Diane Pappafotis is the Women with Pride coordinator for The Pride Center at Equality Park in Wilton Manors. Women with Pride is a program at the center that creates spaces for a queer women’s community. Pappafotis is also the marketing director for SkirtSoFlo, a local publication focused on LGBTQ+ women.

“As a community center, it attracts women that may no longer feel comfortable going to bars, or they want community, getting back out into the community,” Pappafotis said. “I definitely talk with a lot of people who were partnered up for a long time and are just really starting to get back into the community, and they feel like it's a safe place to go. They see us on social media, they see people that sort of look like them, their age group. So it's been a lot of fun doing this, but I think it's also been really rewarding.”

Pappafotis is originally from D.C. and moved down to South Florida during the pandemic. She worked in the nonprofit space for about 23 years. 

She is an avid practitioner of yoga.

“It changed my life,” Pappafotis said. “I'm a nicer person because of it, I think. More empathetic.”

Homepage: OUT & PROUD 2024