Gina DuQuenne
She/Her/Hers
Founder & President
Gina is originally a native of Los Angeles, California but when her wife introduced her to Ashland, she fell in love with the Rogue Valley and moved up to Southern Oregon two years later. She is a proud member (and city councilor!) of a community that so openly welcomes diversity and fosters acceptances.
In May 2009, Gina's wife and dear friend discussed the possibilities of a pride festival and decided to "take it to the streets!" The next year on October 9, 2010 they marched with some 500 people down Main Street in Ashland with hundreds people cheering them on and SOPride was born.
With a loving family, and a tremendous passion for life, Gina is happy to be here celebrating eleven beautiful years of pride in Ashland, OR.
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Email: gina.duquenne@gmail.com
Phone: (541) 890-3548
Johanna Pardo
She/Her/Hers
SOPride Director
Johanna moved to Ashland from Los Angeles, CA to attend Southern Oregon University and finish her degree in Political Science as a Pre-Law student.
Though originally a Software Engineer for companies such as Activision|Blizzard, AT&T, and Disney, Johanna has been involved in local politics since first becoming one of two Political Co-Chairs on the Los Angeles Steering Committee for the Human Rights Campaign. And after arriving in Oregon, she has since served as Chair of the Oregon Student Association, where she pursued a more equitable leadership model for the organization that put more power into the hands of Queer Students and Students of Color; Director of Governmental Affairs for the Associated Students of Southern Oregon University, where she helped students engage with their local and state representatives and pursued additional funding for rural universities; and Campaign Manager for the Gina DuQuenne Campaign, which led to the election of the first Black and openly Queer City Councilor of Ashland.
Currently, Johanna serves as the Director for SOPride and hopes to pursue an education in Law, following graduation from SOU.
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IG: instagram.com/zombieespresso
FB: facebook.com/zombiespresso
Twitter: twitter.com/JohannaDarque
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Alex Szabo
She/They
Volunteer/Digital Content Creator
Alex is a current student at SOU (pursuing their BFA in Theatre) and is excited to be volunteering for SOPride again! Past organizations she's worked with include Gina For the People (Digital Content Creator) and OSPIRG Students (State Board Secretary, Chapter Chair at SOU, and campaign coordinator).
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In the future they hope to make art that is accessible, meaningful, and collaborative as well as continue their love of activism and social change.
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Emma Jaques
They/Them
Volunteer
Emma is from Vancouver, Washington, they moved to Ashland to study Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at Southern Oregon University. Due to the pandemic, they have never been able to go to a pride event. So when they heard about SOPride last year they knew they wanted to be involved. Southern Oregon Pride is Emma’s first experience in organizing and they are very excited to be here.
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Ash Hamlin
He/Him/They/Them
Volunteer
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Ash ended up in Ashland, Oregon via couch surfing at his sister’s place while his college was completely online in Fall of 2020. Being in Ashland gave him the comfort and space to finally start expressing and living their true self, and begin his transition.
Going into his final year at SOU, Ash has focused his learning towards psychology and queer studies— specifically trans studies. They hope to one day work with folks that are also transitioning, inspired by those that helped him along their transition journey thus far. Ash has identified within the queer community for some time now and always wants to give back to the community which has brought them great pride and support. Ash loves queer events and hopes to bring some pizzazz to the table for SO Pride. His hope is for queer folks to feel safe and prideful in celebrating themselves and building community.
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Nina Pamintuan
She/Her
Volunteer/Social Media Manager
Nina works as a community organizer for the Rogue Action Center, where she co-leads their LGBTQ+ Listening Project, a project featuring different programs and volunteer opportunities that work to mobilize queer communities and movements in Southern Oregon. For more information on the work of the RAC and the Listening Project, go to rogueactioncenter.org.
