On June 7, N.Y./N.J. Gotham FC had their Pride match against the Kansas City Current at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. The match marked the much-anticipated return of Rose Lavelle, who has been not been competing since undergoing surgery in December 2024. Lavelle scored the sole goal for Gotham FC to bring the final score to 2-1 in favor of the Current in front of the season-best crowd of 10,399.
During the match, two videos from the Here We Are were shown on the stadium’s Jumbotron — Nadya and her dad, and Gio and his sister — to introduce real transgender people and their families to audiences.
Launched by GLAAD and GROUND Media on June 1, 2024, Here We Are is an ongoing national storytelling campaign to build a country where transgender people can be their authentic selves and express their identity openly and free from fear.
GLAAD’s Shane Diamond was on hand for the pre-game torch-lighting ceremony on the pitch where GLAAD’s transgender and sports advocacy work was also highlighted. Below you can see trans designer Willie Norris literally passing the torch to Diamond. Also attending the match was New York Liberty WNBA Champion and 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Breanna Stewart.
