W hen Adrian and Bee Powers moved to Raleigh from Tennessee in April 2023, they were eager to get involved in the community. In search of an activity the couple would both love, Bee took to perusing queer community groups on Facebook.
There, she encountered the Triangle Pride Band , a sprawling, inclusive, community symphonic band.
“We’ve both been in band since we were in middle school, high school,” Adrian explains. “We met in band in college, so as soon as we saw [Triangle Pride Band], we were like, ‘Oh, yeah—we’re doing that.’”
The couple promptly dropped in on a rehearsal and, right off the bat, say they felt like part of the band.
“It was amazing for us to be so welcomed in,” Adrian says.
The community element wasn’t simply a good first impression: Not even a year after joining, Adrian went through top surgery, a chest reconstruction procedure meant to enhance one’s gender expression. At the time, he was a percussionist, a position that involved repetitive arm motions—movement that was sure to disturb the healing scars on his chest.