Momentum was beginning to build for LAFC ahead of its first-ever MLS home game. To that point, the newborn franchise exceeded expectations with an impressive start to the 2018 season that included four wins in six away matches. But while the players helped set the stage for the team’s first-ever MLS game at Banc of California Stadium on April 29th, a nascent fanbase was preparing for its moment in the spotlight.



Contributing to that preparation was Dexter Quinn, founder of an LGBT-focused supporters group called Pride Republic. He had watched as diverse supporter groups for the new MLS club popped up, and felt inspired to add another to the melting pot.



“How do we reach out to the LGBT community and make them feel like they belong here,” Quinn recalls asking in an early chat with a team representative. Then, “just out of the blue, about a month following this conversation, my oldest son came out.”



With Quinn’s son as the...