Team Rowan Celebrates
Pride Month 2026 & Pride Pony Club Workshop
This year, the Chicago PRIDE Parade theme is “Free to Be Proud.” The theme addresses visibility, dignity, resilience, and the right to exist safely and authentically in this world. It’s a reminder that no one is truly free until everyone is free to be.
What “Free to Be Proud” means to Team Rowan
At Team Rowan, we are a Team for LGBTQ+ kids, their parents and families as they embark on a journey of transformation, and, importantly, finding your truth. And we believe a key aspect of living your truth is exploring and discovering your authentic self through creativity and self-expression.
To achieve this, we created a safe space for peers and allies, celebrating 2026 Pride Month together by channeling in our inner equestrians and creating one-of-a-kind reinbow hobby horses.
Why hobby horses?
For Rowan, freedom was riding a horse. Life on the farm, caring for the horses, and show jumping were Rowan’s salvation.
“It feels amazing. I feel great. I feel free.”
— Rowan, age 14, 2022
The farm and barn community did more than change Rowan’s life—they saved it many, many times. As a trans teen, he struggled with clinical depression, severe anxiety, and gender dysphoria. He rarely felt comfortable, happy with himself, or able to fit in anywhere. This, however, was not the case at the barn, where the true gift was belonging somewhere, sharing the love of, connecting with, care for and riding on these magical animals.
In many ways, the barn community was the first “Team Rowan,” providing a magical safe space full of comfort, acceptance, confidence, and purpose. Even in his darkest valleys of self-doubt, the barn and horses could raise him up, give him ground to stand on and a saddle to canter in. When we asked him how this made him feel, to be a part of the farm and ride, he expressed, “It feels amazing. I feel great. I feel free.” That may seem like an ordinary reply, but we could watch each practice and see from beginning to end, it was extraordinarily transformative.
A coming out story
Although we lost Rowan in a tragically anomalous riding accident, there is some solace knowing that he died doing what he loved most, in a place he was truly happy. What made him feel free and what kept him alive, and freed him from his pain—the farms, his safe space, his heaven and salvation.
The following is an excerpt from Rowan’s personal journal. These are his thoughts and words as he searched for a way to come out to the barn and his riding instructors
20th i think of whenever April
I’m re`ally nervous because I need to come out to my riding instructors, but I don’t know where they are on the topic. They haven’t used my pronouns before and like I said “before” –
Also I’ve gotta come out to them about being a boy, Aw fudge I’ve gotta come out to them and I don’t know how it’ll go. I don’t know what to tell ‘em either. “Hey I’m trans” is so much harder to say than it sounds. Plus I don’t actually know their opinion on trans men. So I’m just nervous because I just don’t know. I just DONT KNOW?? SoooOOoOOi
Yeah.
But also if they don’t like it, or whatever and don’t wanna teach me anymore, I’m doomed. I lose [my riding horse] Style, I lose my riding, like what the heck, I don’t want that. If I stop riding I won’t know what to do with myself. I don’t know who I am without horses!!
Also I can’t lose Style, I already lost [my old riding horse] Moment [who retired from riding] and losing another horse is just too emotionally traumatic for me. If I lose Style… I don’t know what I’ll do…. I really don’t. With Moment, he was my baby, and I felt connected to him. It’s the same with Style, I lose what I have with him (even though he’s kinda a jerk sometimes) I will be so upset. I just can’t lose another horse.
Thankfully, this part of Rowan’s story has happy ending, as his riding instructors and the barn community fully embraced his chosen name and status as a trans boy. If someone you love comes out to you, feel blessed and be transformed with them. Transform together.
In honor of Rowan, we celebrate our freedom to be proud, express ourselves creatively, and live our inner truth. Look for us on June 28th in the 2026 Chicago PRIDE Parade, our 2nd official year marching, as Team Rowan rides on in style, grateful to be a part of this amazing community and symbol of freedom.
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