"Everyone that I work with at the Y gave me the courage to live as the person I had always been. I'm forever grateful for that." - Michelle Stedman, Sr. Youth Program Director, Lakewood Family YMCA.
For much of her life, Michelle Stedman learned how to keep a part of herself hidden.
Michelle knew from a young age that she was attracted to both girls and boys. Although the people around her said they were accepting, their words and reactions made her feel that it was safer to keep that part of herself private.
Michelle had also always dreamed of being a mother. Unsure of what building a family would look like, or how her family might respond, she chose a different path. She married a man and spent 20 years with him and raised two sons.
"I'm forever grateful for that chapter of my life," Michelle said.
In 2021, Michelle began working for the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties. At the Y, she found people she could talk to openly as she processed her grief after losing her dad unexpectantly and considered the changes she needed to make.
"The YMCA became a safe place for me," Michelle said. "The people I worked with were my sounding board. They were a support system and really became my chosen family."
Over the next several years, Michelle made some of the most difficult decisions of her life. She separated from her husband, came out to her children, family, and longtime friends, and learned how to navigate life as a single parent. She also met her girlfriend, who was going through her own experience of coming out to family and friends.
Even with support, being open about how she was did not immediately become easy.
"I have to remind myself that I deserve to live honestly," she said. "I want everyone to experience how it feels to bring your whole self to work and to your family and to your life without feeling like you have to leave a piece of yourself at the door."
For Michelle, Pride is a celebration of life and the freedom to be unapologetically yourself.
She also carries one final lesson from her father: Life is too short to spend it becoming the version of yourself that everyone else expects.
"Everyone that I work with at the Y gave me the courage to live as the person I had always been," Michelle said. "I'm forever grateful for that."