08/14/2025
August 13, 2025
Beloved Community,
These past weeks have made it painfully clear: hard-won rights for q***r and trans people are under coordinated attack.
Marriage equality—a lifeline for immigration, medical decisions, and spousal benefits—is in jeopardy. Immigration protections are eroding, gender-affirming care is being banned and defunded, and providers are shutting down under threat. Laws criminalizing houselessness target our most vulnerable—especially q***r youth, Black, and Indigenous people—while dissent is met with surveillance and arrests.
Nonprofits like ours—providing mental health, housing, HIV prevention, and safety—face defunding and harassment. Meanwhile, the U.S. exports repression abroad, sending billions in military aid to Israel, fueling the siege on Gaza while rights vanish at home.
This Saturday at the Berkeley Pride Street Fair, we gather under the banner of Q***r Joy—not as escapism, but as survival. Alongside that Joy, we hold sacred Q***r Rage. Both keep us alive.
Our fight continues until all people have equal rights and protections—regardless of gender, race, culture, religion, housing, immigration status, ability, or income. The threats are urgent and global—so our resistance and joy must be, too.
See you in the streets.
In love, community, q***r joy, and sacred rage,
Lasara Firefox Allen, MSW (they/them/Mx.)
Center Executive Officer, Pacific Center for Human Growth
P.S. Without large corporate sponsors, Pacific Center covers $60K+ for Pride—performers, infrastructure, staff, and independent security to keep it law enforcement–free. We offer reduced-rate tickets for QTBIMPOC, free admission for kids under 12, and volunteer opportunities with free tickets. If cost is a barrier, please use these options—your presence matters most.
View full statement here: https://www.pacificcenter.org/post/a-message-from-ceo-lasara-firefox-allen
