Meet Justin Fair

May 29, 2025 | People in Our Neighborhood

Justin Fair is a JPride Baltimore board member who’s passionate about building a more inclusive, vibrant Jewish community. In this conversation, they reflect on their path to leadership, what fuels their commitment to LGBTQ+ visibility, and how showing up—boldly and with intention—can create ripples of belonging for youth, families, and beyond.

Talk a bit about your work with JPride and how you ended up taking on this leadership role. What are your hopes for the future of JPride’s work towards supporting Jewish LGBTQ+ inclusion and visibility?

I was invited to join JPride Baltimore’s board after spending a couple of years volunteering on our grants task force. It was over lunch at Patterson Public House with Liz and Ted that they shared something that stuck with me: transformational leadership requires bold voices and a long, steady vision.

Now, following JPride’s Needs Assessment, we’re rebuilding the board with intention — and with a mandate to create a new fundraising plan. Baltimore has an incredible mix of generous Jews and LGBTQ+ folks. But we can’t afford to take that for granted. We need to fund the programs that nourish us: models for healthy youth development, senior care, and intimate, affirming small-group spaces. These things don’t just happen. They require investment — and yes, they require money, honey.

You can’t just assume your synagogue will carry the full weight of communal advocacy. That’s not its role. A local shul may offer support, but it can’t be expected to lift up every marginalized voice with the grit, heft, and nuance required. That’s where JPride comes in.

To borrow a metaphor from sports and movement: you can’t expect your body to grow or heal if you avoid every uncomfortable moment. You pause, breathe, reset — and then you get back up. You ask yourself to act, and sometimes, you command it.

As Pirkei Avot teaches: Rabbi Tarfon used to say — It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it. That’s what keeps me going.

What has helped you feel most connected to your Jewish heritage while navigating your experience as an LGBTQ+ individual?
For me, it’s been the practice of community — not just the idea of it. Whether in synagogues, JPride spaces, or with Unmatched Athlete, I feel closest to my heritage when I’m actively helping build something that makes others feel seen. That’s what Judaism has always been to me: not a solo journey, but a shared one.

In particular, volunteering with Unmatched uplifts my soul because I get to witness what radical inclusion looks like in motion — kids and teens in their bodies, pushing themselves, laughing, cheering, and just playing. When they feel safe to show up fully — on the field or at the climbing wall — their families see it too. It’s like a ripple of belonging, and it reminds me of the kavod (dignity) we’re all called to uphold.

What does celebrating Pride mean to you this year?
This year, Pride is about showing up in public with purpose.

At Unmatched Athlete, that means throwing open the doors and saying: “You belong here. Let’s play.” We’re so proud to be hosting our Union Collective Pride fundraiser on June 7 — an all-day celebration with indoor climbing, ice cream, and a drag show to top it off. And we’re serious about access: we even offer free Rideshare to get folks to our events.

Pride, to me, isn’t just about waving a flag. It’s about lifting each other up — literally and metaphorically — and creating spaces where LGBTQ+ youth don’t just survive but thrive. That’s the kind of joy I want to amplify this year.