Over the past 10 years, it has been increasingly common for Pride attendees to spot a joyful adult wearing a “Free Mom Hugs” or “Free Dad Hugs” T-shirt in the crowd of a parade.
But dad and ally John Piermatteo wanted to come up with another creative way to show familial support to LGBTQ+ people who might not have that kind of love at home.
He thought about something simple and straightforward that meant a lot to him growing up: tossing around a ball with his dad in the backyard.
So, he started Play Catch with a Dad in 2019.
It was simple. Piermatteo got a Nerf football, hand-painted a sign and leaned it against a tree, and waited for people to come. He chose a good locale — York Equality Fest in York, Pennsylvania.
Although Piermatteo himself is not part of the LGBTQ+ community, he is a father of two, including a nonbinary child. Already familiar with Pride events, he was prepared to meet people where they were at.
“I had no idea how the concept might be received. It took several trips past my sign before anyone engaged,” he told LGBTQ Nation. “I watched people go by looking at the sign out of the side of their eye, then, on the next pass, they might make eye contact with me. Finally, I would see them walking with purpose directly at me.”
“’Can I play catch with you?’ they would ask. We would toss the ball a few times, and then I’d give them a hug.”
After a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Piermatteo came back with a bang, rallying lifelong friends to join him at his next Play Catch With a Dad event. In the years following, he would take the offering on the road for Pride festivals across Pennsylvania — and nationwide.
Place Catch With a Dad even had its spot at San Francisco Pride in 2023 and San Diego Pride in 2024, two massive Pride gatherings that bring in up to a million attendees each.
“Roughly two out of every five interactions result in the attendee crying in our arms,” Piermatteo told LGBTQ Nation. “We have even had people walk by, see the sign, then burst into tears. It can be an incredibly emotional experience for both the attendees and the dads.”
When it’s just him, his throwing arm gets a bit tired. But the movement has grown to a public Facebook group, with nearly 200 volunteers joining in on the fun. Every father who joins Piermatteo wears a nametag that simply says “Dad.”
For Pride 2025, Piermeatteo and his friends will travel to Phoenix, Chicago, and Baltimore, where Play Catch With A Dad will be a fixture for the Orioles’ Pride Night at Camden Yards.
“We have straight dads, we have gay dads. We have dads that have gay children and dads who have straight children,” Piermatteo said of the group. “What unites us is our desire to help.”
While it’s a small gesture — that requires very little athleticism — it means a lot.
“Some of them said, ‘My dad stopped doing things with me,’ or ‘Our relationship just completely changed,’” Piermatteo told WellSpan. “Others said, ‘I never really had a dad, so it was nice to play catch with one.’”
Piermatteo now has an ongoing relationship with Pennsylvania’s Rainbow Rose Center, which hosts him at York’s annual Pride event.
“A lot of people have lost access to a father figure and that is particularly true in the LGBTQIA+ community, where people often face a broken family after they come out,” Tesla Taliaferro, the board president of the Rainbow Rose Center, said.
“A few minutes of playing catch is a way for these dads to say, ‘I see you, I support you, I respect you,’ and ‘I love you. I am glad you are here.’”
While the movement slowly takes hold at Pride events in the U.S., Piermatteo hopes it can one day have a similar reach as Free Mom Hugs, which has become a global movement for stand-in LGBTQ+ familial support.
“Maybe someday,” he told WellSpan, “it will be all over the place.”
But for now, he’s making a difference for even just one individual. On Facebook, an anonymous contributor left the group a note of thanks.
“Seeing this group come up on my Facebook reminded me of the moments I got to play catch at San Diego Pride,” they said. “... the warm and genuine hug that the dad there gave me, along with a ‘You’re doing great, kiddo.’ Thank you for what you are doing. It means so much.”
It’s emblematic of Piermatteo’s overall goal: “To help someone heal, if just a little bit, one toss at a time.”
Header image courtesy of John Piermatteo/Play Catch With a Dad
