A Message from CEO, Lasara Firefox Allen:

August 13, 2025

Beloved Community,

I’ll level with you; the news lately has been keeping me up at night. I’m sure it’s been affecting you, too. Anyone paying attention to the latest waves can surely see what these past weeks have made searingly clear: hard-won rights for queer and trans people—and our communities—are under coordinated attack.

The right to marry—a vital tool for securing immigration sponsorship, medical decision-making, and spousal benefits—is once again in jeopardy. While marriage equality must be defended, we cannot allow it to eclipse the broader fight: the fight to protect and expand all our rights.

Immigration protections for queer and trans people are eroding, leaving both binational families and those here alone at dangerous risk. Community members seeking asylum and safety face abduction and disappearance. Families are torn apart by separation, and asylum seekers are left vulnerable to deportation and violence.

Gender-affirming medical care—lifesaving for trans people—is being banned, defunded, and criminalized, state after state, representing an existential threat to trans survival. Organizations are shuttering gender-affirming programs as providers face death threats and funding is eviscerated.

Meanwhile, the criminalization of houselessness is advancing nationwide, targeting our most vulnerable with arrest, forced relocation, and institutionalization instead of safe, stable housing. We know queer people—especially youth, as well as Black and Indigenous community members—are overrepresented in the houseless population, and those living at multiple intersections of oppression face the highest risk of housing loss.

Alongside this, the criminalization of dissent is escalating. Protesters are surveilled, arrested, and charged simply for speaking out. These tactics are meant to strip away not only our rights, but our ability to fight for them.

The assault is not limited to individuals. Queer nonprofits—lifelines for mental health, housing, HIV prevention, and community safety—are facing defunding, harassment, and legislative attacks designed to erase our infrastructure of care. This is part of a broader political project to control our bodies, consolidate state power, and, ultimately, endanger our lives.

And we cannot ignore that the U.S. exports these tactics. The same government dismantling our rights here sends billions in military aid to Israel—U.S. tax dollars fueling the siege on Gaza, where Palestinians—queer and straight alike—are denied safety, survival, and self-determination. U.S. pinkwashing frames LGBTQ+ rights as a point of national pride, even as our rights are stripped at home–and that same narrative enables and excuses state violence in our name.

This Saturday, August 16, at the Berkeley Pride Street Fair, we gather under the banner of Queer Joy—not as escapism, but as a radical, necessary act. Queer Joy keeps us alive.

And as we move toward our collective liberation, we must balance and bolster our Joy with Queer Rage. Our Rage is sacred. Our Rage propels us toward an equitable world. Our Rage keeps us fighting.

This has been my practice lately: to hold both in the same breath. Together, Joy and Rage are the twin engines of our survival and our liberation.

Breathing into the dual state of joy and rage is keeping me present in both the promise and the actuality of liberation.  

Our work will not be done until every person enjoys equal rights and equal protection—under both the law and social convention—regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, culture, religion, housing status, immigration status, ability, or income.

The threats we face are urgent, interconnected, and global. Our resistance—and our joy—must be, too.

See you in the streets.

In love, community, queer joy, and sacred rage, 

– Lasara

Lasara Firefox Allen, MSW, They/Them/Mx.Center Executive Officer, Pacific Center for Human Growth

P.S. We have had a few emails asking about our charging for the tickets to Pride. Here’s how and why ticketing works for this year’s Berkeley Pride Street Fair.

1. Funding: We don’t have large corporate sponsors or external funding, which is how some Pride events remain free. Instead, Pacific Center is covering the bulk of the costs from our general operating budget—costs we know we won’t fully recoup.

2. Our commitments: We pay all of our performers, in alignment with our values around fair labor, and we cover licensing fees, infrastructure, rentals, staff, and an independent security team so we can keep Pride law enforcement–free. Even with a lean budget, the total comes to over $60K.

3. Accessibility: We’ve made intentional efforts to keep the event accessible—offering:

   • Reduced-rate tickets for QTBIMPOC community members

   • Free admission for children under 12

   • Volunteer opportunities that include free tickets

   • Standard ticket prices in line with similar regional events

We see this event as a gift to the community, and those who can pay the standard ticket rate help make it sustainable in the long term. Yet, if cost is a barrier for you, I encourage you to take advantage of a reduced-rate ticket or join us as a volunteer—both ways to be part of Pride without financial strain.

www.pacificcenter.org

August 13, 2025 Beloved Community, I’ll level with you; the news lately has been keeping me up at night. I’m sure it’s been affecting you, too. Anyone paying attention to the latest waves can surely see what these past weeks have made searingly clear: hard-won rights for queer and trans people—and our communities—are under coordinated attack. The right to marry—a vital tool for securing immigration sponsorship, medical decision-making, and spousal benefits—is once again in jeopardy. While marriage equality must be defended, we cannot allow it to eclipse the broader fight: the fight to protect and expand all our rights. Immigration protections for queer and trans people are eroding, leaving both binational families and those here alone at dangerous risk. Community members seeking asylum and safety face abduction and disappearance. Families are torn apart by separation, and asylum seekers are left vulnerable to deportation and violence. Gender-affirming medical care—lifesaving for trans people—is being banned, defunded, and criminalized, state after state, representing an existential threat to trans survival. Organizations are shuttering gender-affirming programs as providers face death threats and funding is eviscerated. Meanwhile, the criminalization of houselessness is advancing nationwide, targeting our most vulnerable with arrest, forced relocation, and institutionalization instead of safe, stable housing. We know queer people—especially youth, as well as Black and Indigenous community members—are overrepresented in the houseless population, and those living at multiple intersections of oppression face the highest risk of housing loss. Alongside this, the criminalization of dissent is escalating. Protesters are surveilled, arrested, and charged simply for speaking out. These tactics are meant to strip away not only our rights, but our ability to fight for them. The assault is not limited to individuals. Queer nonprofits—lifelines for mental health, housing, HIV prevention, and community safety—are facing defunding, harassment, and legislative attacks designed to erase our infrastructure of care. This is part of a broader political project to control our bodies, consolidate state power, and, ultimately, endanger our lives. And we cannot ignore that the U.S. exports these tactics. The same government dismantling our rights here sends billions in military aid to Israel—U.S. tax dollars fueling the siege on Gaza, where Palestinians—queer and straight alike—are denied safety, survival, and self-determination. U.S. pinkwashing frames LGBTQ+ rights as a point of national pride, even as our rights are stripped at home–and that same narrative enables and excuses state violence in our name. This Saturday, August 16, at the Berkeley Pride Street Fair, we gather under the banner of Queer Joy—not as escapism, but as a radical, necessary act. Queer Joy keeps us alive. And as we move toward our collective liberation, we must balance and bolster our Joy with Queer Rage. Our Rage is sacred. Our Rage propels us toward an equitable world. Our Rage keeps us fighting. This has been my practice lately: to hold both in the same breath. Together, Joy and Rage are the twin engines of our survival and our liberation. Breathing into the dual state of joy and rage is keeping me present in both the promise and the actuality of liberation. Our work will not be done until every person enjoys equal rights and equal protection—under both the law and social convention—regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, culture, religion, housing status, immigration status, ability, or income. The threats we face are urgent, interconnected, and global. Our resistance—and our joy—must be, too. See you in the streets. In love, community, queer joy, and sacred rage,

– Lasara