❤️ Our Beginning ❤️

We Are Atascadero Pride began with love, loss, and a simple desire to bring people together.

In 2021, our founder, Thom Waldman, lost David, his partner of 40 years, just five days after celebrating their anniversary.

But the story of We Are Atascadero Pride began long before that.

A Lifetime of Love and Advocacy

Thom and David shared more than four decades of love, friendship, adventure, and a deep commitment to the LGBTQ+ community.

Together, they established the first Gay Youth Support League in San Diego, California, served as color guard for the 1983 San Diego Lambda Pride Parade, and hosted the first National Coming Out Day celebration in Coronado, California.

As owners of Imperial Printing and Graphics, they also used their business to support LGBTQ+ advocacy during the AIDS crisis. They produced early “Silence = Death” posters, helping promote open discussion of AIDS and HIV at a time when fear, misinformation, and stigma often kept people silent.

For Thom and David, visibility wasn't simply about being seen. It was about helping others find the courage to be themselves, making information available when it was desperately needed, and creating spaces where people could find friendship, support, and acceptance.

Throughout their years together, they lived their relationship openly and lovingly, sharing their lives with friends, neighbors, colleagues, and the communities they called home.

They believed that Pride was about more than a parade or a celebration. It was about the freedom to love, the importance of speaking out, and the simple human need to belong.

From Remembrance to Community

When David passed away in 2021, Thom wanted to honor his memory in a way that reflected the life they had shared and the values they had always believed in.

It began with something simple: a drink shared in remembrance of David.

That gesture grew into Atascadero's first Pride gathering at Streetside Ale House, where approximately 300 people came together to celebrate, remember, and show their support. The occasion was also recognized with a proclamation from California State Senator John Laird.

What began as a personal tribute had already become something much bigger.

The following year, the celebration moved to Outlaws. As more people joined in, Atascadero Pride continued to grow, eventually finding its home at beautiful Atascadero Lake Park.

Today, Pride in the Park brings together thousands of people for a celebration of LGBTQ+ visibility, friendship, love, and community in the heart of North San Luis Obispo County.

More Than One Day of Pride

Along the way, something important became clear.

North County needed more than one day of Pride each year.

It needed places where LGBTQ+ people could gather throughout the year, where young people could see that they weren't alone, where older generations could share their stories, and where families, friends, and allies could build lasting connections.

It needed opportunities for people to learn from one another, celebrate their differences, and find common ground.

Most importantly, it needed a community where people didn't have to leave their hometowns to find acceptance.

That belief became the foundation of We Are Atascadero Pride (WAAP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to building LGBTQ+ visibility, inclusion, understanding, and community throughout North San Luis Obispo County.

Today, our work continues year-round through community gatherings, cultural events, education, partnerships, and opportunities for people to connect and support one another.

We believe Pride belongs not only in our parks during June, but in our neighborhoods, businesses, schools, gathering places, and everyday lives.

I Am Because We Are

Our guiding philosophy is Ubuntu, an African concept often expressed as “I am because we are.”

It reminds us that our lives are connected, that our differences enrich our community, and that we become stronger when we recognize the dignity and worth of every person.

The same values that guided Thom and David more than four decades ago continue to guide our work today: love, visibility, compassion, and the belief that everyone deserves a place to belong.

From supporting LGBTQ+ youth in San Diego, to marching proudly in 1983, to helping break the silence surrounding HIV and AIDS, to building a welcoming community in Atascadero, the commitment has remained the same.

What began as a tribute to one person has become a celebration of an entire community.

And through it all, one simple promise remains at the heart of everything we do:

Everyone is Welcome. ❤️🌈