My name is Psyche Calderon Vargas (she/her), the Director of Latin@x Services at The Center. As we observe National Pride Month in both the United States and Mexico, I am excited to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between The Center and the Mexican Consulate in San Diego, a milestone that reflects the power of collaboration and cross-culture care.
On June 26, 2026, we celebrated the anniversary of our MOU, entered into on June 5, 2025 by The Center and the Mexican Consulate. Our ground-breaking partnership represents a shared commitment to ensuring LGBTQ+ Mexican nationals in San Diego County have access to culturally competent, LGBTQ-affirming services. This first-of-its-kind collaboration brought together the resources of a community-based LGBTQ+ organization and the reach of a consulate to better support our binational region.
Through this partnership, we have strengthened pathways to essential resources, including mental health support, legal assistance, HIV prevention services, referrals, and other critical care. This collaboration has been crucial during a time when our LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities have faced ongoing political attacks, reminding us of the importance of creating spaces where people feel supported and affirmed.
Over the past year, we have turned this commitment into action, ensuring the Consulate has a gender-neutral restroom, hosting two LGBTQ+ resource fairs that connected community members with affirming services, and creating referral pathways that make it easier for people to access care. The Center has provided Consulate staff with LGBTQ+ sensitivity trainings, including Trans(Gender) 101 Pronouns Training and Trauma-Informed Care Training, helping build a more inclusive and welcoming environment for our binational community. The Mexican Consulate now also provides dedicated legal services to LGBTQ+ Mexican nationals living in San Diego.
By working together, we are ensuring LGBTQ+ members of the Latin@x community are connected to life-affirming services. This partnership has allowed us to grow together, strengthening the Mexican Consulate’s ability to support LGBTQ+ Mexican nationals while also expanding opportunities for Latin@x Services at The Center to connect community members with resources, advocacy, and care. It is a powerful example of what we can accomplish when we unite with dignity and intention.
Latin@x Services at The Center continues to be a home for connection, healing, celebration, and empowerment for our community. As the first program of its kind in the nation, Latin@x Services at The Center provides a safe, and culturally and linguistically appropriate space created by and for the Latin@x LGBTQ+ community. Through our programs and services, we celebrate every part of who we are, including our culture, traditions, language, spirituality, and LGBTQ+ identities.
As we look ahead, I am excited to continue building community together. This October 24, I invite you to join us during Latine Pride for Festival Mictlan: Celebration of the Underworld, a family-centered gathering honoring Mictlan, the sacred destination in Mexica (Aztec) tradition where souls journey and return during Día de los Muertos. Through art, music, tradition, and collective joy, we will honor our ancestors while creating new memories together.
Thank you for standing with us as we continue building a region where LGBTQ+ Latin@x communities know they belong, deserve care, and are celebrated.
In community,
Psyche Calderon Vargas (she/her)
Director of Latin@x Services