LGBTQ+ Organizations Unite to Oppose City Cuts to Queer, Trans, and HIV Care
Contact: Jae Riley, jaer@sfcenter.org
SAN FRANCISCO — 11 LGBTQ+ service providers today released a joint statement calling on San Francisco to fully fund the queer, trans, and HIV care infrastructure the City has spent decades building, after a budget season that restored some organizations’ funding for a single year while leaving others facing deep cuts. Signatories include the SF LGBT Center, Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, El/La Para Trans Latinas, Lyon-Martin Community Health Services, LYRIC, OpenHouse, QWOCMAP, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco Community Health Center, SF Pride, and The Transgender District.
The statement follows Mayor Daniel Lurie’s decision to reverse a percentage of planned cuts to eight LGBTQ-serving organizations, including the SF LGBT Center. The coalition welcomes this partial reversal and thanks the community members, advocates, and City leaders who fought for it. But a reversal for some cannot mean silence for the rest: nearly $3 million in confirmed cuts to coalition organizations remains unrestored in the proposed budget. The organizations whose funding was restored, including the Center, are standing in solidarity with the organizations still facing significant cuts.
The partial reversal also comes with an expiration date. San Francisco budgets two years at a time, and the restored funding appears only in the budget’s first year; in year two, this money disappears. Mayor Lurie told the Bay Area Reporter that the City is “stepping up with investments to protect the organizations that San Franciscans rely on.” The coalition agrees we need to protect our backbone LGBTQ+ service providers, and that is exactly why one year of funding is not enough. Without ongoing investment, the organizations the Mayor himself described as essential will face the same fiscal cliff twelve months from now. One-year funding also leaves these organizations in limbo – unable to responsibly hire staff or plan service delivery.
The remaining cuts come as federal attacks on LGBTQ+ communities are escalating and demand for local services is rising. They would unravel decades of progress, destabilize community anchors that have built trust over generations, and put thousands of LGBTQ+ San Franciscans at immediate risk, disproportionately those who are trans, BIPOC, immigrant, and low-income.
As first proposed, the budget cut millions from LGBTQ+ programming citywide and threatened the elimination of critical trans-specific programs in San Francisco. Even after the Mayor’s partial reversal, coalition organizations still face over $2.7 million in confirmed cuts, a significant loss for the LGBTQ+ San Franciscans who rely on these services. Restoring every remaining dollar remains a reasonable ask given the context, even in a deficit year.
The coalition is urging the Board of Supervisors to restore the remaining cuts in full before it adopts the budget this summer, and Mayor Lurie to carry every restoration through both years of the budget. Keeping these organizations whole costs the City almost nothing; losing them would cost San Francisco something no budget can buy back and leave thousands of LGBTQ people in need without critical social safety net services.
Below, coalition members describe the cuts they are still facing; each figure has been confirmed by the organization it affects. Several losses, including El/La Para TransLatinas’ Human Rights Commission reduction and the elimination of OpenHouse’s technology program provided by a Curry Senior Services city grant, do not yet have public dollar figures. They are not counted in the coalition’s total, which therefore understates the full impact.
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
SFAF faces a total loss of $1.258M in funding over two years to core programs and services of the agency. The cuts include:
- $414K cut to Treatment Connections Through Safer Supply Program/PWUD Pick Up Crew begins 7/1/26 and continues for subsequent years.
- $152K cut to Substance Use Navigator position; Program is cut 50% in 26-27, and 100% in 27-28, and the full cut continues in subsequent years.
- $60K cut to treatment connections through safer supply program, PWUD mobile sites.
- $100K cut to MSM Health Access Point (HAP) for Clinic Sustainability in 27-28 that continues in subsequent years.
- $419K cut to MSM HAP for Capacity Building to Umoja HAP in 26-27 that continues for subsequent years.
- $25K cut to MSM HAP for Capacity Building for Sexual Health in 27-28 that continues in subsequent years.
- $86K cut to MSM HAP in FY 27-28 that continues in subsequent years.
Lyon-Martin Community Health Services
- $421,003 in cuts across DPH and MOHCD grants, including elimination of our QTI BIPOC health education and workforce development fellowship that provides supervised experiential learning and serves as a pipeline to permanent employment in a clinical setting.
- Eliminates our legacy grant from St. James Infirmary which supports outreach to sex-workers and other vulnerable communities and promotes violence prevention through peer-based mobile health care services. The mobile clinic delivers direct, street-based medicine, HIV and STI testing, hygiene kits, peer counseling, community supports and services to reduce violence and disease transmission to over 2,000 people on an annual basis.
El/La Para TransLatinas
- Funding for TransLatinx Workforce from MOHCD appears to have been restored; however, our funding from the Human Rights Commission was reduced by more than 60%, forcing us to make heartbreaking decisions, including ending our Entrepreneurship Training Program (Ms. El/La Emprendedorx) and Trans Emergency Aid Program
- (TEAid), while reducing holistic case management, health education, leadership development, and gender-affirming support services.
The Transgender District ($495,000 in total cuts across three defunded programs)
- The Mayor’s Budget Office proposed cutting the Transgender District’s funding from $330K to $230K. Through advocacy, including a projected Prop E revenue increase, the District recovered $70K of the proposed cuts, with a final budget of $300K confirmed through a new contract with the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development.
- However, three programs totaling $495K remain fully defunded: the Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program ($325K), TGNC Leadership Development via the Community Advisory Board ($45K), and the Social Justice Fellowship ($125K). Together, these programs form the economic mobility and civic leadership pipeline for trans San Franciscans.
San Francisco Community Health Center ($276,000 in total cuts)
- $219K reduction, eliminating trainings for SFDPH clinical staff on transgender competency and reducing capacity building support for all Health Access Points to ensure transgender competency is addressed for the entire system of San Francisco’s HIV prevention and syndemic response.
- $57K reduction to our Transgender-focused HIV prevention Health Access Point in year 2.
OpenHouse
- Grant funding for the technology program for LGBTQ older adults at Openhouse, provided by Curry Senior Center is being cut from the City budget. For LGBTQ elders, technology is not a luxury – it is a lifeline. The technology program helps low-income LGBTQ+ older adults navigate government forms required to maintain affordable housing, food programs, and telehealth appointments. Additionally, the program also helps older adults break isolation and find accessible ways to socialize and receive support when they are unable to leave their homes. The loss of these services also put LGBTQ older adults at greater risk of online scams, fraud and exploitation.
Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP)
- Funding for the QTWork Apprenticeship program is eliminated, ending a workforce development program for LBTQIA+ BIPOC ($250,000).
The coalition is calling on Mayor Lurie and the Board of Supervisors to:
- Fully fund every organization this year. The Board of Supervisors should restore the more than $2.7 million in remaining cuts detailed above before it adopts the budget, including HIV prevention, harm reduction, and syringe services at San Francisco AIDS Foundation; Lyon-Martin’s QTI BIPOC fellowship and St. James Infirmary mobile health services; the Transgender District’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator Program, Community Advisory Board, and Social Justice Fellowship; transgender competency training and capacity building at San Francisco Community Health Center; the OpenHouse and Curry Senior Center technology program for LGBTQ+ elders; QWOCMAP’s QTWork Apprenticeship program; and El/La Para TransLatinas’ programs funded through the
Human Rights Commission. - Fully fund every organization on an ongoing basis. Mayor Lurie should make this year’s restorations permanent rather than a one-year reprieve: fund restored organizations in both years of the current budget, and include full two-year funding for all of these organizations in next year’s budget, so that the organizations San Franciscans rely on are not left facing the same cliff every budget cycle.
- Reaffirm San Francisco’s commitment as a Trans Refuge city at a moment when federal attacks on trans and LGBTQ+ people are intensifying and demand for local services is rising.
The organizations signing this statement work across HIV care, trans care, youth services, senior services, arts, and community infrastructure. The people they each serve are the same San Franciscans this budget is supposed to protect. When the world creates more hostile spaces, the City’s responsibility is to invest in safer ones. San Francisco can still keep that promise in this budget, and in every budget after it.
Statements from coalition members
Jennifer Valles, Executive Director, San Francisco LGBT Center:
“The SF LGBT Center stands in solidarity with our community partners. We created this coalition because this moment is not about any one org individually; it is about our communities as a whole and our network of care and support. The totality of cuts devastates our community support network and the overall needs of our communities in a moment of high risk and high need. These budget cuts threaten San Francisco’s living legacy as a refuge for LGBTQ+ community. City leaders, we are calling on you to stand with the community this budget is supposed to safeguard, and reaffirm your commitment to the San Francisco values we all share.”
Tyler TerMeer, PhD, CEO, San Francisco AIDS Foundation:
“We are deeply concerned about the proposed cuts to public health, but especially those that impact HIV prevention through the Health Access Points (HAPs), clinical and trans care for our most underserved communities, and harm reduction and substance use services. Over decades, San Francisco has led the way in establishing effective and robust programs for HIV prevention and care. These programs are not optional–they are essential pillars of our city’s public health infrastructure. Cuts to these systems of care will undermine decades of progress toward ending the HIV epidemic and weaken support for people living with HIV, substance use disorders, and complex health needs. At a time when the federal government continues to target trans and LGBTQ+ communities, dismantles investments in public health, and works to erode trust in evidence-based care, San Francisco must continue to lead with evidence, compassion, and courage. We demand that our local leaders protect the HIV, harm reduction, trans health, and LGBTQ+ care infrastructure that our communities rely on every single day.”
D’hana Perry, Chief of Staff, Lyon-Martin Community Health Services:
“At a time when health access, especially for trans folks, is increasingly at risk, San Francisco should step up, not step back. Lyon-Martin’s programs are a vital lifeline for our queer and trans community in the Bay Area, not only for access to health care and peer support, but for us to envision ourselves in the future and in a society that values and uplifts us rather than scapegoats and neglects us. These deep cuts mirror a federal agenda that seeks to harm and eliminate queer, trans, low-income, undocumented and BIPOC communities. We expect more from San Francisco in line with the city’s rich legacy of inclusivity, activism, and community care and urge restoration or add-back to the complete network of community orgs and safety-net providers that have supported our most marginalized community members and neighbors for decades.”
Breonna McCree and Carlo Gómez Arteaga, Co-Executive Directors, The Transgender District:
“As we see a surge in trans and nonbinary people seeking safety and refuge in San Francisco, LGBTQ+ organizations are already being asked to do more with less. Budget cuts have forced the Transgender District to pause meaningful programs for the next generation of trans and nonbinary entrepreneurs and business owners. San Francisco cannot claim to be a sanctuary city for our community while defunding the organizations that support them. We demand that City leadership protect funding for our organizations so we can continue doing what we do best – serve the marginalized communities that keep this city’s soul alive.”
Lance Toma, CEO, San Francisco Community Health Center:
“We must protect the entirety of the health care safety net for our LGBTQ communities. Demand for services is increasing at a rapid pace. Any cut at this point in time will have devastating impacts on the health and wellness of our communities. San Francisco has been a beacon of hope for the queer community and especially our Trans community. As the federal administration does everything to attack and erase our Trans community, we need to continue to be this beacon of hope and do all we can to uphold and preserve all of our life-saving programs.”
Morey Riordan, Executive Director, OpenHouse:
“We serve LGBTQ elders in SF that came to this city in the 1960s-80s to make a home where they could be their full selves with safety and community. They fought AIDS, they fought for marriage equality, and they created a city where a rainbow flag signified love and inclusion. Now, many of these same elders are barely hanging on with fixed incomes and no traditional family safety net. They feel abandoned by a city that they helped build. We have learned that the grant funding Curry Senior Center to work with our LGBTQ elders on technology literacy will be eliminated. This incredible collaboration has helped those we serve navigate things like government forms required to apply for or maintain affordable housing, food programs and emergency assistance. Wiping out a small but mighty program like this leaves elders at even greater risk of losing their homes, losing telehealth options and being the targets of online scams.”
Madeleine Lim, Executive Director, QWOCMAP:
“Our queer & trans BIPOC arts & culture organizations are suffering under the austerity budget slashing by the City. In addition to the federal funding cuts and the right-wing resource grabs, these budget cuts intentionally harm our vulnerable communities in particular and on purpose, especially the transgender & queer people of color communities that QWOCMAP serves. The negative impact of these budget cuts and policies are a form of violence that induces premature death of our vulnerable communities.”
Gael Lala-Chavez, Executive Director, LYRIC:
“At LYRIC, when we can’t provide a service directly, we walk our young people to a sister organization because that ecosystem of care is not a luxury, it is a lifeline. That lifeline is now under threat. The federal government is erasing trans and non-binary people from public life, and San Francisco is compounding that harm with a 23% cut to trans-specific programming and youth clinics closing by the fall. We are calling for 100% restoration of all LGBTQ+ cuts citywide, not partial, not phased, all of it. Our community is only as safe as its most vulnerable members. San Francisco must be the city it has always promised to be.”
Suzanne Ford, Executive Director, SF Pride:
“San Francisco Pride stands in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ nonprofit siblings and the organizations providing direct services to LGBTQ+ San Franciscans. As a platform for advocacy and visibility, SF Pride is proud to support those doing critical work every day across the city. We join our partners in calling for a fair and equitable budget that supports these organizations and the communities they serve.”
Nicole Santamaria, Executive Director, El/La Para Trans Latinas:
“We are encouraged that, as of now, it appears the proposed funding cuts for one of our city programs to El/La Para TransLatinas may be restored. We are deeply grateful to the community members, advocates, partner organizations, and elected leaders who mobilized to protect some of the resources announced for restoration. At the same time, we’ve learned to be cautious—proposed restorations are not the same as signed contracts. We will feel more confident when organizations can actually rely on those funds and be paid on time to sustain services.
More importantly, this moment has never been about El/La alone. San Francisco’s LGBTQI+ communities depend on a network of community-based organizations that provide housing support, health services, workforce development, violence prevention, cultural programming, leadership development, and mutual aid. Last year’s cuts, this year’s new cuts, and the threat of future cuts like these have created uncertainty and destabilization across that ecosystem, particularly after a couple of years of delayed reimbursements, funding instability, and growing demand for services. We are relieved when funding is restored to El/La, the San Francisco LGBT Center and other sibling organizations, but no single organization can meet the needs of our communities alone. At a time of heightened risk for LGBTQI+ people—especially trans, immigrant, and low-income community members—our collective well-being depends on sustained investment in the full network of care that keeps our communities safe, connected, and thriving.”
About the coalition
San Francisco LGBT Center. Founded in 2002 and based at 1800 Market Street, the SF LGBT Center connects a diverse community to opportunities, resources, and each other to achieve a stronger, healthier, and more equitable world for LGBTQ+ people and allies. Programs include Community Programs, Employment Services (home of the Trans Employment Program, the first of its kind nationally), Financial Services, Youth Services, Cultural Programs, and Health and Wellness. The Center welcomes over 100,000 visitors and provides direct services to nearly 7,000 people each year, with particular focus on transgender individuals, youth, and immigrants. sfcenter.org
San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Founded in 1982 in response to the HIV epidemic, SFAF provides health care and support services to communities living with, at risk for, and affected by HIV and AIDS. SFAF provides clinical care, HIV prevention and PrEP, substance use treatment and harm reduction services, overdose prevention, sexual health care, housing and benefits, community support services, LGBTQ+ services, and trans health care to thousands of clients each year. Culturally-tailored community programs provide education, resources, and support to Latine, immigrant, and Spanish-speaking populations; transgender and non-binary folks; Black and African American communities; and people over age 50 who are living with HIV. sfaf.org
San Francisco Community Health Center. San Francisco Community Health Center is a community-based health center serving San Francisco’s most marginalized communities, with a focus on LGBTQ+, transgender, AAPI, and low-income populations. Programs include primary care, HIV and STI services, behavioral health, and the House of Thrive workforce development program for low-income transgender community members. sfcommunityhealth.org
OpenHouse. OpenHouse provides housing, services, and community for LGBTQ+ older adults in San Francisco, including affordable senior housing, programs that combat isolation, and partnerships such as the technology-literacy collaboration with Curry Senior Center that helps low-income LGBTQ+ elders stay housed, fed, and connected. openhousesf.org
LYRIC (Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center). Founded in 1988, LYRIC is one of the first and largest LGBTQQ+ youth centers in the United States. For nearly four decades, LYRIC has created safe, affirming spaces where young people can learn, lead, and thrive. From pioneering youth-led advocacy in schools to providing housing navigation and leadership development, LYRIC has shaped the future of LGBTQQ+ youth services locally and nationally. LYRIC builds community and inspires positive social change for LGBTQ+ youth in San Francisco through leadership development, education, employment readiness, and youth-led programming. lyric.org
SF Pride. San Francisco Pride produces the annual San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade, one of the largest Pride events in the world, alongside year-round programs that celebrate, advocate for, and build community with LGBTQ+ San Franciscans and visitors. sfpride.org
The Transgender District. The Transgender District is a nonprofit focused on empowering trans communities through cultural preservation, economic development and community programs. It is the only legally recognized transgender district in the world, working to preserve the legacy of trans history, activism and community power. Rooted in San Francisco’s Tenderloin, the District was founded by three Black trans women and is shaped by a coalition of trans and nonbinary leaders. From the Compton’s Cafeteria riots to today’s artists, entrepreneurs, and organizers, we uplift stories too often erased from a neighborhood that has long been a site of both violence and resistance – and ensure they remain a lasting part of the city’s historical fabric. transgenderdistrictsf.com
El/La Para Trans Latinas. El/La Para Trans Latinas is a San Francisco organization built by and for trans Latina women, advancing safety, health, and visibility through community-led programming, advocacy, and direct services. ellasf.org
QWOCMAP (Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project). Founded in 2000, QWOCMAP builds narrative power by transforming the world’s most expensive art form into a tool for liberation. We fund, create, exhibit, and distribute high-impact films that shatter stereotypes and reveal the lived truth of inequality. We actively invest in, develop, and nurture the brilliant creativity and incisive leadership of LBTQIA+ BIPOC communities. qwocmap.org
Lyon-Martin Community Health Services. Lyon-Martin Community Health Services is a San Francisco community health center providing affirming primary care, sexual and reproductive health care, and gender-affirming care to queer, trans and gender-nonconforming people, as well as cis-women, regardless of insurance or ability to pay. lyon-martin.org
Castro LGBTQ Cultural District. The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District is committed to preserving, sustaining, and promoting the rich cultural legacy of the Castro and its significance to San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community and beyond. Our goals are to highlight the structures and sites important to our history; foster racial, ethnic, gender and cultural diversity among residents and businesses; and create a safe, beautiful, and inclusive space for LGBTQ+ and allied communities, to visit from around the world and call the Castro home. castrolgbtq.org
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