Pride 2025 is dawning, but Pride never ends. To close, we celebrate our Germantown Neighbors who boldly live in their authenticity as a part of the LGBTQIA+ Spectrum, while doing great things in the community and beyond.
This year’s cohort includes a pioneer in the AIDS Fight, a leader in a LGBTQIA+ parent/prospective parent support and advocacy group, a Pew Charitable Trust Grantee and performance artist, a business leader, and a community activist, to name a few of our LGBTQIA+ neighbors.
You will see how they are connected to our community, what Pride means to them, and even catch shout-outs to other neighbors from a few of them.
Evangeline ‘Van’ Brooks
Background
Evangeline Brooks (she/her), known as Van, has worked at Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee and Books in Germantown for two and a half years, starting as the Cafe Manager and currently serving as the Operations Manager.
How does she define Pride?
“Pride has taken on new meaning for me in recent months. Over the past year, I’ve been in the trenches trying to find a path for me and mine through the mess of life in amerikkka. On this journey, I’ve found that joy and grief are actually roommates. Joy and grief can not afford to live alone. I see Pride as a state of embodied fullness of ancestral knowledge–joy, grief, pain, sorrow, pleasure. I see Pride as resistance to assimilation, as resistance to the systems that wish for us to be stagnant, singular, digestible beings. Pride is a declaration that we will never make ourselves smaller and that we will never abandon ourselves. Pride is a call to action. Pride is a recognition that each and every one of us cannot afford to live alone.”
Another LGBTQIA+ neighbor she’d like to uplift
She named Brandon Evan Moulden, a singer, songwriter, and poet who works in Germantown and lives in Mount Airy.
David Fair
Background
David Fair (he/him) moved to Germantown from West Philadelphia in 1997 and has lived there ever since. His husband, Rudy, who used to run a program providing HIV services to drug users and homeless individuals in the city, passed away last June.
Fair has primarily worked in children’s services, focusing on preventing child abuse and neglect. In the past, he was active in the hospital workers’ union and as an AIDS activist during the 1980s and 90s. In 1987, he was appointed by Mayor Goode to establish the AIDS Activities Coordinating Office, which is now known as the Division of HIV Health.
A Temple student even wrote a term paper about his career a few years ago and posted it on Wikipedia.
How does he define Pride?
I grew up thinking that my sexuality was a deep, dark, deadly secret that I barely acknowledged to myself, let alone to anyone else. I got married in 1972, but by 1976, I heard about a support group of “gay and bisexual married men,” nervously joined the group that July, and finally came out a few weeks later.
Pride to me is simple: being happy to be who you are, and sharing that with other people so they can be proud too.
Michael Galvan
Background
Michael Galvan (he/him) is the interim Executive Director of Philadelphia Family Pride, a non-profit org for LGBTQ+ parents, prospective parents, and their children of all ages in the greater Philadelphia region.
He and his husband moved to Germantown in May of 2020 and have lived in Philadelphia for nearly 11 years. They live near Cloverly Park with their 10-year-old son, and love the neighborhood and community that Germantown offers.
How does he define Pride?
“Pride is the ability to live authentically as ones true-self. It means have a community that embraces and celebrates all aspects of your identity and creates space for all persons to be loved and valued.”
Karen ‘Magic Fingaz’ Smith
Background
Karen Smith (she/her) is the proud recipient of a 2025 Black Music City Grantee for her project – Daughters of the Full Moon of Sonia; 2024 Illuminate The Arts Grantee; and a 2023 Pew Fellowship grant.
A New York Native/Philadelphia Transplant, Karen is a percussionist, playwright, director, producer, and poet. She is also the founder and leader of two musical collectives: The Karen Smith Experience and Sistahs Laying Down Hands (SLDH).
She creates “spaces where other artists can join in a spirit of trust and improvisation.”
How does she define Pride?
“I don’t know if you want to ask me that question, because I don’t believe a month should be considered Pride. Pride is a daily thing, so I don’t look at the month of June, other than as my birthday month. I’ll be honest with you.
But for Pride, as far as definitely a part of me, I’m proud of who I am. So that’s 365. Well, I don’t need a month. The same thing as February. I don’t need a month to say that’s Black history, right? Black history, 365.”
Desiree Thompson
Background
Desiree Thompson (she/they) was raised in Germantown and East Mt. Airy, and is a proud (K-12) public school graduate and parent. They were also priced out of living in Germantown two years ago, but still works here, gardens here, falls in love here, and defends the Black cultural legacy of this neighborhood.
Desiree believes in alternative economies, herbal medicine, live music, and finding ways to BE within a society that over-prioritizes what we do. She is fiercely Black American, queer, genderfluid; an artist, writer, and deep listener who aspires to live more nomadically.
How do they define Pride?
“Being queer, for me, is a compass.
It’s an Internal alchemy that helps me locate myself, inside of and outside of, whatever is happening in the world.
It was one of the first identities I discovered about myself as a 14-year-old, but wasn’t able to fully embody until my early 30s.
Existing as a queer person is a huge source of Pride, and connects me simultaneously to my ancestors, my found family, and all of the potential futures that could unfold.
Queerness is about possibility. Many, many possibilities.
I feel like it’s an evolution in human consciousness and expression that has always been remarkable.
Celebrating Pride means doing what trans and queer folks do best: dancing between realities, and keeping each other safe as we learn to trust/rely on the wisdom of our bodies and inner knowing.
Being able to share in that with so many other beautiful people—ESPECIALLY Black trans and queer folks—feels really divine.”
Another LGBTQIA+ neighbor they’d like to uplift
Thompson sends a heartfelt shout-out to all their queer loved ones, whether they’re those openly living their truth, those still defining it, or those teaching the power of communal connection.
They extend special thanks to a supportive partner who has inspired a deeper understanding and self-acceptance. The message celebrates Black queer history in Germantown and looks forward to more spaces, like Black.Bird.Rising, gatherings, and quality of life efforts that uplift LGBTQIA+ communities.
They leave us with a reminder: “Germantown also holds Black queer history.”