the reason we gather has not moved an inch: when the world gets heavy, this community shows up, links arms, and turns the music up.
What it's become
Somewhere along the way, Gaylabration grew into the featured Saturday night dance party of Portland Pride. That meant raising our own bar, so we started flying in world-class DJs and building production worthy of the people on the floor. These days the night spans multiple rooms, multiple sounds, and one very united dance floor. Come for the headliner, stay because you found your people.
Where the money goes
Here is the part we are proudest of. Gaylabration is all-volunteer and every dollar of profit flows straight to three organizations doing the work all year long:
Pride Northwest runs the Portland Pride Waterfront Festival and Parade, the largest LGBTQ celebration between San Francisco and Seattle, and supports the community year-round.
Cascade AIDS Project (CAP), founded in 1983, is the oldest and largest provider of HIV services, housing, education, and advocacy in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
New Avenues for Youth works to prevent and end youth homelessness, and has helped more than 30,000 young people, ages 9 to 24, get where they want to go.
So yes, the party is the point. But so is the purpose. Every ticket you buy and every drink you raise turns one great night into a year of real impact.
Come dance with us
You bring the glitter, the gear, the feathers, and the friends. We will handle the lights, the bass, and the cause. See you on the dance floor.
Pride Northwest, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, based in Portland, Oregon, serving the Pacific Northwest LGBTQ community. Pride Northwest is community-run and community-led.
Founded in 1994, their mission is to encourage and celebrate the positive diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans communities, and to assist in the education of all people through the development of activities that showcase the history, accomplishments, and talents of these communities. Pride Northwest is most known for the annual Portland Pride Waterfront Festival and Parade, the largest LGBTQ cultural celebration between San Francisco and Seattle. Pride Northwest also works to celebrate and support the whole of the Pacific Northwest’s LGBTQ community year-round. Whether working with the City of Portland to improve the safety and livability of the LGBTQ community, supporting other Pride organizations like Q Center, Latino Pride, Black Pride, and API Pride, to supporting World AIDS Day, incarcerated LGBT youth, or showcasing the artistic talents of LGBTQ people, our goal is to provide visibility and to celebrate the culture and contributions of our community.
Founded in 1983 and incorporated in 1985 as the Cascade AIDS Project, CAP is the oldest and largest community-based provider of HIV services, housing, education and advocacy in Oregon and Southwest Washington. CAP has grown considerably since its beginning, from a two-person staff to over 100, from a budget of $100,000 to over $14 million. CAP operates multiple programs from its main service site with the support of over 600 volunteers.
New Avenues for Youth is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention and intervention of youth homelessness. Since 1997, New Avenues’ programs and services have impacted more than 30,000 young people as they work to overcome barriers, pursue their goals, and realize their potential. Their services for young people (ages 9-24) focus on the individual—their experiences, identities, needs, and goals—and helping them make positive change in their lives. From supporting basic needs like meals and counseling to providing opportunities for education, job training, employment, and housing, they meet youth where they are and help them get where they want to go.