Our MOD Squad’s got Pride, how ’bout you!
This Pride Month, we’re featuring some of our superstar MOD Squadders around the country who are members of the LGBTQ+ community. They are managers and pizza-makers, marketers and trainers – but what binds them together is the immeasurable impact they have on the culture at MOD and in our communities.
“Come as you are” is a common MOD refrain we use in our stores and something the squad lives every single day. We find pride in the stories of the MOD Squad, and how those stories sow seeds of acceptance for ALL people.
What does Pride mean to you? Here’s what the squad has to say…
Layse – Bay Area
“Pride to me means standing up for yourself, and believing you are doing what’s right. And by standing up for yourself, you’re also standing up for others. But it’s not really about the need to celebrate being gay, it’s more about celebrating our right to exist and be who we are with no judgement or persecution.”
Keone – Western WA
“I love the Pride time of year for the same reasons I love working for MOD. It’s a reminder to be kind to one another, to celebrate diversity, and to practice inclusiveness and love. MOD has always valued the individual and encourages its squad members to be their weird, unique selves day in and day out!”
Jacky – Western WA
“Pride is something that we need to hold. As people who face discrimination for how we look or who we love, there are many who will form judgments of our character before we even speak. I see people in the same place I was before my time with MOD, people who look at me as some kind of success story after I drove head first through issue after issue.
I felt discouraged entering a world that didn’t really want me there — an overly politicized world that wanted to argue over where I go to the bathroom or who I spend my life with. I get the honor of standing victorious of the challenges and the people who tried to get in my way, carving forth a path and then helping the next generation of my community get to a place where they also can find that peace.
Pride month is a celebration of our collective victories and a vigil for our failures. Pride is the ability to get yelled at, spit on, beaten, and hurt but still be able to hold your head up. It got better for me just as I know it will get better for others.”
Quinton – Support Center
“Pride to me is about being the best version of yourself in your heart and having to courage to live that truth on a daily basis. At the end of the day, we’re all human.”
Matt – Support Center
“To me, Pride means many things. Recognition and gratitude for the trails that have been blazed by those in our community is key to me. My generation is fortunate to be in a much more accepting environment and culture because of the work they did. It also comes down to fully embracing and displaying your uniqueness. And the best part? Coming together as one large community to celebrate how fabulous we all are.”