San Francisco's first transgender history month began on Aug. 1. A report from KRON4 explained that the city allocated $14 million for combating homeless in the transgender community and for subsidies to help transgender residents find homes and employment. Some of the money will be used to create permanent housing for "transitional aged youth" and behavioral health services.
This week, another California city announced that it would recognize "transgender history month."
The City of Santa Clara, California, officially proclaimed the month of August as "Transgender History Month." The decision happened at a City Council meeting on Aug. 16.
The proclamation posted to the city's website states that August commemorates the anniversary of the Compton's Cafeteria Riots.
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Clara is strengthened by and thrives upon the rich diversity of ethnic, cultural, racial, gender, and sexual identities of its residents, all of which contribute to the virbant character of our city; and
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Clara joins the efforts to support, acknowledge and advocate for the Transgender community. The City of Santa Clara continues to promote the rights and support the ongoing efforts of LGBTQIA+ and transgender people to eliminate discrimination and violence faced by all individuals; and shed more visibility on transgender advocacy from the past, present, and future; and
WHEREAS, Transgender History Month honors the 56th anniversary of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots, which occurred in August 1966 in San Francisco, marking the beginning of transgender activism as one of the first LGBTQ uprisings in United States history, preceding the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, and
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Clara affirms our commitment to stand with transgender individuals who continue to face discrimination, harassment, and barriers to opportunity, and
WHEREAS, we honor transgender individuals and leaders who are continuing the fight for human rights for freedom, equality, dignity, and respect in the ongoing struggle against intolerance, discrimination and injustice throughout our city and communities.
Townhall covered how on March 24, the Palm Springs City Council approved a proposal to give universal basic income to transgender and nonbinary residents beginning sometime over the next year. Transgender and nonbinary residents of Palm Springs would be eligible to receive up to $900 a month with no strings attached, Fox News reported. The program will start the program with $200,000 to fund initial research and planning.
Palm Springs Mayor Lisa Middleton, a Democrat who is transgender, told Fox that transgender Americans "suffer extremely high rates of under unemployment" and face enormous challenges living "full and authentic lives."
Shortly after, San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced that the city will spend $6.5 million to end homelessness for transgender people.
In April, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to prohibit official business travel to Florida and Texas over legislation that does not allow the teaching of sexuality and gender identity in schools.
The motion from the Board cited how Texas Gov. Greg Abbott launched investigations into the parents of transgender children for possible child abuse. Shortly after, a Democratic Texas judge halted the investigations. The LA County Board of Supervisors called it "harmful" and "cruel."
The motion also attacked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who recently signed the Parental Rights in Education bill, which prohibits the instruction of sexual education and gender orientation to school children under eight years old, as Katie noted.
"Parents' rights have been increasingly under assault around the nation, but in Florida we stand up for the rights of parents and the fundamental role they play in the education of their children," DeSantis said in a statement after signing the bill into law. "Parents have every right to be informed about services offered to their child at school, and should be protected from schools using classroom instruction to sexualize their kids as young as 5 years old."
