For the LGBTQ community, Pride celebrates people’s right to live and love fully and authentically. It is intended to be diverse, non-judgmental, and nurturing. For LGBTQ allies, it is a month to outwardly show solidarity and support. For many clients and staff at IFR, Pride is a visible celebration of our proud intersectional community.

From youth to seniors, immigrants to US-born citizens, the number of Latiné transgender, gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals continue to grow. According to a recent study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, approximately 211,000 Latiné immigrants are LGBT. This number reflects an increased sense of safety to be “out.”

At the same time, political backlashes across the country are working to strip away the freedom, vitality, safety, and rights of our communities. Books that celebrate diversity, sexual orientation, and gender expression are being stripped from libraries so that people of all ages – but especially youth – have nowhere to turn for positive affirmation of their LGBTQ sentiments. Loss of rights, threats of violence, and bullying and hate speech have increased in several states across the country.

However, this is San Francisco, where we take pride in caring for immigrants and the LGBTQ community. Still, the City received a warning in mid-May from the Department of Homeland Security that terrorist organizations may “seek to exploit increased gatherings associated with the upcoming June 2024 Pride Month.”

We live in strange times, even in San Francisco in 2024. We can be cautious without letting racist and homophobic threats deflate our celebration. Too many heroes, sheroes, and theyroes have given their lives so that we – LGBTQ members and allies alike – can all wave our rainbow flags with pride.

This year, let’s all do our parts to make it safe to be out and proud. Together, we are stronger, louder, and unstoppable.

Happy Pride 2024!