Friends,

Happy Pride! I hope you all are enjoying the many LGBTQ+ events, gatherings, and engagements that celebrate and honor our community. NGPA’s volunteers, committee leaders, local chapters, and affiliates have once again outdone themselves by hosting a record number of pride events. From parade marches to panels, June is a particularly special month for our organization, highlighting the strength, diversity, and unity of our membership. 

I’d like to extend a heartfelt Thank You to Dallas’ Metroplex Flyers chapter for a spectacular pride weekend, hosting members from across the country as our first annual Pride Focus City. The weekend offered a chance for members to connect with long-time friends, meet new faces, and share camaraderie among the local LGBTQ+ community and allies. In addition to Metroplex Flyers, nearly a dozen NGPA chapters in other cities hosted pride events for their local membership. Thank you to the leaders of all our chapters who organized celebrations of pride this month. It’s through your service and dedication that the NGPA proudly represents a welcoming and inclusive aviation community. 

One of the highlights from this month has been the opportunity to represent the LGBTQ+ aviation community by invitation from the DFW International Airport to raise the pride progress flag over the airport’s headquarters. While there is still much work to be done, this historic event was a powerful symbol of recognition and support for the LGBTQ+ community, as well as an expression of progress. Transgender & Non-binary Committee Co-Chair Kori Necker joined me in raising the flag, in addition to speaking as one of the event’s keynotes, addressing the audience on issues impacting some of the most vulnerable members of our organization, and offered eye-opening testimony to the struggles faced by gender-diverse pilots. As the flag was hoisted, it was a moment of immense pride and visibility, not just for those present, but for the countless travelers flying above.

As we move beyond pride month, I’m looking forward to carrying the energy, spirit, and commitment that defined this month’s celebrations. Together, we will continue to advocate for equality, celebrate our diversity, and build a future where every individual is respected and valued.

Hope to see many of you at our next national event, EAA’s AirVenture in Oshkosh July 22-28.

With Pride,

Justin