News
Memorial for Rose Greene, lesbian checkbook activist, set for August 4

The LGBT community often fetes its celebrity top-donors at black tie and gown galas to show gratitude for helping grow or keep an organization afloat. Less well-recognized are the cadre of volunteer board members, checkbook activists who are just as dedicated to serving the LGBT movement as any grassroots activist, but other than a line at the bottom of their LinkedIn profile, prefer to lead and work in the background to make things happen.
Rose Greene was such a leader. She served twice on the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Board of Directors from 1989-1995 and 2006-2011, critical times in the LA LGBT movement’s history. Only with her death on July 11 is the community learning the depth of her commitment and her contribution—which will no doubt be recounted at her memorial service on Sunday, August 4 at the Renberg Theatre at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 McCadden Place in Hollywood. The service, officiated by Rabbi Denise Eger, will begin at 1 pm.
Greene died of bone cancer, said Lorri L. Jean, CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. She was 72.
Rose Greene was an Angelino. Born in 1946 to a father who owned a cement company and a mother who died when she was 12, Greene attended Fairfax High School, graduated from Cal State Northridge in 1968 with a bachelor’s in fine arts, then briefly taught photography at Hamilton High School, according to an obituary in the Los Angeles Times.
In 1985, she graduated from the University of Southern California after studying personal financial planning. She subsequently founded her own business, Greene Group Financial, based in Santa Monica, which used a team approach to developing personalized plans for clients. She also promoted Community on her webpage.
“Rose believes passionately that one must give back to their community and encourages all of her clients to do the same. To that end, when Rose is not in the office, you’ll find her advising non-profits on their endowments and capital campaigns,” says the outdated post. She also believed in walking the talk.
Rose Greene, Helena Ruffin, Cousin and Client Mark Samara (and Maggie and Gabriel of course) participate in the 32nd annual July 4th, 5k and 10K run/walk benefiting Will Rogers Park. Everyone crossed the finish line, Gabe and Maggie however needed a little escorting.
Greene came out in the 1960s, Jean told The Times. It was a time of significant political and cultural turmoil and change with protests against the war in Vietnam and the music revolution reflecting and fueling it from Frank Zappa; Jim Morrison and The Doors; Carole King; The Byrds; Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Joni Mitchell and so many others centered in LA, West Hollywood and Laurel Canyon on and just off the Sunset Strip.
And yet homophobia and homo-hatred were still a constant during the “Make Love, Not War” generation. There were still violent gay bars raids such as at the Black Cat Tavern in 1967 and the very public murder of a gay nurse named Howard Efland by LAPD cops at the SRO Dover Hotel in downtown LA on March 9, 1969—a murder the Coroner called an “excusable homicide.” There were also organized public protests by such out gay leaders as Rev. Troy Perry and Morris Kight, captured on film by film activist Pat Rocco.
It was against this backdrop that Rose Greene developed her sense of community spirit. She was always forthright and honest. She wasn’t afraid to be herself, Jean told The Times.
Women’s Liberation movement was also developing at this time and Greene’s path was actually more lesbian-feminist focused than gay.
“I recruited Rose to work on our first women’s event — the June Swoon — almost as soon as I became executive director [of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center] in 1888 and onto the Board shortly thereafter,” longtime LGBT and political activist Torie Osborn tells the Los Angeles Blade. “I’d known her from around the lesbian community since the ’70s. She was a passionate feminist who was highly skeptical that the Center could transform into a place welcoming lesbians, as well as gay men.
“I watched her become more and more of a leader, more and more of an advocate for the Center, and more and more outspoken and militant,” says Osborn. “When we all hit the streets in October of 1991, in response to Gov. Pete Wilson’s veto of AB 101 [the gay civil rights bill he’d promised to sign], there was Rose, angry and loud, chanting and marching with the rest of us. She served as female co-chair of the Board during my tenure and brought her terrific business acumen, great humor and common sense to us at a time we needed all of it. She carried the hopes and dreams of the lesbian-feminist world into the Center with power, passion and purpose. She was a key figure at a key time in Center history.”
LA Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center Board co-chairs Ed Gould and Rose Greene with Center Executive Director Torie Osborn at event for the historic Capital Campaign. (Photo by Karen Ocamb)
Greene and Board co-chair Ed Gould followed the hard work of Board stalwart Karen Siteman who, with Mason Sommers, kicked off and led the first-ever LGBT capital campaign to buy the 44,000-square-foot old IRS building on the Hollywood street later renamed for longtime Center supporter and Board member, Judge Rand Schrader. Ironically, the IRS declined to grant the Center non-profit status in 1972, but did grant it on appeal after then-Center executive director Don Kilhefner promised that the Center would not advocate for homosexuality, only gay consciousness raising.
Schrader, who announced he was HIV positive in November 1991, joined LA City Councilmember Mike Woo, Board co-chair Ed Gould, Center Board member Will Halm (partially obscured in this photo), LA County Supervisor Ed Edelman, Center Board co-chair Rose Green (a stand out in white), actress Judith Light, Executive Director Torie Osborn, and LA County Assessor Kenny Hahn for the ribbon cutting ceremony in November 1992 for what became the Center’s headquarters at the McDonald/Wright Building.
Unbeknownst to most caught up in the historic ceremony was that the Center’s incoming executive director, attorney and FEMA San Francisco-based director Lorri L. Jean, was in the audience.
“I’ll never forget that day in the summer of 1992 when my San Francisco office phone rang, and it was Rose whom I had never met. Her mission was to recruit me to apply for the job of Executive Director at the Center. Her passion was infectious. Her commitment impressive. She succeeded, and that pivotal moment changed my life,” Jean says. The success of that first-ever Capitol Campaign “inspired others throughout the nation, among them the New York LGBT Center and the Human Rights Campaign.”
It inspired Greene, too, deciding to mount a second capital campaign to raise $15 million to purchase a $6.7-million Hollywood complex at 1125 N. McCadden Place and renovate it.
On June 21, 1998, it opened as The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, along with a $10-million endowment fund. Additionally, in 1993, Greene helped lead the Center in opening the Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic, which expanded free and comprehensive early intervention HIV and AIDS medical care when AIDS was still crashing all around LA in the second wave of AIDS, according to Jean.
Perhaps Greene’s greatest legacy – that few know about – is her central significance in creating and developing the first California AIDS Ride in 1994. The 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, now known as the popular AIDS/LifeCycle, has raised more than $280 million for HIV/AIDS- related services at the Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
But it took Rose Greene to trigger the launch.
In an email to friends and supporters, Dan Pallotta, now leader in “transformation technologies,” writes about how he “originally developed the concept of the AIDSRide — an epic, multi-day, 4-figure pledge journey — for Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, but they didn’t feel it was for them at the time. It sat on the shelf for a year or so until Torie Osborn hired me to help with the fundraising for the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center.” Then, in January of 1993, he saw the movie, “Alive” and his life changed.
“It reminded me of the power of doing the impossible. Of the human hunger to go after the unreasonable result,” Pallotta writes. I decided immediately that it was time to make the AIDSRide happen and the next Monday my team and I began researching how to move, feed, house, shower and otherwise care for hundreds or thousands of people in the outdoors over the course of a week. And how to get them to agree to do it in the first place.”
New director Lorri Jean was looking for a signature event and the young event planner brought the idea to Jean and Development Director Joel Safranek.
“We had a deck for the concept, the cover of which read, ‘The road from San Francisco to Los Angeles is paved with $600,000,’ which was what we thought it could net the first time around,” Pallotta writes. “When the idea was ready, I asked myself, ‘Who will have the vision to really get this?’ That’s where Rose Greene came in — a woman diminutive in inches and enormous in spirit — an investment manager who sat on the board of the Center and with whom I had become friends while we were raising money for the Center’s capital campaign together.
“I took her out for lunch in Hollywood and explained the idea to her,” Pallotta writes. “She got it and she and Ed Gould, the board chair at the time, helped to shepherd it through board approval to get the $50,000 in risk capital we needed to launch it.”
Approval did not come easily. Greene had to convince one board member, in particular, who wanted to studying the proposal first before making any commitment.
“You know the type,” Pallotta writes his friends. “Makes covering your ass sound like absolute saintly virtue and integrity. But Rose had a strong entrepreneurial business sense about her. And she knew that the way you study something that has never been done before is singular and simple: you do it.”
Pallotta says that his idea for a multi-day pledge event “that I showed to Rose that day in the late winter of 1993, has raised in excess of $2 billion for causes from AIDS to breast cancer to pediatric cancer, suicide prevention and more.”
Dan Pallotta with actress Judith Light and her manager Herb Hamsher who rode the last portion of the first AIDS Ride (Photo by Karen Ocamb)
West Hollywood receives thousands of first AIDS Riders and their supporters. (Photo by Karen Ocamb)
“If Rose Green had not been there, I’m not sure it ever would have happened, at least not at that moment or for that organization. She understood the importance of taking a risk, and the rest of the board took comfort in her confidence,” he writes.
Greene’s courage and confidence in taking a risk when necessary to bring about change should serve as a model for others, Pallotta says.
“For all of the thought leadership that has been proffered about social change and risk since 1993, not too much has changed. Peoples’ attitudes toward risk is mostly still, ‘Sure, I’ll take a risk, so long as I know it’s all going to work out.’ But that is not the nature of risk. Rose Greene understood that, before the term ‘social enterprise’ ever even really existed. She was a mensch. A kindred spirit. Authentic. Full of real integrity and a sense of possibility. She loved life and living,” Pallotta writes.
“And damned if she didn’t actually ride the whole 575 miles with us in that very first AIDSRide. By the way, it didn’t net the $600,000 we had projected. It netted $1,013,000,” Pallotta writes. “The world needs more Rose Greenes.”
Greene continued to believe in the power of informed risk-taking. In January, she posted on her Rose Green Cfp Facebook page: “An important, exceptional excerpt about risk from the Behavioral Investor by Daniel Crosby. Remember this paragraph when thinking about investing for the long term (because thinking short term, reacting to negative moves in the market, will easily ruin your chances of success).”
Greene left the Center Board in 1995, but returned 11 years later in 2006, serving until 2011. During that time, California wrestled with marriage equality and then the war over Prop 8 in 2008.
Greene married Helena Ruffin on June 17, 2008, the day after same-sex marriage was officially legalized in California, before Prop 8 was put on the November 2008 ballot.
“Rose taught me to live my authentic life,” Ruffin told The Times, crediting Greene with helping her come out.
“Rose would tell me: ‘The more we tell people who we are, the easier it will be for us to be accepted,’” Ruffin said. For Greene, “it was always about advocacy and always finding places for people who were cast out, and making sure they could find a home and place to be… she fought for people to be treated as equals.”
That sense of equality extended to family. She and Ruffin broke up about 10 years ago but never got divorced and remained very close friends, including with Ruffin’s partner, Shari Robins.
“It’s been a difficult few months to say the least. As many of you know my partner Helena was brutally attacked on March 2nd in an attempted carjacking. The first person I called was Rose Greene, a women who had become my dear friend, and was the wife of, you guessed it Helena. It was complicated, but never for us. Rose was a 4 time cancer survivor and the first time we met, Helena and I promised her we would always take care of her,” Robins wrote on her Facebook page after Greene passed away, detailing how often they all stayed and traveled together.
“We had a really good thing going the 3 of us. When she discovered she had developed a type of bone leukemia, related to all the chemo she had endured, she vowed to do what was needed to make a 5th defense of this insipid disease. She was a fighter,” she wrote. Sadly things did not improve and Rose had really had enough. She agreed to give treatment one more week…. On Monday Helena got a call that things had gone south, Rose’s kidneys were failing. Tuesday Helen said I had to get to LA and I managed to get an earlier flight on Thursday AM Rose was hanging on. I got the COH at 7. O’clock in the car I ordered Din Tai Fung, our special comfort food, to arrive at the hospital when I arrived. Rose was still with us. Helena was telling Rose all day that I was coming and she held on.
“Helen and I and Bernadette, our caregiver, held Rose’s hand and prayed in 3 religions, me Jewish, Helena AntiochIan Orthodox and Bernadette Christian. We let her know she was good to go and that she had fought so admirably hard. She passed peacefully at 9:23 pm on July 11th.
“Our hearts are broken she will be dearly missed. I love you Rosie. Hope you are enjoying that Med Men and Tequila in the sky. Xo Rest In Peace Hon.”
Rose Greene; Helena Ruffin; Lorri L. Jean; Lillene Fifield; and Margaret Marshall (Photo courtesy Los Angeles LGBT Center)
“Rose left this Earth way too early at the age of 72. But she went out fighting following a stem cell transplant in her quest to defeat bone cancer,” Jean says. “The Center is what it is today, thanks in part to Rose’s leadership and vision….Today the Center lauds this tireless champion of the oppressed, this extraordinary, amazing, powerful, hilarious, and loving woman. May she rest in peace.”
Peace and happiness may be what she sought most for herself, her friends, family and clients to enjoy. Last February 27, she posted this on her Facebook business page:
“Our desire for happiness is something we all have in common.
As advisors we have the remarkable connections, intelligence, experience and technology, among other things, to help you plan for the future and invest for retirement but it is compassion that is our most important trait. Our concern for others’ well-being, our clients, whom are our family.
“Cooperation comes from friendship, friendship comes from trust, and trust comes from kindheartedness. Once you have a genuine sense of concern for others, there’s no room for cheating, bullying, or exploitation; instead, you can be honest, truthful, and transparent in your conduct. Be compassionate.” -Dalai Lama”
Five days earlier, she posted this photo, seeing herself and life in perspective: “It’s Friday! There’s a crisp chill in the air but skies are clear and blue. We can see the Hollywood sign all the way from Santa Monica. Though it really isn’t that far away when you look at the actual distance….”
Please note: this article was corrected to indicate that it was Karen Siteman, with Mason Sommers, who launched and did much of the hard work purchasing the old IRS building.
Los Angeles
LGBTQ+ proponents respond to “devastating” Supreme Court ruling
Supreme Court allows “unlawful” immigration operations to continue

Since June, federal agencies began conducting mass immigration operations in Los Angeles and other major cities. For just as long, local residents, leaders, and advocacy groups have challenged their arrest and detainment practices, citing that their methods have violated constitutional rights.
In July, individual workers were joined by organizations like the Los Angeles Worker Center Network and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in filing a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), arguing that federal agents had been illegally arresting people based on their perceived race, language and work — a violation of the Fourth Amendment.
As a result, two temporary restraining orders were issued, barring federal agents from stopping individuals without reasonable suspicion. DHS was also ordered to provide access to legal counsel for detainees.
On Monday, the Supreme Court voted to end this and granted the federal government’s application for a stay — or pause — of the temporary restraining orders. This will allow immigration operations to continue, and how they will proceed worries local leaders.
“This Supreme Court ruling strikes at the heart of who we are as a nation—allowing immigration agents to stop and detain people for little more than speaking Spanish or having brown skin,” wrote District 51 Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, a longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ civil liberty. “This endangers our communities, undermines our democracy, and erodes constitutional rights.”
Some city officials hope to continue providing resources and support to affected community members. “As the raids were taking place across the region and in our own City, we took immediate action to ensure there are adequate resources to care for and support immigrants and their families,” wrote West Hollywood mayor Chelsea Byers. “This work will continue.”
West Hollywood was one of several Los Angeles county municipalities that filed a motion to intervene in the ongoing lawsuit, calling for the court to stop the federal government from conducting unlawful stops and searches that were based on assumed race and not on probable cause. It also activated its West Hollywood Responds program to raise awareness on available services like legal toolkits and training, consultations, access to free meals and more.
Local organizations are also extending their support. “The Supreme Court’s ruling is a devastating setback for Latine and immigrant communities, especially LGBTQ+ people who already face immense barriers to safety and belonging,” wrote Terra Russell-Slavin, the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s chief strategy officer. Russell-Slavin explained that the center has expanded free legal clinics both virtually and throughout the city to provide Know Your Rights workshops and other immigration and asylum support services.
“You are not alone,” Russell-Slavin continued. “And the Center will continue to stand with you.”
On September 24, the federal district court will hold a hearing to consider additional evidence and a possible preliminary injunction that will pause this most recent ruling.
Kristie Song reports for the Blade courtesy of the California Local News Fellowship
National
Military families challenge Trump ban on trans healthcare
Three military families are suing over Trump’s directive cutting transgender healthcare from military coverage

Three military families sued the Department of Defense on Monday after President Trump’s anti-transgender policies barred their transgender adolescent and adult children from accessing essential gender-affirming medical care.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, challenges the legality of the Trump administration’s decision to ban coverage of any transgender-related medical care under Department of Defense health insurance plans.
Under the new directive, military clinics and hospitals are prohibited from providing continuing care to transgender adolescent and adult children. It also prevents TRICARE, the military’s health insurance program, from covering the costs of gender-affirming care for both transgender youth and young adults, regardless of where that care is received.
A press release from the families’ attorney explained that the plaintiffs are proceeding under pseudonyms to protect their safety and privacy. They are represented by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP, and Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP.
“This is a sweeping reversal of military health policy and a betrayal of military families who have sacrificed for our country,” said Sarah Austin, Staff Attorney at GLAD Law. “When a servicemember is deployed and focused on the mission they deserve to know their family is taken care of. This Administration has backtracked on that core promise and put servicemembers at risk of losing access to health care their children desperately need.”
“President Trump has illegally overstepped his authority by abruptly cutting off necessary medical care for military families,” said Shannon Minter, Legal Director at NCLR. “This lawless directive is part of a dangerous pattern of this administration ignoring legal requirements and abandoning our servicemembers.”
“President Trump’s Executive Order blocks military hospitals from giving transgender youth the care their doctors deem necessary and their parents have approved,” said Sharif Jacob, partner at Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP. “Today we filed a lawsuit to put an end to his order, and the agency guidance implementing it.”
“This administration is unlawfully targeting military families by denying essential care to their transgender children,” said Liam Brown, an associate with Keker, Van Nest & Peters. “We will not stand by while those who serve are stripped of the ability to care for their families.”
National
Supreme Court sides with transgender boy in bathroom access fight
Plaintiff challenging SC law

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a transgender boy may use the boy’s bathroom in a South Carolina public high school while pursuing a challenge to a state law that requires students to use the bathrooms corresponding to their sex assigned at birth.
The order, which was unsigned by any of the justices, did not provide reasons for the court’s decision, but made clear that it applied only to the one student in this case. The order specifically stated that it was “not a ruling on the merits of the legal issues presented in the litigation” and was instead “based on the standards applicable for obtaining emergency relief.”
It should be noted that Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., and Neil M. Gorsuch filed dissents to the order, though they did not provide any explanation for their opposition.
This is not the first time the highest court in the nation has addressed trans rights in the country.
In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County that federal law prohibits anti-trans discrimination in employment. Despite this significant victory for trans rights, in June the court upheld a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming medical care for trans minors in U.S. v. Skrmetti. That ruling, which suggested the court could be used to remove protections for trans people, has contributed to increased scrutiny and the reconsideration of previous rulings favorable to trans rights, placing broader LGBTQ protections at risk.
The recent order comes as the Supreme Court prepares to hear two cases involving trans athletes and their rights to participate in sports under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on sex in educational programs and activities that receive federal funding. Advocates for trans rights have expressed concern that these upcoming cases could further challenge the legal landscape surrounding gender identity in schools and other public institutions.
National
Trump to honor Charlie Kirk with Medal of Freedom
Anti-LGBTQ political activist assassinated in Utah on Wednesday

At a Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony at the Pentagon on Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that he will award right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Kirk was assassinated less than 24 hours earlier at Utah Valley University while speaking on conservative talking points to a crowd.
The 31-year-old conservative commentator is best known for founding Turning Point USA, a nonprofit that sought to build a robust conservative youth movement. He earned notoriety for his unwavering loyalty to Trump, his advocacy of expansive Second Amendment rights, and his opposition to LGBTQ rights. Conservatives and far-right supporters have quickly elevated Kirk to martyr status since his death.
“Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans feel at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk,” Trump said. “Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people.”
As of now, there is no indication when the award ceremony will take place, although Trump said “I can only guarantee you one thing, that we will have a very big crowd.”
Many credit Kirk with helping Trump return to the White House in 2024 by mobilizing young voters — particularly young men — on behalf of the twice-impeached president.
Kirk’s stance against LGBTQ rights was a central part of his political brand.
A staunch opponent of Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark Supreme Court ruling requiring states to recognize same-sex marriage, Kirk often used incendiary rhetoric, at times calling for the erosion of LGBTQ rights altogether.
As host of “The Charlie Kirk Show” on the Salem Radio Network, he frequently denounced transgender participation in sports, referring to trans people and their supporters as “sick.” He also suggested they should be “taken care of like how things in the 1950s and 60s” were — an allusion many critics interpreted as a reference to lobotomies, shock therapy, and forced institutionalization.
Kirk often framed his views through the lens of “Christian values.”
On his YouTube channel, he invoked biblical passages, at one point citing Leviticus 20:13 to claim that the Bible’s call for the stoning of gay men reflected “God’s perfect law.”
The Washington Blade contacted several LGBTQ advocacy organizations for comment on Trump’s decision to posthumously honor Kirk, a man widely criticized for his hostility toward the LGBTQ community. Many focused instead on condemning the violence that ended his life.
“Political violence is unacceptable and has no place in this country,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, in an emailed statement. “We cannot ever accept this epidemic of gun violence as normal. We cannot keep living like this.”
Kristen Browde, president of the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus, which has 21 chapters across the state, making it one of the largest LGBTQ caucuses in the nation, echoed those sentiments while pointing to the consequences of Kirk’s rhetoric.
“Political violence, for any reason, is wrong. Gun violence, for any reason, is wrong. Spending your life, inciting violence, demonizing political opponents? Attacking those who are different? Every bit as wrong. And when violence follows such actions? One can’t be shocked. All you can do is recommit yourself to fight against it.”
According to videos — and witnesses at Utah Valley University, Kirk was shot seconds after beginning to answer a question about how many”transgender” people were responsible for “mass shootings,” where he answered “too many.”
As of Thursday evening, Kirk’s killer remained at large. The FBI has identified a person of interest in its investigation and is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Utah
Charlie Kirk shot to death at Utah university
Anti-LGBTQ figure asked about trans shooters moments earlier

Charlie Kirk, a right-wing political activist, outspoken anti-LGBTQ figure, and founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative nonprofit, was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old was visiting the university’s Turning Point USA chapter and speaking to a large outdoor audience when he was struck in the neck by a single bullet fired from about 200 yards away. NBC reported that no suspect is in custody, despite university police previously indicating otherwise. President Trump announced Kirk’s death on social media.
Just moments before the shooting, an audience member asked Kirk, “How many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?”
“Too many,” Kirk replied—seconds before being shot. Videos of the graphic incident have since gone viral online.
Kirk had long opposed LGBTQ rights and publicly opposed same-sex marriage. He frequently cited his “Christian values” as the basis for his positions, often quoting Leviticus 20:13 (“men lying with men… abomination”) as “God’s perfect law” on sexual matters.
He was also a prominent national voice in efforts to ban transgender healthcare, saying, “Donald Trump needs to run on this issue.” Kirk further proclaimed, “Pride is a sin,” and dismissed “gay corporations that hate America.”
On his YouTube show, he declared there are “only two genders” and described “transgenderism and gender ‘fluidity’ … lies that hurt people and abuse kids.” He also warned that LGBTQ efforts would not stop at marriage equality but instead aimed to “corrupt your children,” according to Media Matters for America.
Utah Valley University, established in 1941 as Central Utah Vocational School, is the state’s largest public university, with more than 46,000 students. It is located about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City.
National
Concerns for future emerge at U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS
‘I’m done being treated like shit in the country I grew up in’

More than 2,400 people, including public health experts, scientists, physicians, local government officials, and community activists, turned out for the 29th annual United States Conference on HIV/AIDS, which took place Sept. 4-7 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in D.C.
Organized by the D.C.-based group NMAC, formerly known as the National Minority AIDS Council, the conference is considered the nation’s largest and most comprehensive gathering of experts involved in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S.
NMAC spokesperson Pavni Guharoy said NMAC officials will be completing a final count of the conference participants based on registration numbers later this week, but she said the current estimated attendance was at least 2,500.
The conference included more than 100 workshop sessions that focused on a wide range of issues related to the status of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S., with a focus on the large and growing number of people living with HIV who are 50 years of age or older.
Information released at the conference shows that as of 2022, of the nearly 1.1 million people living with HIV in the U.S., approximately 54 percent were 50 years of age or older.
Many of the sessions addressed the needs, concerns and sometimes stigma faced by diverse communities of people living with HIV and those at risk for HIV, including African American, Latinx, and LGBTQ communities, both those who are aging as well as young adults.
The conference also included four plenary sessions in which all conference attendees listened to two-dozen prominent keynote speakers. Among them was former U.S. National Institutes of Health official Dr. Anthony Fauci, who pointed out that continuing advances in HIV research have led to effective medical intervention that changed AIDS from a once fatal illness to a condition in which people with HIV can live “a normal life span.”
Other keynote speakers included Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson, the acclaimed basketball player who became an advocate for people with HIV after testing positive for HIV 33 years ago, and Dr. Rachel Levine, who made history by becoming the first out transgender person to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2021as an appointee by then-President Joe Biden as a U.S. Assistant Secretary of Health.
Also speaking was Jeanne White-Ginder, the mother of Ryan White, who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984 at the age of 13 from a blood transfusion. White-Ginder told conference attendees how Ryan faced discrimination when he was initially barred from going to his school in Indiana out of fear that he could transmit the virus to others at school.

In a moving presentation, she told how Ryan became one of the nation’s early advocates for people with HIV/AIDS up until the time of his death in 1990, one month before his high school graduation. She said then-U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) invited her to come to Washington to help lobby for a bill Kennedy introduced and which Congress passed in her son’s honor called the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act in August 1990.
“Now, today, thanks to your hard work and dedication, Ryan’s bill and your bill, too, provides treatment and support to more than half a million Americans in big cities, small towns and rural communities across the country,” she said. “It has dramatically reduced suffering. It has enabled people to live with HIV, to live long and healthy lives.”
But White-Ginder joined the many conference speakers, including Magic Johnson, in calling on attendees and the public to urge Congress to reject the dramatic cuts in funding for federal AIDS programs, including the Ryan White program, proposed by President Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders for the Fiscal Year 2026 federal budget.
Among those calling on the AIDS community and allies to speak out against the proposed budget cuts were Paul Kawata, NMAC’s outgoing executive director and CEO, who is retiring Oct. 7, and Harold Phillips, the former director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy during the Biden administration and current NMAC Deputy Director for Programs who was chosen to succeed Kawata as NMAC CEO.
NMAC officials, led by members of its board of directors, praised Kawata for his 36 years of service as NMAC’s leader and his dedication to the cause of service and support for people with HIV and AIDS.
Kawata reflected on his work at NMAC and his concerns over the current political climate in Washington in a sometimes-emotional farewell address at one of the conference’s plenary sessions on Sept. 5.
“I’ll be honest with you. After 36 years the thought of leaving all of you is much more difficult than I thought it was going to be,” he told the gathering. “You are my family. You are the people that I love,” he said.
“You taught me how to be a better version of me. And I am so extraordinarily grateful for everything that you have given me,” he continued. “And you will always be a part of my heart.”
Pointing to members of the NMAC staff, both current and former members in the audience, Kawata said, “NMAC is NMAC because of what you do every single day with your life. You fight to make a difference in the world. And I am honored and privileged to call you my friends.”
Without mentioning the Trump administration by name, Kawata had harsh words for what he said was happening now in the United States and its impact on people living with HIV.
“I’m not going to lie to you,” he said. “I’m done being treated like shit in the country that I grew up in. I’m done being told that I’m a second-class citizen because of who I love,” he continued. “It’s not my America anymore. And I’m worried for our future.”
He added, “We always talk about the pendulum of justice, about the arc of justice. And I really want you to know in this moment, as difficult and as awful and how hellacious it is, we are on the right side of history. We are the ones who will change the world.”

In his remarks at the conference’s closing Sept. 7 plenary session, Fauci said, “We’re in very difficult times. You don’t need me to tell you that. But we’ve got to continue to put the pressure on what we did in the ‘80s with the activist groups, to make sure we do end the epidemic.”
He noted that he was at his job as director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases in the early 1980s, when the AIDS epidemic first surfaced and the AIDS patients he and his colleagues cared for, had little chance of survival.
“Fast forward now, 44 years, extraordinary things have happened,” Fauci said. “We now have drugs that you are all very aware of that can have an individual living with HIV live essentially a normal life span in putting under the care and the availability of drugs,” he continued.
“We know what U equals U – something that we didn’t imagine some years ago. That undetectable equals untransmissible,” he said, referring to the current HIV medication that suppresses the HIV virus to an undetectable level that prevents an infected person from transmitting it to someone else.
“And right now, with these drugs that we have for the prevention of HIV we have what we actually hoped for years ago – and that is to end the HIV epidemic,” he said.
Dr. Rachel Levine, who during the Biden administration served in the dual role as Assistant Secretary of Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and as director of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, also spoke at the closing session of the conference.
She noted that she began her career as a pediatric physician in 1983 in New York City, at the time of the early stages of the AIDS epidemic. From that time through her years as Assistant Secretary of Health, Levine said she observed first-hand the skills and dedication of doctors, nurses, and others who cared for people with HIV/AIDS who she described as the HIV care workforce.

“The HIV care workforce since that time has been incredibly dedicated, with many people working for decades,” she said. “And working to end the HIV epidemic in the United States and around the world. We applaud you. You are in this room. We applaud you arduously for your dedication and for your passion.”
Levine also noted that the cuts in funding and large-scale federal worker layoffs brought about by the Trump administration have had a direct impact on the HIV care workforce.
“Many dedicated public health leaders, including most of the HIV and infectious disease team who I worked with in my office at HHS have had their positions eliminated,” she said. “These hard-working civil servants went to work every single day to support the health and wellbeing of all Americans, including those living with HIV.”
She added, “And we know that there are shortages in HIV care. And it is so critical at this challenging time that we support you, the HIV care workforce.”
Many conference attendees said Magic Johnson played a leading role in boosting morale and spirit at the 2025 U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS by his inspirational speech at the Sept. 5 plenary session.
Upon receiving a prolonged, standing ovation after being introduced as the next speaker, Johnson said, “When I think about 33 years living with HIV in a moment that changed my life forever. And what a blessing to be here 33 years later to tell that story at a time when there was only one drug.”
Johnson added, “Wow, and they said it probably is a death sentence for myself, and I had to wrap my arms around making the toughest decision I probably had to make in my life, which was to retire from the NBA.”
Among other things, Johnson said his doctors told him that while he was physically capable of continuing to play basketball, the stress of an 80-game season could impact his immune system and lower his T-cell count.

With the support of family, friends, and his community, Johnson said he miraculously survived the early days without a known fully effective HIV drug. And at the request of community activists, he agreed to speak out as a well-known figure and a person with HIV to inform “my community,” especially people of color, he said, about how to live with HIV and how uninfected people can lower their risk.
“But what I do, I adhere to my doctor. I take my meds. I work out, and then I love life and myself,” he said.
In response to the challenge facing people with HIV under the current political situation, Johnson said, “We got to pull ourselves together and continue this fight, because it’s important and we got to keep this at the forefront. Now, HIV and AIDS kind of slipped back. We got to bring it back up.”
Among other things, he said the nonprofit foundation he helped to form has “given away over $15 million” in grants to HIV/AIDS organizations. “And we will continue to do that because of the work you are doing.”
He received another thunderous applause and standing ovation upon the completion of his speech.
Phillips, who will succeed Kawata as NMAC’s CEO on Oct. 7, told the Washington Blade he believes this year’s U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS was “extraordinary” under difficult circumstances.

“I think so, because this year we did this without a lot of federal support,” he said. “And many of the attendees – the federal government, HRSA, the Ryan White program told them they couldn’t use their grant funds to attend the conference, which was a shame.”
Phillips added, “But I think with a crowd of over 2,400, some people found a way to be here regardless and thought that it was important, and the topic was important enough. And I think our listening sessions, our workshops, our plenaries hopefully gave them what they needed to continue to be activated to serve people living with HIV. “
“And also gave them a sense of hope, especially in these dark times that we can continue to work to end the HIV epidemic,” he said.
West Hollywood
Holloway Kitchen: Turning West Hollywood’s former IHOP into a hub for queer resilience and opportunity
Holloway Kitchen turns a vacant West Hollywood IHOP into a training hub for unhoused, queer, and immigrant residents, providing skills, jobs, housing support, and a voice in shaping systems that have long failed them.

Homelessness in Los Angeles is not the result of personal failure. It is a predictable outcome of systemic inequities that push people to the margins while wealth and power concentrate elsewhere. Queer and immigrant communities often carry the heaviest burden. West Hollywood, long a site of queer resistance and organizing, now faces that crisis at its doorstep.
A new initiative, Holloway Kitchen, aims to respond. Proposed by Holloway Housing, the project would transform the long-vacant IHOP at 8461 Santa Monica Boulevard into more than a restaurant. It is designed as a community hub where food becomes a vehicle for structural change—offering training, jobs, and support to unhoused residents in West Hollywood.
“Holloway Kitchen is about dignity and empowerment,” said Jerry Soper III, founder of the project. “We are not just opening a restaurant; we’re creating pathways for people to build stability while being part of a community.”
The project is intended to work with residents of the nearby Holloway Interim Housing Program, managed by Ascencia, providing culinary and hospitality training through a proposed 12-week program. Graduates could secure jobs at Holloway Kitchen itself or with local partners such as SUR Restaurant, The Abbey Food & Bar, Mother Wolf, and the Hollywood Food Coalition.
Central to the vision is a commitment to those who face the steepest barriers. “LGBTQ+ youth face a 120% higher risk of homelessness,” Soper explained. “In Los Angeles, transgender individuals make up a significant portion of unsheltered populations. Holloway Kitchen aims to address these barriers with tailored support, flexible schedules for transition-related needs, and advocacy for queer youth facing housing discrimination.”
The restaurant itself would embody that same commitment to safety and affirmation. Plans include gender-neutral restrooms, a zero-tolerance harassment policy, and comprehensive LGBTQ+ sensitivity training for staff, in partnership with The Trevor Project and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. “We want every person who walks into Holloway Kitchen—whether as a trainee, employee, or customer—to feel affirmed and welcome,” Soper said.
Equally important, unhoused people will have a voice in shaping the project. Soper has convened an advisory board of Holloway House residents and alumni, including queer youth, immigrants, and trans women, to guide decisions on training, housing partnerships, and workplace culture.
Holloway Kitchen also seeks to honor West Hollywood’s legacy of queer organizing. “This project is inspired by the AIDS crisis response, when the community rallied to provide care, advocacy, and support,” Soper explained. Planned educational displays and events will highlight queer pioneers and the city’s history of resilience, blending historical reverence with forward-looking innovation.
The project is currently seeking $825,000–$1,075,000 in startup funding for renovations, staffing, and equipment, with a goal of opening in 2026. While the vision is ambitious, the City of West Hollywood underscored that it remains in the proposal stage. “The proposer has not, to date, been connected to the City, its service providers, or the property owner regarding this idea, and establishing these connections is a necessary prerequisite to consideration,” said Joshua Schare, City spokesperson. “We welcome the proposer to reach out to the City’s Human Services Division to discuss it further.”
Soper envisions the impact for participants: “In a year, a young queer person who comes to us with no job and no home could be thriving with stable employment, safe housing, and a support network. They would feel empowered to give back, becoming part of West Hollywood’s legacy of resilience.”
If successful, Holloway Kitchen could become a replicable model for addressing homelessness at the intersections of queerness, poverty, and immigration—providing a community-driven path toward opportunity where systems have historically failed. For now, it stands as a proposed initiative that seeks to reclaim power, restore dignity, and prove that survival is possible through solidarity and hope.
National
House GOP seeks to cut all U.S. HIV prevention programs in 2026
‘A disastrous bill that will reignite HIV in the United States’

The Republican-controlled Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has released its Fiscal Year 2026 funding bill that calls for cutting funds for domestic HIV prevention, treatment, and care programs by at least $1.7 billion, which is an amount significantly greater than the AIDS budget cuts proposed by President Donald Trump.
Among other things, the bill, if passed by the full Congress, would eliminate federal funding for all HIV prevention programs in the U.S. as well as eliminate the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative program that Trump persuaded Congress to pass during his first term as president.
“This is not a bill for making America healthy again, but a disastrous bill that will reignite HIV in the United States,” said Carl Schmidt, executive director of the D.C. based HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute, in a Sept. 1 statement.
“We urge Congress to reject these reckless cuts,” Schmidt says in the statement. “Eliminating all HIV prevention means the end of state and local testing and surveillance programs, educational programs, and linkage to lifesaving care and treatment, along with PrEP,” the statement continues. “It will translate into an increased number of new HIV infections, which will be costlier to treat in the long run.”
It adds, “At a time when we have the tools to prevent HIV, including new long-acting forms of PrEP, we must not abandon the bipartisan progress our nation has made in combating HIV.”
The proposed bill by the House Appropriations Committee, which has not yet taken a full committee vote on the bill, would also cut the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Program by $525 million or 20 percent.
The bill would eliminate the entire $1 billion in prevention funding at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including $220 million allocated to President Trump’s Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative.
Schmidt points out that nearly 90 percent of this funding “flows to state and local health departments, including those in the South that do not have dedicated state funding and carry over half of HIV cases in the country.”
The House committee proposal supports the president’s budget proposal to eliminate $43 million in dedicated funding for hepatitis prevention at the CDC and instead proposes a $353 million block grant to states that would also include STD and tuberculosis prevention. This is $53 million more than the president proposed but still represents a combined cut of $24 million, Schmidt says in his statement.
“Instead of decreasing and diluting funding for hepatitis, if the country is serious about addressing chronic health conditions,” added Schmid, “we should be increasing funding so that people with hepatitis can be identified through testing and linked to treatment, and in the case of hepatitis C, a cure.”
The proposal by the House Appropriations Committees follows the U.S. Senate’s release earlier this year of a bipartisan FY 2026 budget bill that would maintain current funding for domestic HIV programs. If the House committee passes its proposed budget bill the budget provisions would have to be reconciled with the Senate version, and a reconciled version must then be passed by the full Congress.
National
Doctor who led mpox response resigns from CDC, slams administration
‘Unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end’

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, resigned from his position on Wednesday in a scathing social media post.
“I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.” Daskalakis wrote in a resignation letter he posted to X. “Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people.”
Daskalakis, who’s gay, was among three senior officials to resign following President Trump’s firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez. She is fighting her dismissal.
In 2022, Daskalakis drew praise from the LGBTQ community while serving as White House National Monkeypox Response Deputy Coordinator. Daskalakis previously served as medical director for the New York-headquartered Mount Sinai Health System and then was made deputy commissioner for the Division of Disease Control at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. In late 2020, as the U.S. saw thousands of new covid fatalities each day, Daskalakis joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.
In an exclusive interview with the Blade during the mpox crisis in 2022, he warned of the dangers of homophobic stigma.
“Stigma is stigma, and homophobia is homophobia,” Daskalakis said, and while these problems are older, more intractable, and broader in scope than public health messaging around MPV, it is important to not “attach an infection to an identity.”
“Stigmatizing a disease and creating stigma really creates rabbit holes that take people away from [figuring out] how to respond to an infectious disease — and the way that you respond to infectious diseases, the focus on community, the focus on knowledge, and the focus on data, which should act as a guidance” in getting messages to people, whether through online social platforms or other channels, he said.
Dr. Monarez, who only served in her job for one month, said she refused “to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives” and accused HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of “weaponizing public health.”
Dr. Monarez reportedly clashed with Kennedy over vaccines. The government announced earlier this week that healthy adults would not be eligible for a new COVID booster and instead only those 65 and older, children, and those with underlying medical conditions would be eligible for the new vaccine.
Palm Springs
Be Heard: Palm Springs Pride moves forward in 2025, celebrating resilience and resistance
Despite a $325K sponsorship shortfall, Palm Springs Pride presses on, celebrating LGBTQ+ resilience, community power, and the enduring spirit of resistance.

Despite facing a $325,000 shortfall in sponsorship funding, Greater Palm Springs Pride is pressing forward with its annual four-day celebration, which draws more than 200,000 attendees and generates millions in local economic impact.
“In our specific case, 60% of our shortfall is from one sponsor in Florida where the governor has directed a pullback from supporting DEI or related programs. The other 40% is a sign of economic times,” said Ron deHarte, President of Palm Springs Pride. “Partners who have and continue to support Palm Springs Pride are experiencing tighter budgets… we are confident good partners will continue their investment in our programming.”
The funding gap underscores how critical LGBTQ+ organizations are to their communities. DeHarte noted that these groups provide services ranging from crisis intervention for homeless youth to HIV/AIDS prevention, legal aid, and safe spaces. “When funding is cut or becomes unreliable, these vital services are put at risk. This not only undermines the organizations themselves but also directly impacts the well-being and safety of the individuals they serve. This financial pressure can be seen as a modern tactic of marginalization,” he said.
But this challenge is part of a much longer history of resilience for the LGBTQ+ community. “The history of Pride is fundamentally a story of resistance. From the Stonewall Uprising’s response to police harassment and brutality, the LGBTQ+ community has always had to fight for its right to exist openly and without fear… the collective pushback against legal, social, and political forces that have sought to push LGBTQ+ people to the margins defines what the LGBTQ+ movement has represented for the last 50 years,” deHarte said.
For deHarte, the shortfall is also a testament to the LGBTQ+ community’s ingenuity and self-reliance. “We are not victims. The LGBTQ+ community has a long history of fighting for its rights… The decision to proceed with Palm Springs Pride, even with fewer resources, is a testament to this spirit of self-reliance and strength. We have fought for everything we have. The rights and freedoms celebrated at Pride were not given freely; they were earned through decades of activism, advocacy, and sacrifice,” he explained.
“We do what needs to be done with the resources available. This year’s event will highlight the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the LGBTQ+ community. When faced with a lack of corporate sponsorships, grassroots support and community donations will fill the void. This underscores the idea that the community’s power comes from within, not from external validation or funding. We do more with less,” deHarte said.
Even with fewer resources, organizers say the festival will remain bold, inclusive, and unapologetically political. “It is vital that we stand together and show the world that our community is strong and our fight for equality continues. This year, more than ever, Palm Springs Pride will be a vibrant and political statement and a call to action that will not be quieted,” he added.
From its roots in grassroots protest to today’s massive celebration, Palm Springs Pride demonstrates the power of community, the resilience of a movement, and the enduring spirit of resistance — proving that Pride is not just a party, but a declaration: the fight for equality continues, and the LGBTQ+ community will not be silenced.
Those who want to support the festival can make a contribution online or participate in events like the Equality Walk, though attendance remains free to all.
You’ve linked the shortfall to the current political climate. When we look at the far-right media pipeline, it feels like they’re creating a lot of noise — but does that reflect reality on the ground?
In our specific case, and we point out every Pride organization is unique, 60% of our shortfall is from one sponsor in Florida where the governor has directed a pullback from supporting DEI or related programs. The other 40% is a sign of economic times. Partners who have and continue to support Palm Springs Pride are experiencing tighter budgets. They have been supportive in the past, are continuing to be supportive today. We are confident good partners will continue their investment in our programming.
Corporations seem to react quickly to that noise, often pulling back support out of fear. Do you see that as a reflection of real public opinion, or more about how power operates in boardrooms and newsrooms?
We have heard of this happening with some very large Pride organizations across the country. But when you step back and look at the 450-500 Pride events in the United States, a very small percentage of those events have experienced the corporate retreat you mention.
Pride was born as resistance to systems of power that wanted us silent. How do you see this year’s funding shortfall fitting into that longer history of LGBTQ+ people being pushed to the margins? Has the resistance ever changed?
The history of Pride is fundamentally a story of resistance. From the Stonewall Uprising’s response to police harassment and brutality, the LGBTQ+ community has always had to fight for its right to exist openly and without fear. The root of the struggle has been about individual rights; however, the collective pushback against legal, social, and political forces that have sought to push LGBTQ+ people to the margins defines what the LGBTQ+ movement has represented for the last 50 years.
In this context, the recent funding shortfall for LGBTQ+ organizations is a deeply concerning development that fits into this long history of marginalization. It is a modern form of the same pressure that has historically been used to silence and undermine the community.
The struggle for equality continues. Funding shortfalls for LGBTQ+ organizations represents a new front in this ongoing battle. These organizations are critical, providing a range of essential services for crisis intervention for homeless youth, healthcare access and HIV/AIDS prevention, legal aid for discrimination cases and community centers that provide safe spaces. When funding is cut or becomes unreliable, these vital services are put at risk. This not only undermines the organizations themselves but also directly impacts the well-being and safety of the individuals they serve. This financial pressure can be seen as a modern tactic of marginalization, as it seeks to weaken the infrastructure that the LGBTQ+ community relies on to advocate for its rights and support its members.
The funding shortfall is not just a financial issue; it’s an issue of social justice. It highlights the continued need for vigilance and support to ensure that the progress made by the LGBTQ+ community is not rolled back.
Corporate sponsorship often comes with strings attached and can vanish in the face of political pressure. What does it take to build support that is unshakeable, rooted in actual community power rather than optics?
What sponsorship support comes with no strings attached or no risk of future investment? Grants have deliverables and restrictions, city government funding is dependent on political support, businesses want logo exposure / tickets/ recognition, and now federal grants require removal of any transgender language. One would think individuals would freely donate to their local Pride but many view Pride as a party. It would be great for individual donors to replace the funds currently provided by large money sponsors. While many Pride events are free to attend, implementing small fees for certain aspects can generate significant revenue. Tickets for specific concerts, reserved seating for the parade, or fundraisers throughout the year are also ways to shift the funding model. These are all opportunities. We need to do a better job letting the community know how they can support.
Is it fair to say that relying on corporations has sometimes weakened Pride’s political edge? How do you balance funding needs with staying true to a movement built on resistance?
In our case we have never tempered the political nature of Pride in Palm Springs. However, we have experienced parade participants pulling out because they feel the parade is too political.
What role do you see for small businesses, local organizers, and everyday community members in sustaining Pride, especially when big sponsors pull out?
For free Pride events like Palm Springs Pride, attendees can help by donating $10 bucks (or more) online in place of buying a ticket. Many small businesses who are able already support Pride. However, there are many others who benefit from the economic impact a Pride event has in the community who choose not to provide support. Our message is that we welcome everyone, we are a free event and donations are appreciated to cover expenses.
Systems of power that target queer people are also targeting immigrants, BIPOC communities, and other marginalized groups. How do you see Pride standing in solidarity across those struggles?
We are immigrants. We are the BIPOC community. While Palm Springs is widely known as a welcoming and inclusive city for the LGBTQ+ community, groups within the community face additional layers of marginalization. These groups often experience unique challenges due to the intersection of their LGBTQ+ identity with other identities, such as race, age, and disability. We are one and must ensure TGI individuals, LGBTQ+ people of color, youth, older adults and individuals with disabilities are at the table.
Are there lessons from mutual aid and grassroots organizing that could reshape how Pride operates — making it more of a real support network, not just a festival?
Yes, the origin of Pride is in grassroots organizing and protest. While the modern landscape includes celebratory elements and corporate involvement, look behind the curtain, and one will see its core purpose remains a powerful blend of community building, activism, and providing a crucial support network for LGBTQ+ people. That’s grassroots in 2025. In Palm Springs, it is, and always has been, more than just a party. Pride is fundamentally a real and vital support network for the LGBTQ+ community.
At a grassroots level, Pride provides a space for LGBTQ+ individuals to be their authentic selves without fear of shame or stigma. This visibility is powerful, especially for those who may feel isolated in their daily lives. Pride events, and the organizations behind them, connect people with a “chosen family” and a sense of belonging. Pride continues to be a call to action. It raises awareness about ongoing struggles for equality and rights, and it is a powerful opportunity for protest and political mobilization.
Looking back at the history of Pride as a movement born from resistance, does this funding crisis feel like an opportunity to recenter the movement on community accountability, activism, and care networks rather than corporate sponsorship?
This is certainly a time to ensure our platform reignites the Pride experience to demand rights, protest injustice, and raise awareness about ongoing struggles of the community. The current funding crisis, while difficult, presents a chance to fortify the movement from the ground up, ensuring it remains a powerful force for advocacy and community care, rather than a perceived corporate-sponsored spectacle. It is vital that we stand together and show the world that our community is strong and our fight for equality continues. This year, more than ever, Palm Springs Pride will be a vibrant and political statement and a call to action that will not be quieted.
What would you say to those watching from outside the LGBTQ+ community? What message does Palm Springs Pride send by moving forward this year despite these setbacks?
To those watching from outside the LGBTQ+ community, Palm Springs Pride sends a powerful and unwavering message. It is a message of resilience, determination, and a refusal to be silenced. By moving forward this year despite recent funding shortfall due to a challenging political climate, Palm Springs Pride is showing our commitment is not conditional on easy circumstances. We are demonstrating that Pride is more than a party; it is a fundamental act of visible existence, a celebration of hard-won rights, and a continued protest against injustice.
We are not victims. The LGBTQ+ community has a long history of fighting for its rights. From daily struggles for equality, the community has always had to create our own path forward. The decision to proceed with Palm Springs Pride, even with fewer resources, is a testament to this spirit of self-reliance and strength. We have fought for everything we have. The rights and freedoms celebrated at Pride were not given freely; they were earned through decades of activism, advocacy, and sacrifice. This year’s events serve as a reminder of this ongoing struggle and honors the pioneers who paved the way.
We do what needs to be done with the resources available. This year’s event will highlight the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the LGBTQ+ community. When faced with a lack of corporate sponsorships, grassroots support and community donations will fill the void. This underscores the idea that the community’s power comes from within, not from external validation or funding. We do more with less. The ability to adapt and thrive in the face of adversity is a defining characteristic of the LGBTQ+ community. Palm Springs Pride’s continued existence despite a budget reduction shows that the core message and purpose of the event are not dependent on a lavish production. The focus remains on community, activism, and a powerful, visible presence.
Palm Springs Pride Celebration 2025 / Thur Nov 6 through Sun Nov 9 FREE ADMISSION
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