- I’m Ian Johnson (he/him), The Center’s Senior Director of Development and your guest author this week. As we face election results together and what it means for our community, we know that the next four years will be difficult. Now, more than ever, The Center must be here to meet the needs of our LGBTQ+ community members. Your generosity has the power to make a difference. Now through December 16, every dollar donated will be matched up to $100,000!
Make a gift and double the impact
It is the donors in our community who have ensured that The Center remains a leader in building LGBTQ+ power in our region, a cornerstone of care and compassion for people when they are in crisis, and a community space to connect and face uncertainties before us—together.
In light of the election, our work is more critical than ever. President-Elect Trump has already promised to terminate gender-affirming care and enact mass deportations. If recent history is any indication, our LGBTQ+ community will see an escalation of existing harms as well as new threats. Here in San Diego, hate crimes have been on the rise, including the recent pellet gun attacks in the Hillcrest neighborhood. Housing insecurity and high levels of poverty already plague our community, especially our trans and nonbinary community members. Our LGBTQ+ youth are among the most vulnerable, and have experienced rising rates of suicide this year due to increasing anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country.
Our community is under attack, but we have been here before—when our existence was illegal, when our government would not say the word “AIDS,” and when we could be fired from our jobs and ostracized from our communities. We survived those dark chapters in our history by standing shoulder to shoulder at Your Center, united in our shared resolve to grow our collective power and fight back. And because of that we have won enormous victories and we know we can do it again.
Now, we need to unite and continue the vital work The Center does to fight against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and to protect our community. Your support makes possible our ability to innovate and expand our services, ensuring that we can continue to meet emerging challenges head-on with an agile, rapid response strategy. With your support, The Center will be able to meet the urgent needs of our community, including:
- Addressing the high demand for mental health support, particularly for our most vulnerable populations such as youth and seniors.
- Responding to the housing crisis that is significantly impacting our community and is expected to worsen.
- Expanding our Crisis Services, which are rapidly growing and anticipated to see even greater demand in the coming year.
Join us in the fight to protect our community and invest in a future where LGBTQ+ people have access to the dignity, care, and support they deserve. Every dollar donated between now and December 16 will be matched up to $100,000, effectively doubling your contribution and its effect on supporting The Center’s comprehensive services for the LGBTQ+ community.
Your gift is doubled
In the face of great crisis and threat, The Center remains open, offering strength and hope for a new chapter in the lives of our LGBTQ+ community members when they need it most. Together, we can stand tall in our resilience and fight for a new beginning for our community.
In community,
Ian Johnson (He/Him)
Senior Director of Development