June is Pride Month. It’s a time to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, recognize the ongoing pursuit of equality and honor the contributions LGBTQIA+ individuals have made in communities across the world.
The month commemorates the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, a pivotal moment that helped spark the modern LGBTQIA+ civil rights movement. Today, Pride Month serves as both a celebration and a reminder of the power of visibility, advocacy and community.
It is also an opportunity to raise awareness about an important fact: organ and tissue donation is for everyone.
Breaking Misconceptions
One of the largest misconceptions about donation is that members of the LGBTQIA+ community cannot register as organ and tissue donors or receive transplants. This is false.
There are no limitations on who can register as an organ and tissue donor based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Every registration matters, and every person has the potential to leave a lifesaving legacy through donation.
Organ and tissue donation brings together people from all backgrounds, experiences and identities. The transplant and donation community is diverse, and that diversity strengthens the lifesaving mission shared by donors, recipients, families and advocates.
An Inspiring Legacy
For Chris Alvarado and his family, organ donation is more than a cause — it is personal.
In December 2016, his niece, Julissa Rose Garcia, a talented softball player, died following an ATV accident. While the loss was heartbreaking, her family found comfort in knowing that her decision to be an organ donor gave hope to others.
By the time of Julissa’s death, her family already understood the impact of transplantation. Several family members are organ recipients, giving them firsthand experience with the lifesaving power of donation.
Although the loss of Julissa remains difficult, Alvarado says her legacy continues to bring comfort to those who loved her.
“The grieving always remains,” he says. “But knowing Julissa was able to help others brings our family comfort.”
As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Alvarado encourages family, friends and community members to register as organ and tissue donors. Having witnessed both sides of the donation journey, he understands the profound impact one decision can have.
If he were to describe his family’s donation experience in one word, he says it would be “inspiring.” 
Each year, Alvarado joins extended family and friends — sometimes more than 100 people — at Donate Life Day with the Arizona Diamondbacks to honor Julissa’s legacy as a donor hero. Together, they celebrate her life and the lives she continues to impact through donation.
In fact, tickets are on sale for this year’s game! Honor donor heroes, celebrate recipients and connect with Arizona’s donation and transplantation community at Donate Life Day with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, July 18.
Purchase your tickets today and help us continue sharing stories like Julissa’s while raising awareness for the gift of life at Dbacks.com/DonateLife.
A Community Connected by Hope
Stories like Julissa’s remind us that donation transcends background, identity and circumstance. At its core, organ and tissue donation is about helping others and creating hope in moments of profound loss.
Throughout Pride Month, we celebrate the diversity that exists within the LGBTQIA+ community and within the donation and transplantation community. We honor donors, recipients, families and advocates whose experiences demonstrate the power of generosity and compassion.
Share Love. Share Life. Share Organs.
Registering as an organ and tissue donor is a simple decision that can save and heal lives.
This Pride Month, consider joining the millions of Americans who have said “yes” to donation and help create a legacy of hope for those waiting for a transplant.
Register today at DonateLifeAZ.org or the next time you apply for or renew your driver’s license or state ID at an Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Services office.