My name is Karina Piu (she/her), Senior Policy and Advocacy Analyst at The Center and the liaison for the Benjamin F. Dillingham, III and Bridget Wilson LGBT Veterans Wall of Honor (VWoH) Advisory Committee. I am excited to invite you to our 2026 LGBT Veterans Wall of Honor Induction Ceremony on Thursday, November 5, from 6-8pm in The Center’s Bob Nelson Auditorium, where we will uplift the service of four incredible LGBTQ+ veterans and induct them to our wall!

This year, The Center is proud to welcome Lindsey Sin (she/her), Secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet), as our honorable keynote speaker. A retired Naval officer appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2023, she has been an important ally to California’s LGBTQ+ military community at a time when LGBTQ+ military members and veterans could not count on support and protection from the federal government.

Under her leadership, CalVet has helped ensure that our trans and nonbinary veterans have access to the resources and support they deserve. This includes The Center’s groundbreaking partnership with CalVet last year to bring the California Transition Assistance Program (CalTAP) workshop to directly to our LGBTQ+ space at The Center, providing critical resources and support to LGBTQ+ service members.

We will also hear remarks from Cara Dessert (she/her), CEO of The Center, and U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs (she/her), Vice Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and Co-Chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force.

Join us in honoring our four remarkable service members this year:

• Clifford Krapf (he/him), USA, USMC
• Dr. Laura D. Castro (she/they), USN
• Rodney Newman (he/him), USN
• Sam Rodriguez (they/them), USN

By inducting these veterans into our wall, we continue a legacy of recognizing LGBTQ+ service members whose courage, sacrifice, and contributions deserve to be remembered and celebrated. The LGBT Veterans Wall of Honor was founded by City and County Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez (he/him), with the generous support of veterans Benjamin F. Dillingham, III and Bridget Wilson. Since its inception in 2011, we have recognized more than 130 LGBTQ+ veterans with ties to the San Diego region, including many who served under anti-LGBTQ policies like “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT). Some service members who were outed or came out under these harmful policies received an “other than honorable” discharge from the military, rendering them ineligible for crucial benefits and resources.

Today, we are seeing a resurgence of similar policies, despite the repeal of DADT in 2011. The current federal administration has reinstated their ban on trans individuals in the military, stripping qualified and experienced trans service members of their ability to serve and leaving many of them without access to stable employment, permanent housing, reliable healthcare, and supportive services that were promised to them by the federal government for their military service. Extensive sweeps of private medical records by the Department of Defense have resulted in hundreds, if not thousands, of separations of qualified servicemembers from honorable service.

As we see LGBTQ+ servicemembers and veterans face renewed political attacks, the annual LGBT Veterans Wall of Honor Induction Ceremony serves as a space of joy and honor to celebrate the LGBTQ+ veterans who served their country honorably. This year, we are excited to recognize four remarkable individuals who have served our country and the San Diego LGBTQ+ community. Our annual induction ceremony takes place the Thursday before Veterans Day to uplift our LGBTQ+ veterans. This event aims to uplift each honoree’s courage and bravery to inspire future generations to lead and serve with honor.

We welcome our entire community to come celebrate our LGBTQ+ veterans at the 2026 LGBT VWoH Induction Ceremony on Thursday, November 5, from 6-8pm at The Center. The program will include a performance by the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus, a celebration of military colors, a keynote speech from CalVet Secretary Lindsey Sin, and inspirational words from this year’s inductees. This evening promises to be a celebration of the incredible accomplishments and service of our dedicated LGBTQ+ veterans, as well as an act of visibility, resistance, and community building in the face of discrimination.