San Diego Leaders Reaffirm Commitment to Human Rights in Response to Incoming Trump Administration

January 15, 2025 – SAN DIEGO – On January 15, 2025, LGBTQ+ community organizations, elected officials, and allies came together to reaffirm their shared commitment to protect human rights in the face of the incoming Trump administration.

Representatives from The San Diego LGBT Community Center, San Diego Pride, North County LGBTQ Resource Center, and TransFamily Support Services provided remarks, and elected officials and community organizations stood together in solidarity against the rise of hateful and harmful rhetoric. Invited speakers included Supervisors Monica Montgomery-Steppe, Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, and representatives from Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, San Diego API Coalition, and San Diego Unified School District.

The coalition represented diverse movements unified in their support of the rights of the most vulnerable communities, including the transgender community, the immigrant community, and the reproductive justice movement. The event emphasized the need for San Diego to unite to combat the rise of hate and misinformation.

“The incoming administration has threatened to challenge the rights and dignity of our LGBTQ+ community, but we are stronger, our resolve is deeper, and we believe justice is on our side. The San Diego LGBT Community Center is ready to stand strong and protect our diverse binational LGBTQ+ community from potential threats, including the denial of gender-affirming care, transgender military bans, and mass deportations. Together with our allies and partners, we stand united and ready to fight back against attacks on our community with the full force of our collective power. The Center has prepared for the challenges ahead, and we will remain steadfast in defending our rights, our dignity, and our future,” said Cara Dessert, CEO, The San Diego LGBT Community Center.

“San Diego Pride is dedicated to creating spaces where our LGBTQIA+ community can come together in belonging, solidarity, strength and celebration. As challenges to our community emerge, we remain united in our unwavering commitment to one another. We stand proud and remain committed to uplifting our community and ensuring that every person can live authentically,” said Leane Marchese, Executive Director, San Diego Pride. “Any attempt to divide us only ensures our collective resolve remains stronger than ever. We believe in justice, freedom and the power of community. We envision a world free of prejudice and bias. United, we will rise to meet every challenge, ensuring that our community thrives.”
 
“The challenges ahead are daunting, but the resilience of our LGBTQ+ community is unmatched. At TransFamily Support Services, we stand unwavering in our commitment to protect the rights and well-being of transgender and gender-diverse individuals and their families. As threats loom over access to gender-affirming care, the rights of LGBTQ+ students, and the safety of our community, we are more determined than ever to fight back with strength, compassion, and unity,” said Kathie Moehlig, Founder and Executive Director, TransFamily Support Services. “Together with our local LGBTQ+ partners and allies, we are building a coalition that is prepared to defend our community against any attack on our dignity and humanity. We have faced adversity before, and we have overcome it. In 2025 and beyond, TFSS will remain steadfast in ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to live authentically and thrive without fear. We are united, we are powerful, and we are ready.”

“The San Diego County LGBTQI community, from South Bay to North County, has stood for years against any kind of injustice, violence, and marginalization that different actors have tried to inflict against our own community and families. Yet, despite these challenges we have thrived, organized, and created even more visibility through our community’s response.  Because of this history we are now equipped and ready to dismantle the narratives of hate and polarization that will intensify under this new administration. From re-affirming our identities and basic human rights in accessing gender-affirming care to stand against the threat and violence of mass deportations and social profiling.  We are here to exist not just resist and ready to re-launch a new work of solidarity to protect our rights, our spaces, the dignity of our movement ingrained in the history of Americans’ Civil Rights, and our future,” said Max Disposti, Executive Director, North County LGBTQ Resource Center.

"I stand with our LGBTQ+ residents and denounce the rhetoric and violence that threaten their safety and dignity,” said Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, San Diego City Council District 3. “While San Diego has been a leader in fighting discrimination, we must do more to protect our residents and ensure our city remains a beacon of equity, inclusion, and pride." 

“Every student, regardless of how they identify or where they come from, deserves to feel safe, supported, and inspired,” said Dr. Fabi Bagula, San Diego Unified School District Interim Superintendent. “Discrimination, harassment, and bias-based harm have no place in our schools, and the actions we’re taking to make sure every student is being seen, heard and celebrated are proving it.”

“The ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties’ mission is to defend the U.S. Constitution and the human and civil rights of every person in our region. We strongly condemn the litany of unjust promises, untruths and bigotry that defined President-elect Trump’s campaign. His dangerous rhetoric sets the stage for a second Trump administration characterized by terrible injustices and inhumane public policies that target marginalized communities. This is in stark opposition to our shared values of human dignity, equity and inclusion,” said Norma Chávez-Peterson, Executive Director, ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties. “The ACLU is determined to fight against bigotry, mass deportations, restrictions on transgender rights, policies that exacerbate economic disparities, and the blatant dismantling of safeguards against discrimination in healthcare access, housing, education and employment. While litigation will continue to be a key tactic in the ACLU’s response to unjust, unconstitutional actions of the incoming administration, we know that the courts alone cannot protect our communities. It will take the will of the people, holding our elected representatives accountable, leveraging the power of our state and local governments, in partnership with trusted organizations such as the San Diego LGBT Community Center, San Diego Pride, the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, and TransFamily Support Services to safeguard the rights of marginalized groups in our diverse society. It will take all of us."