We’re Still Here: Trans Healing, Political Attacks, and the Power of Showing Up

The May Revise and What It Means for Trans Californians

Governor Gavin Newsom’s May Revise was a gut punch to marginalized communities. For a state that has long claimed to be a progressive leader, the move to cut $15 million in funding to the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP), a program that supports mental health services for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, immigrant, and other marginalized communities, is more than disappointing. At the Gender Health Center, we are feeling this deeply.

These cuts land at a time when trans folks are already carrying so much. While lawmakers debate numbers and line items, we’re trying to hold our people. We’re checking in on each other. We’re navigating trauma, loss, and burnout while still showing up for our chosen family. CRDP helps fund culturally rooted programs that meet folks where they are and offer care grounded in trust and community. Losing that would hurt us deeply.

Our Executive Director, Dr. Malakai, and Mental Health Director, Ari, stood before the Budget Subcommittee on Health to speak directly to the impact these cuts would have on our community. They carried the voices of trans folks who depend on spaces like ours to heal, be seen, and stay connected. We’re proud of their leadership, their courage, and their deep commitment to making sure our community is never left out of the conversation.

But they can’t do it alone. This fight takes all of us. If you believe in healing-centered spaces, if you believe in care over cuts, we invite you to stand with us. Contact your representative and urge them to protect programs like CRDP. Our lives, our care, and our future depend on it.

Our leader and Executive Director, Dr. Malakai, at the podium advocating for trans folks across our state. He showed up with clarity and conviction, making it known that these resources save lives.

Ari, our Mental Health Director, is speaking directly to lawmakers about the urgent need to protect mental health funding for trans, BIPOC, and immigrant communities.

National Attacks on Trans Healthcare: The Stripping Of Our Rights, But We’re Still Showing Up

Last week, the U.S. House passed what they’re calling the “One Big Beautiful Bill” but there’s nothing beautiful about it. This bill is a direct attack on trans lives. It guts Medicaid and CHIP coverage for gender-affirming care across the country, blocking access to hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries. It also removes these services from the ACA’s list of essential benefits, letting states and insurance companies decide we don’t deserve care.

At the same time, Governor Newsom dropped his revised budget here in California, and it doesn’t protect us either. Medi-Cal enrollment for undocumented folks is frozen. Community-based health programs are being slashed. And that means trans folks who already face barriers to care are being pushed further to the margins.

Let’s be clear: this is part of a larger, coordinated effort to erase us. From DC to Sacramento, the message is loud, but we’re louder.

At Gender Health Center, we refuse to back down. We’ll keep providing gender-affirming care, therapy, and healing spaces. We’ll keep showing up for our people, no matter how hostile the political climate gets. Our love is louder than their hate. We’re here, and we’re staying.

Harvey Milk Day: Remembering, Reflecting, Recommitting

As we mark Harvey Milk Day (May 22nd), we remember that queer liberation has always required courage, sacrifice, and imagination. Harvey Milk wasn’t just a politician, he was a reminder that visibility can be revolutionary when it’s rooted in love and purpose.

At GHC, we hold space for that legacy while expanding the frame. Today’s movement leaders are Black trans femmes, immigrant queers, disabled organizers, and young people rewriting the script. Harvey Milk Day reminds us that progress doesn’t belong to the past, it’s a demand we carry into every room, every clinic, every policy meeting.

NorCal AIDS Cycle: Community, Movement, and Love in Action

Shout out to our team who showed up for the NorCal AIDS Cycle not just as participants, but as survivors, healers, and advocates. A couple of members of our Healthcare Services team crewed the event, Alej and Tuong. Dr. Malakai and Ari completed the cycle pushing their bodies and spirits through every mile, raising funds and awareness for HIV services in our region. This wasn’t just a physical journey, it was spiritual. Every pedal a prayer. Every mile a memory of those we’ve lost. Every drop of sweat a commitment to keep going.

Our presence at the cycle, Black, brown, trans, queer, was a testament that we’re still here, and we’re still fighting. We ride for those who didn’t make it. We ride for those still trying to find their way. We ride because love demands action.

The GHC’s NorCal AIDS Cycle crew and cyclists at the State capital.

Final Thoughts: Building Resilience, Preparing for the Times Ahead

We don’t know what’s coming, but we know how to prepare. Get your meds stocked. Check on your community. Invest in mutual aid. Gather. Rest. Celebrate. Our wellness is resistance. Our joy is a protest.

Gender Health Center will continue to show up. Through our peer-led programs, trauma-informed therapists, emergency support, and cultural healing spaces, we will not back down. We will love each other forward.

And when the weight feels too heavy to carry alone, remember: you don’t have to. We got you.