Dragon Dads: Fierce Love Loud Support and a Community That Shows Up

Every June, as rainbow flags rise over Salt Lake City and the streets fill with celebration, one group stands out — not because of the giant inflatable dragon, but because of the unmistakable warmth they bring wherever they go. They are Dragon Dads, a community of fathers and caregivers who have transformed their own journeys of learning, loving and unlearning into a powerful force for LGBTQ+ youth.

Founded in 2015, Dragon Dads began with a simple but radical mission: help fathers become confident, compassionate advocates for their LGBTQ+ children. What started as a handful of dads walking together in the Pride parade has grown into a vibrant network of mentors, educators and allies who show up for kids who need them and for the parents learning how to support them.

Vice President Drew Armstrong remembers exactly how it began. When his son came out as transgender at age three, Armstrong and his family were still deeply rooted in LDS culture. “We didn’t know how to deal with that,” he recalls. “We were looking for support, trying to figure out how to give him what he needed.” That search led him to other fathers navigating the same questions and eventually to the idea that dads needed their own space — one built on honesty, vulnerability and fierce love.

“A lot of us are recovering homophobes,” Armstrong says. “None of us had done this before. But we knew we wanted to learn.”

From that desire grew Dragon Dads: a group that welcomes anyone who wants to support LGBTQ+ youth, regardless of gender or parental status, while focusing its outreach on fathers who often lack role models for affirming parenting. Their work centers on education, mentorship and connection, helping dads understand their children’s experiences and build the confidence to advocate for them at home, at school and in the community.

Board member and events leader Rob Reich found Dragon Dads in a very different way — on the back of a motorcycle. After being invited to ride in the Pride parade to drown out protesters, he brought his daughter along. The experience changed him. “There was no animosity, and everyone was helping each other,” he recalls. “It was a whole community supporting one another.”

When he put on a “Free Dad Hugs” shirt, the response was overwhelming. Kids, adults, elders — people who hadn’t felt a father’s embrace in decades — lined up for a moment of connection. “People don’t realize the hugger gets as much as the person being hugged,” Reich says. “It’s powerful.”

This has led to the Dragon Dads’ “free hugs” menu — one of their staple offerings at the many Pride festivals and other events across the country that they attend. (The group has attended 15 this year alone.) Beyond offering hugs, conversation and a table full of LGBTQ+ stickers that draw young people in long enough for a meaningful exchange, they ask gentle questions: “Is your dad supportive?” “Can we help?” Many kids leave with a QR‑coded card to pass along at home.

“People don’t realize the hugger gets as much as the person being hugged — It’s powerful.”

Some dads eventually show up at the group’s monthly Affirming Fathers Breakfast, where they discover they’re not alone — and that loving their child is not only possible, but transformative. “We want to normalize having an LGBTQ+ kid,” Armstrong says. “The only thing that really has to change is the parent’s point of view. You stop leading the way and start walking beside them.”

This June, as Salt Lake City celebrates Pride, Dragon Dads will be there — fierce, loving and impossible to miss. Their message is simple: Every child deserves a parent who shows up, and every parent deserves a community that helps them learn how.

More information about Dragon Dads can be found at dragondads.org. You can also follow them on Instagram @thedragondads.

Read more of what’s going on in the LGBTQ+ community:
Funky, Fun & Girly: Spritz! Brings the Sparkle to Salt Lake’s Queer Nightlife
Restorative Health: A Holistic Haven for LGBTQ+ Care