{"slug": "were-all-about-inclusivity-how-the-valkyries-made-pride-part-of-their-identity", "title": "‘We’re all about inclusivity’: How the Valkyries made Pride part of their identity", "summary": "The Golden State Valkyries hosted Pride Night at Chase Center, reinforcing their commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion as a core part of the franchise's identity since before their inaugural season. Coach Natalie Nakase and star Gabby Williams emphasized the team's intentional efforts to create a welcoming environment, supported by grassroots fan groups like the ValQueeries.", "body_md": "**Getting your**\n\n[Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...SAN FRANCISCO — The [rainbow decorations](https://x.com/nathancanilao/status/2069935654402977833?s=20) were already filling the areas around Chase Center hours before tipoff on Friday night.\n\nSo were the signs, the face paint and the jerseys. As the [Valkyries](https://www.mercurynews.com/sports/wnba/golden-state-valkyries/) set up for the [Pride Night](https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/09/valqueeries-turned-valkyries-fandom-community/) festivities, two types of pride filled Chase Center – the Bay Area variety and the Golden State kind, layered together intentionally.\n\nOn Friday, the Valkyries will hold Pride night, and the celebration carried a particular resonance for a franchise that has made [LGBTQ+ inclusion](https://x.com/nathancanilao/status/2069935654402977833?s=20) part of its identity since before it ever played a game.\n\nIn a league where athletes of the LGBTQ+ community have long been embraced, the Valkyries have leaned into that culture deliberately. From holding themed nights for pride to being a franchise that is about inclusivity, Golden State has never shied away from making clear who this team is for.\n\n“We’re all about inclusivity and I love it,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “I love the fact that people can feel their authentic self here, and we welcome everyone. Sometimes when I get a peek, I’ll look around in Ballhalla and I just see all the love. I think there are new people that are making either friendships or new family members literally just by coming together and feeling super inclusive. So I love the fact that we take super intentional steps to make everyone feel welcome.”\n\nNakase’s perspective on inclusivity is personal. The same can be said for Valkyries star Gabby Williams..\n\n“Just to see how far we’ve come, having a night like this where the kiss cam can be two women or two men,” Williams told the Bay Area News Group on Friday morning. “Just seeing how open and normal it is here. It is like a really warm feeling that people could just be themselves unapologetically.”\n\nThat sense of belonging was all a part of the plan.\n\nLong before the Valkyries had their inaugural season, the franchise made it clear that LGBTQ+ inclusion would be woven into the team’s identity.\n\nGolden State has celebrated Pride across the Bay Area, partnering with local organizations and artists while creating programming that extends beyond basketball. From Pride-themed events to hosting drag performances at halftime, the Valkyries have consistently used their platform to celebrate the community.\n\nThat approach has resonated with fans.\n\nA grassroots LGBTQ+ fan group known as the ValQueeries formed last year. The group has organized watch parties, meetups and community events centered around their fandom of the Valkyries.\n\nFor many of the team’s supporters, Valkyries games have become a place where people could build community with others who shared both their passion for the game and their identity.\n\n“[The Valkyries] know we exist, so that feels pretty special for us when we realize, ‘They’re very much on our radar, and we’re on theirs,’” ValQueeries co-founder Megan Doherty-Baker told [Local News Matters](https://localnewsmatters.org/2026/06/05/how-the-valqueeries-turned-valkyries-fandom-into-lgbtq-community/) this month.\n\nIt’s a relationship that reflects the broader culture of the WNBA, where LGBTQ+ players have long found acceptance and visibility.\n\nBut in the Bay Area, a region with deep ties to history and activism, the Valkyries made inclusion part of the team’s culture rather than an annual campaign.\n\n“The Bay Area celebrates history for sure,” Williams said. “What are the Valkyries of the Bay Area historically? They’re Black Panthers. They were the first gay mayor being elected in San Francisco in the 1970s. I think it’s something that they want to continue. They want to keep being trailblazers in these things, and they want to keep representing those who fought for where we are today, which I absolutely adore. The Valkyries really take the time to find these pioneers.”\n\nFor Nakase, the commitment to inclusion is rooted in something she understands in her own life. Nakase said she was usually one of the only Japanese Americans playing basketball in her hometown of Huntington Beach and feels what it’s like to be misunderstood.\n\n“I kind of understand what it’s like to be different,” Nakase said. “People thought I was in the wrong building in college, they thought that I was a gymnast and I was wearing the wrong backpack that said basketball, so I was always being mislabeled. I would say always being misunderstood makes you feel sad in a way, but my dad instilled me a lot of confidence.\n\n“I was very lucky to have a father that instilled in me a very strong mindset, so that’s why I do feel it’s important that it’s all inclusive. I do want people to feel welcome, but more importantly, to be themselves, and that being themselves is very special.”\n\nThat message is one Williams hopes reaches beyond Chase Center.\n\n“It’s something that I carry with pride for sure,” Williams said. “Just the fact that I don’t have to change who I am for my profession, I think is awesome. And the fact that it’s celebrated in my profession, I hope that it heals a lot of young girls or young people watching.”", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/were-all-about-inclusivity-how-the-valkyries-made-pride-part-of-their-identity", "canonical_source": "https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/26/were-all-about-inclusivity-how-the-valkyries-made-pride-part-of-their-identity/", "published_at": "2026-06-26 22:30:56+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-26 22:35:50.745734+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-ethics"], "entities": ["Golden State Valkyries", "Chase Center", "Natalie Nakase", "Gabby Williams", "ValQueeries", "Megan Doherty-Baker", "WNBA", "San Francisco"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/were-all-about-inclusivity-how-the-valkyries-made-pride-part-of-their-identity", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/were-all-about-inclusivity-how-the-valkyries-made-pride-part-of-their-identity.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/were-all-about-inclusivity-how-the-valkyries-made-pride-part-of-their-identity.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/were-all-about-inclusivity-how-the-valkyries-made-pride-part-of-their-identity.jsonld"}}