During McCarthyism and the Lavender Scare, the Briggs Initiative, Prop 8, and right now with record numbers of anti-LGBTQ pieces of legislation popping up around the country, we are hearing the same tired, dangerous lies and misinformation being told about us as our community is again used as a political wedge. Can you tell it’s an election year?
Coupled with these political attacks are always messages meant to spin a false narrative about us and put us in harm’s way. “Save our children” or the newer “Ok, groomer,” they will say, and in turn violence increases.
The reality is many of these new political attacks target LGBTQ youth putting them at risk of violence and negatively impacting their mental health. While we live in California, the other hard reality too many often forget is that even here, LGBTQ youth are still born into unsupportive families which, as many of us know, can lead to trauma, lack of financial support, homelessness, and lower educational outcomes that all have long-lasting impacts across our lives.
So, how do we help here in San Diego?
Policy & Practices: As educators, administrators, guardians, and youth head back to school, I highly recommend using our LGBTQ+ Youth Standards of Care as a road map. It contains essential benchmarks and links to external resources to help us best serve our LGBTQ students.
LGBTQ Youth Connection: Even one supportive adult can save an LGBTQ young person’s life. At Pride, we have daily, weekly, and monthly programs in-person and virtually for LGBTQ youth. Our youth-led curriculum includes art, music, advocacy, and more in a fun and friendly environment. You can take a look at all of our programs and find links to our other LGBTQ youth-serving partner organizations here.
Capacity Building: This is the 10-year anniversary of the start of our Pride Youth Leadership Academy where junior high through high school-aged LGBTQ youth come to learn about their rights, resources, and leadership skills so they can be their own best advocate in their schools and communities. Over the last few years, we added a track for adults who may be parents, guardians, educators, and administrators and a track for transitional age youth (18-24).
Youth Leadership Academy is probably my favorite day of the year because while our youth are learning, they are also making new friendships and found family connections. There’s so much queer joy that day and at any of our youth programs. We have to break the cycle of LGBTQ youth being severed from the history, laws, and legacy we have all fought for. We must be intentional about how we connect our intergenerational movement to our youth, so we learn from them and respond to the new and emerging challenges they face. This is how our community and movement will continue to pursue Justice with Joy.
Fernando Z. López
Pronouns: they/them/theirs
Executive Director
San Diego Pride
San Diego Pride raises funds primarily through festival ticket and beverage sales, and through sponsorships, and exhibitor fees. These funds support San Diego Pride’s community philanthropy which has distributed more than $2.5 million in advancement of its mission to foster pride, equality, and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities locally, nationally, and globally.
