Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) people across Santa Cruz County are concerned about how their rights will be impacted by the incoming Trump administration. High school, college students, educators and seasoned politicians said they were disappointed that so many people in the United States voted for the Republican presidential candidate. Many LGBTQ+ residents are fearful and still processing the election by avoiding the news, talking with people in their networks, and gathering with friends and family.
One 14-year-old high school student, who identifies as transgender, remarked that they were considering moving out of the country where they have relatives because they are not sure how safe they will feel in the coming year. They commented, “I’m just a 14-year-old, I don’t know all the laws we have in Santa Cruz or California that may protect me.”
Trans people are especially vulnerable, said queer transgender college graduate Levi Kriesa, 22, who recently completed a political science degree at UC Davis.
“We will continue to be another minority to blame for problems that aren’t the fault of trans people and at greatest risk for discrimination. I worry about how all of the people who supported Trump will feel empowered to do violence and there won’t be any repercussions for their actions.”
What will the future hold for the LGBTQ+ community? LGBTQ+ residents, politicians, educators and students in Santa Cruz County have suggestions about how to prepare for the second Trump presidency.
‘Don’t Grieve, Organize’
Senator John Laird, 74, was one of the first openly gay U.S. mayors when elected in Santa Cruz in 1983. He was a speaker at the Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil coordinated by the Santa Cruz Diversity Center on Nov. 20.
“Don’t grieve, organize,” he said there. “The fight for equality is never totally won,” he added. “I frequently tell the story that I had just become a teenager when the (1964) Civil Rights Bill was passed, and I thought oh, thank God we solved that. That’s what a 14-year-old would think.
“Every generation has new issues where they have to make sure that civil rights are understood and protected.”
Laird pointed out that “we locked marriage equality into the state constitution (via Proposition 3) in the election this month, which means we have protected Californians in marriage equality. Overall, we have to make sure we execute it here and make sure that California is a beacon for other states on what they can do to protect their own citizens. All people should deal with their fear by affirmatively organizing, and affirmatively reading, and affirmatively talking to their family, their teachers, their neighbors, and their friends.”
Supervisor-elect Monica Martinez, 42, the first openly lesbian official in that position, was disappointed that an overqualified female wasn’t elected president.
“However, my focus is to ensure that everybody feels safe to access services they are entitled to across Santa Cruz County,” she said. “That includes emergency, law enforcement, health and food services that everyone should feel welcomed and included no matter who they are regardless of their citizenship status, race or gender.”
‘Our Values Will Prevail’
Martinez was attending the California State Association of Counties last week in Los Angeles, where she said there were many conversations about how to respond to the Trump administration. “Everyone can agree that we don’t want funding pulled for our programs in California,” she said.
“I think it is important to think locally and remember that our values will prevail in the long run. Pay attention to what happens at the local and state level and most importantly, take care of yourself and your mental health, and check in with your family and friends. Overall we need to work together to support the existing organizations out there to support LGBTQ+ organizations, and remember that everybody is welcome in schools, healthcare, and neighborhoods.”
Similar thoughts were echoed by Rabbi Eli Cohen, 64, an out gay man who serves as spiritual leader of Chadeish Yameinu the Jewish Renewal of Santa Cruz. “Someone once said that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. As a Jewish person, I can’t help but remember our history. Hitler stated his intentions in the book, Mein Kampf, and people didn’t pay attention. He was elected in a democratic election. In the U.S. in the 1950s there were Communist witch hunts and people lost their jobs because they were accused of being Communist, and the same thing happened to queer people.”
He added: “I think the most important thing to do is to get involved in liberal or progressive causes and do the work in our community. Already, there are a lot of interfaith discussions taking place and a number of our congregants are involved in organizations that provide legal assistance for undocumented people as well as helping with practical things like getting an apartment, purchasing food, and knowing about healthcare.”
‘Stay Educated’
Cabrillo College students Mars Redmon, 19, and Grayson Hutchinson, 19, are co-leaders of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) at Cabrillo College. “For students who are working, then join a union and talk about why LGBTQ issues are important. At school, stay educated about the issues and keep up to date with the news and know your rights and especially your local rights and state rights,” said Redmon.
“We have been through this before when similar things happened around the Briggs Initiative in 1978 (that would have barred gay or lesbian teachers from teaching),” said Cabrillo College instructor and long-time LGBTQ+ activist Patrick Meyer, 64. “People need to know who we are and recognize the fact that we’re not the demons that they make us out to be. It is important to be out and be open.”
Cabrillo College Trustee Adam Spickler, 54, the first out trans man elected to a political office in California, provided other insights about what to do next: “We, in communities that it’s been made explicit we are going to be targets, we would be smart to treat this as a keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer. I hate framing this as an enemies situation, but it is a useful analogy. I need to understand what they are thinking. We all need to read a copy of Project 2025 and get aware of the specifics of what to potentially expect and then get in conversation with folks who can help us think of what are the ideas we need to be thinking of to get in front of what may be coming.”
Delfin Bautista, 43, is the director of the Lionel Cantu Queer Resource Center at UC Santa Cruz and identifies as queer, trans and Latina/Latinx. They are working with their team to “think through what are the potential impacts. There are a lot of unknowns. In addition to our LGBTQ+ folks, we are being mindful of people of color, undocumented people, immigration issues…we need an intersectional approach to whatever is to come. Our national organizations are in the process of putting out guides about how trans people can be prepared for the next presidency. We are compiling them and will be sharing them soon for our college as well as high school and middle school students. We will be making the resources accessible in many ways.”
Bautista offered some reminders to young people, “it is important for every young person to know they are not alone. Young folks, especially high school, middle school and college students should know the power that they have. For folks under the age of 18, they may not be able to vote, but that does not mean they can’t organize in other ways—that doesn’t mean that can’t spark change in social media, and if we look at a lot of the different hashtag movements over the last few years, a lot of them are from high school students who are claiming their voice, claiming their power and making change.”
Look for Allies
“There is a lot of fear and sadness among many young queer people,” said Meggie Pina, 39, who identifies as a queer bisexual woman and is the senior manager of Wellbeing Programs at the Santa Cruz Diversity Center.
However, Pina also believes there is an opportunity for community right now. “It is important for everyone to think about how they can contribute to the well-being of their community,” she said. “There is an opportunity for people to do that here at the Diversity Center. Wherever people are feeling fear, there is an opportunity to reach out to contribute to the well-being of their community, whether at Barrios Unidos or in businesses or in schools. Focus on the opportunities to volunteer and be part of our community and focus on that.”
Pina suggested that students in schools should look for their allies, get connected to student groups at the Diversity Center, or check out the GSA or QSA on their campus. “It is important for students to educate themselves about their rights. Once you know what your rights are, it actually gives you more confidence to advocate for yourself.
“Students have a right to not experience any form of discrimination at school and if they are experiencing that, they have a right to complain about that and they really need to make their voices known,” she said.
An important resource for students is the website titled “My School My Rights” developed by the ACLU which provides factual information about the rights of California students.
Rabbi Eli talked about the importance of remembering that “the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” That quote was originally spoken in 1852 by Wendell Phillips, an abolitionist, speaking to the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society.
Pina sums up the next steps like this: “There is a need for people to get off of their phones and off of their screens and get into their communities. It is important to focus on that.”
Senator Laird, upon hearing about young people’s response to the election remarked, “That 14-year-old who is thinking about moving out of the country will at some point be a 70-year-old, and they will look back on this and think, well, that was rough, but we made it.”
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