Join us for our 2nd Annual Stonewall Gala, presented by Fred Anderson Subaru! We will gather at a beautiful local wedding venue for mingling, speakers, virtual auction, music and dinner by the unparalleled Celine and Co. The fabulous Ganymede will be your emcee.

Our theme this year is: Resilience and Resistance, and speakers from Helene response and DEI/LGBTQIA+ advocacy will bring that message home.

Daniel Downer: Recognized as an OUT Magazine OUT100 Honorable Mention, brings quiet but powerful leadership—infusing every space with warmth, calm, and a deep sense of community. He bridges grassroots activism with organizational transformation, helping teams and communities move from awareness to bold action with authenticity, purpose, and lasting impact at the core. As Racial Equity Consultant for Blue Ridge Pride, Daniel leads efforts to embed racial equity into the organization’s mission, programming, and services—ensuring every voice is included and amplified.

Gabriel Haaland: Named a "local hero" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Gabe has dedicated his life to advocacy and activism. From protecting workers as Co-Vice President of AFL-CIO's Pride at Work, to leading campaigns to protect renters from unjust evictions, getting gender affirming care into labor union healthcare policies, and increasing the minimum wage that led to a living wage around the SF Bay Area, Gabe has fought for decades for economic and social justice for working people, immigrants, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and neighborhoods. Gabe is the former President of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club, the first transgender elected member of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee, and now serves as a State Executive Committee delegate to the North Carolina Democratic Party.

Ganymede: Drag queen Ganymede's unforgettable costume creations are the stuff of legend among Asheville nightlife and beyond. Renowned not only for her larger-than-life persona, she takes it further, bringing fantasy and glamour to the dance floor as Asheville's premiere drag queen DJ. Turn the party up to 11 and witness the glittering extravagance of Ganymede, The 7 ft. Sensation!

Stephanie Dasai: Helene recovery recipient of BRP's Financial Assistance, Stephanie now works for Community Action Opportunities, helping others in-kind.

Beulah Land: Born in Asheville to a family with deep roots across the Blue Ridge Mountains, Beulah Land has been performing as a drag artist in Western North Carolina for 7 years, and is our current reigning Miss Blue Ridge Pride. Beulah is a founder of Sylva Belles Drag- a collective of drag artists who direct drag shows in and around Sylva, NC. Drawing from her small-town background growing up in the "Jewel of the Blue Ridge" - Madison County, Beulah serves as the President of Sylva Pride and the Secretary of Cornbread & Roses. B works for a local health department teaching food safety, sampling drinking water, and largely working to reopen restaurants and hotels in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. As an out and proud transgender woman from a devoutly Southern Missionary Baptist family, B is passionate about healing the divisions that exist between rural and queer identities as well as expanding safer spaces in rural areas. Queer folks come from every creek and holler!

Anne Coombs: Anne is a two-time Grammy nominee for the prestigious Music Educator Award. Anne and her bands have shared the stage and played with music greats Willie Waters (son of Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter, Indigo Girls, Bonnie Raitt and 5 time Grammy Winner Roy Wooten. In 1996 she founded and operated the first Community Music School in Asheville, and in 2009 her guitar jam camps developed into what is now Rock Academy, a year round performance studies program. In 2009, Anne also opened the Music Academy Asheville in West Asheville. In 2011, Anne’s dream, to insure that all children have access to music education, became the inspiration for Give to the Music, a non-profit corporation that provides tuition for private music lessons, performance classes, tutoring as well as instruments and musical equipment, for children in need of financial assistance.

VIP Hour consists of meet and greet with speakers, staff and board, an early chance to bid on auction items, as well as jazz with Anne Coombs.

Additional sponsors include: Arts AVL, Purls Yarm Emporium, WNCAP, Eaton, Central Bark, Mosaic Realty, Givens Communities, Bill Kaelin Marketing, Western North Carolina Community Health Services, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, Parks Hospitality, and Explore Asheville

2025 Stonewall Gala

By BLUE RIDGE PRIDE CENTER INC

2025 Stonewall Gala

Resilience and Resistance