Together, we strive for a brighter, more equitable future.

Dear community, 

At UWH, we know that safety is not individual, it is collective and only possible through solidarity.
Creating safety, inclusion, and belonging for LGBTQIA+, immigrant, disabled, and disenfranchised communities in San Diego requires an intentional commitment to intersectionality and collective care. Many of our community members are navigating layered forms of harm at the same time fearing detention or deportation, anti-immigrant hate and xenophobia, while ongoing experiences of homophobia and transphobia. These realities intersect in ways that deeply shape all of our daily lives, sense of safety, and ability to fully participate in society.

We center our work with the understanding that liberation is interconnected, that our wellbeing is deeply interdependent. When we are all supported in our full identities, entire communities are strengthened. Through community conversations and culturally responsive spaces, we are creating opportunities for people to share their lived experiences, recognize shared struggles, and build solidarity across differences of nationality, race or ethnicity, language, faith and gender identity.

Building safety and belonging means more than addressing harm, it means affirming dignity, celebrating resilience, and challenging narratives that isolate and divide us. At this intersection, we build collective power and create pathways toward a future where all community members can live proudly, freely, safely, and with belonging.

By uniting together, even during times of unease, showing our collective strength despite fear or insecurity, we are creating a safer, more equitable future for all of us.

Anchored in Pride and Solidarity,
Maebel Gebremedhin
President
United Women of the Horn