LGBTQ organizations in the Bay Area and across the nation are responding to Donald Trump’s re-election for a second term as president. Though the future may hold challenges, many LGBTQ leaders are reminding the community of its strength and resilience.
Rebecca Rolfe, executive director of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, emphasized on November 6, “In times of fear, it’s crucial that we support one another and offer compassion and care
“Last night’s election results were a stark reminder of the state of our country and the terrifying political shift that will impact the rights, lives, and futures of LGBTQ+ people across this country,” Rolfe’s statement read in part. “While this moment may feel insurmountable, we have been here before. Throughout history, our community has stood resilient in the face of injustice. And we will continue to fight — standing with those most vulnerable to hate and discrimination.”
A spokesperson stated that the center is planning to assess next steps.Trump won over Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris with the strongest Electoral College outcome for a Republican since 1988 (312 to 226). Voters voiced frustration with the economy and appeared to set aside Trump’s previous opposition to transgender rights, his administration’s anti-LGBTQ actions, as well as his history of impeachments and criminal convictions.
There is also Project 2025, a conservative initiative aimed at centralizing authority within the executive branch of the federal government. This project intends to infuse government policy with conservative Christian perspectives and reclassify civil service roles as political appointments aligned with the president. Under this plan, agencies such as the FBI and the Department of Justice would lose their independence. Critics argue that this proposal is authoritarian and would weaken both the separation of powers and the divide between church and state..
Tony Hoang, a gay man who’s executive director of the statewide LGBTQ rights organization Equality California, issued a stark warning in a statement of his own November 6.
“During Trump’s first term in the White House, we witnessed a concerted effort to undermine and eliminate protections for LGBTQ+ people across the federal government,” he stated. “The Trump administration weakened non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students and workers, repeatedly attempted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, undermined access to medically necessary health care for transgender people, and appointed judges with alarming anti-LGBTQ+ records.
“Based on his own campaign promises — and the detailed policy proposals of Project 2025 — we can expect the second Trump administration to go even further in its vile attacks against LGBTQ+ people,” he added.
Hoang continued, “No matter who occupies the White House, we remain committed to fighting for our families, our freedoms, and our future.”
“To our LGBTQ+ friends and loved ones, we want you to know that we are prepared for the fight ahead. California has already enacted some of the strongest laws in the nation to help protect LGBTQ+ people from the damaging effects of a second Trump administration,” Hoang stated. “We now stand ready to mobilize our supporters and work in close coordination with pro-equality legislators in Sacramento and D.C. and California’s vast network of LGBTQ+ and allied organizations to further protect our rights and ensure that California remains a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people across the country.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for a special legislative session on December 2 to address concerns about Trump’s “agenda that could undermine essential freedoms and individual rights, including women’s and LGBTQ+ rights,” his office stated last week. This session will concentrate on strengthening legal support to safeguard civil rights, reproductive freedoms, climate initiatives, and protections for immigrant families.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta also pledged that his office will work with Newsom and lawmakers.
“Regardless of what the new administration brings, California is committed to progressing,” Bonta said. “We’ve faced similar challenges in the past, and we are prepared to safeguard your rights and uphold California’s core values. We are collaborating closely with the governor and Legislature to strengthen our defenses and ensure we have the necessary resources to meet each challenge head-on..”
Joint statement from LGBTQ leaders
On November 6, seventy LGBTQ organizations, including CenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ Centers, Equality California, GLAAD, The Trevor Project, and the Transgender Law Center, released a joint statement. Echoing themes similar to those in Rolfe’s statement, they emphasized that the LGBTQ community has faced difficult challenges in the past.
“We’ve got this. We’ve got us. No matter who you are, where you live, or the outcome of yesterday’s election, today we are an LGBTQIA2S+ community united. Together, across races, places, genders, and abilities, we have shown up for each other by organizing, mobilizing, and casting our ballots for the freedom to be ourselves. Our work continues,” the statement read in part.
“From the early days of the Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis, to the Stonewall Uprising and HIV/AIDS activism, to achieving marriage equality and anti-discrimination protections in the workplace, to the fight for transgender rights, and beyond, we march on,” the statement read.
The statement also noted some bright spots from the election.
“In particular, we celebrate the election of the first openly transgender person to U.S. Congress, Sarah McBride (Delaware), as well as out lawmaker U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin),” the leaders stated. They also pointed to victories by lesbian Congressmember-elect Julie Johnson (D-Texas), and Missouri state Representative-elect Wick Thomas (D), who is queer and gender-nonconforming.
The letter commended voters in California, Colorado, and Hawaii for cementing the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in their state constitutions. Indeed, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Proposition 3 was passed by California voters, codifying the freedom to marry in the state’s governing document.
‘Sources of light’
Queer arts and cultural organizations were also dismayed by the outcome of the presidential race. Allegra Madsen, a Black queer woman who is executive director of Frameline, the LGBTQ film festival in San Francisco, stated she was “heartsick.”
“We are entering a political reality we fought against,” she stated November 7.
Madsen, the first woman of color to lead Frameline, recalled that her hometown square in Southern Virginia had a 40 foot monument to “our Confederate dead.”
“I also know what it’s like to grow up in the shadow of the Confederacy, in the shadow of hateful ideologies — both literally and figuratively,” she stated. “This wasn’t just a statue — it was a daily reminder of the power that symbols and stories have to shape our world.”
But even in this situation, there was hope, she continued.
“Though that Confederate monument darkened the background of my life, I was blessed with two powerful sources of light: the Black women who raised me and the queer elders whose legacies guide me,” Madsen stated. “Together, they taught me something profound: even in the darkest times, community and art can light the way forward. They showed me that joy and solidarity are acts of resistance, and that culture is our most potent tool for reclaiming our narrative.”
And so, therefore, “as forces of bigotry once again try to cast their shadow and rewrite pride as shame, we stand ready,” she continued.
“We know the truth: our stories, our art, our community are more powerful than hate,” Madsen stated. “We do not have to accept their narrative — we will write our own. Frameline stands ready to be that light for others. For nearly 50 years, we’ve championed queer cinema because we know that stories have the power to change hearts, transform minds, and illuminate the path forward.”
Horizons Foundation President Roger Doughty, a gay man, stated, “As much as we may try to steel ourselves for this blow, it still hurts, maybe even more than we thought it would. It’s devastating. And I hurt, too, for the countless people who will be grievously harmed in the coming years. People around the world, in every corner of this country, and right here in the Bay Area. Our neighbors. Our friends. I imagine you hurt, too.”
He also announced an upcoming virtual event hosted by the San Francisco nonprofit on Thursday, November 21, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., titled “Our Collective Power.” Those interested in joining can register online.
“This will be an opportunity for our community to come together, reflect on this moment in history, and discuss how the LGBTQ movement can work most powerfully in today’s divided political and cultural climate,” he stated. “Please join us, and come prepared with questions.”
Doughty continued, “We’re not going to give up hope. Only if we do will we be defeated.”
“So let’s take a moment to mourn. And then, we will lean into this cold wind,” he stated. “Closer than ever, let us stand together and shout our pride into the face of that wind, our pride in who we are and what we know to be true. We are all — as always — in this together.”
LGBTQ Agenda is an online column that appears weekly. Got a tip on queer news? Contact John Ferrannini at j.ferrannini@ebar.com
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