In the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive orders regarding gender, the San Diego-based non-profit, the Human Dignity Foundation, released a statement doubling down on its commitment to serve the LGBTQ+ community.
“As the HDF enters a new chapter, our focus will remain on empowering and uplifting the LGBTQ+ community. This administration’s policies may seek to divide, but we will amplify the voices of love, unity and inclusion. HDF will continue to advocate for critical protections, support grassroots movements and champion the stories of those who refuse to be silenced,” officials said in the release.
RaeLynn Fuson, director of public relations for the foundation, said that the main concern looking ahead to these next four years will be to protect the immediate safety of LGBTQ+ individuals.
“We are concerned about an uprising or an emboldening, really, of individuals who align with the president’s rhetoric, taking matters into their own hands,” Fuson said, referring to potential hate crimes. “We are prepared to support individuals in our community who are feeling targeted in that way. The more broad threat, really, I would say, is the loss of identity and support of identity for these individuals.”
Trump, in an executive order on Monday, declared that the United States recognizes only two sexes, male and female
The order also requires the government to use the term “sex” rather than “gender,” while mandating that identification documents issued by the government, including passports and visas, be based on what it described as “an individual’s immutable biological classification as either male or female.”
According to Fuson, the potential for a stark rise in harmful rhetoric or action against queer individuals is something they are considering while finding ways to support the community. They are discussing how to establish an emergency fund, “what that will look like and how individuals can access it” she said.
Trump also signed an executive order that repeals a provision allowing transgender troops to serve within the military.
David Vance, senior manager of advocacy and civic engagement at the San Diego LGBT Community Center – known as The Center – said his organization has recently held community meetings with local service members to hear their concerns.
“We heard from those active duty trans service members that they’re not sure how this is going to play out yet. They’re not sure what kind of discharge status they would receive,” Vance said. “Really, in that meeting, it was just a reminder of how these folks really just want to do their jobs and serve their country.”
Vance said that The Center has been having conversations about potential policies and outcomes since before the November election, and is ready to act.
Community partners, including San Diego Pride, TransFamily Support Services and the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, along with coalitions aligned with Planned Parenthood and the Asian Pacific Islander community, have joined to speak out.
Vance said “all of these different justice movements are coming together to uplift each other’s power, to build power in coalition and to send a unified message that we are not going to accept these attacks on our dignity.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
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