San Francisco's Riot Party celebrates progress in fight for LGBTQ rights
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Riot Party 2024, held at Kapwa Gardens in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood, was more than just a festive gathering; it was a powerful reminder of the progress made in the fight for LGBTQ rights and the work that still lies ahead.
Among the attendees was Taylor Quentin, a San Francisco resident who moved to the city five years ago from Delaware in search of a place where she could truly be herself.
"I'm required to be here and I love that I am required to be here because this is our civil rights so we should be here supporting the legacy of many individuals who fought hard," Quentin said. "I wanted to find a place where I could express and not be judged so harshly and San Francisco was the first place that was mentioned as a place I could go."
Quentin was one of dozens who gathered to mark the end of Transgender History Month in a celebration organized by the Transgender District. The "Riot Party 2024" honored the Compton's Cafeteria Riots of 1966, a cornerstone event in the fight for LGBTQ rights.
The day wasn't just about commemorating the past.
Carlo Gomez Arteaga, a representative from the Transgender District, highlighted the event's dual purpose as both a celebration and a launchpad for their new campaign, Hire Trans Folks, which aims to increase job opportunities for transgender individuals.
"It's a campaign that's dear to my heart because I was someone that came out late in life as a trans individual. I came out in my late 40s and one of the apprehensions I had was about a whole career I had built over the years doing all sorts of jobs in the nonprofit sector in different movements," Arteaga said.
Marcel Pardo, one of the driving forces behind the Hire Trans Folks initiative, echoed this sentiment.
"I feel like people want to support trans folks but they really don't know how. Our campaign, Hire Trans Folks, is a call to action to make workplaces more inclusive, to really show up for the trans and queer community with resources like job security," Pardo said.
Pardo said that, while significant strides have been made in the fight for LGBTQ rights, economic disparities continue to pose significant challenges, especially for transgender individuals and LGBTQ people of color. New data show that LGBTQ households are disproportionately affected by poverty, with many living at or near the poverty line.
"We're pushing the envelope, so we have organizations and corporations that are sponsoring but we also want to make sure that they are hiring people, that policies are inclusive and understanding of the transgender community," Arteaga said.
The Riot Party 2024 wasn't just a moment of reflection — it was also a joyful celebration of the progress made and was a reminder of how far the LGBTQ community has come.
"We've got to work with what we have and, if this is what it is, then, yeah, this is what we're going to do," Quentin said.