My name is Kim Fountain (she/they), Deputy CEO at The Center, and I’m proud to share that our CEO, Cara Dessert (she/her), has been named a 2025 Pride Honoree by the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus! Cara is one of 16 honorees selected for this distinction, which celebrates bold leaders advancing LGBTQ+ rights, inspiring our community and allies across the entire state, and leaving a legacy of life-changing impact.
California’s Legislative LGBTQ Caucus was formed by state legislators in 2002 to discuss issues affecting LGBTQ+ Californians and to further equality across the state. Each year, the LGBTQ Caucus recognizes individuals who have made a profound impact on the lives of LGBTQ+ people through service, advocacy, and representation. This recognition is both a well-deserved honor and a reflection of the life-changing work leaders like Cara are doing in one of the most critical moments in our history.
As LGBTQ+ rights are under attack across the country, with our transgender and immigrant communities being targeted relentlessly and vital support systems dismantled, Cara’s leadership at The Center is helping build a powerful line of defense here in San Diego—protecting our community, sustaining essential services, and pushing back against threats both locally and nationally.
As a queer Latina and long-time advocate for LGBTQ, immigrant, and racial justice, Cara Dessert brings both lived experience and strategic vision to this fight. Since becoming The Center’s CEO in 2018, she has led with courage and compassion, resulting in groundbreaking progress and more robust services at The Center, including:
- More than doubling its annual budget to over $15.7M.
- Expanding services to 90,000+ community visits last year.
- Developing a full-scale housing continuum, including the county’s first LGBTQ-affirming youth shelter.
- Launching vital programs, including Black Services at The Center, the South Bay Youth Center, and a cross-border campaign to support LGBTQ+ asylum seekers.
- Establishing The Center as a national leader in the LGBTQ+ movement through active collaboration with CenterLink, an association of LGBTQ+ organizations across the country.
This incredible progress and the services we have built together are now at risk. Federal funding cuts and anti-LGBTQ attacks are threatening our programs, our staff, and our community. At this pivotal moment, we need a bold, steady leader to protect what we’ve fought for, and Cara is that leader—ready to meet this moment, withstand assaults, and fight back to ensure our community not only survives, but thrives.
Her grassroots approach centers our community’s voice and has transformed The Center into a trusted organization for advocacy, direct services, and social connection through its physical spaces and community events. As we face the challenges ahead with increasing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and policies from the federal government, her commitment to keep fighting remains. Cara’s leadership has equipped Center staff to not only hold the line for our community but also build a stronger foundation for the future.
As we fight to protect our hard-won rights, dignity, and progress, this honor reminds us of the strength in our leadership, in our community, and in our movement. With visionary leaders like Cara and the unity of our bold LGBTQ+ community members, we will draw from our shared history, build our collective power, and create a future that is more equitable, just, and supportive.
We hope you’ll join us in celebrating this well-earned honor and recommitting to the work ahead. Because as Cara reminds us: when our community is under attack, we organize, we fight back, and we come back stronger than ever.
In community,
Kim Fountain (she/they)
Deputy CEO