The San Diego City Council unanimously declared August Transgender History Month.
Councilmembers Jennifer Campbell, Stephen Whitburn, Marni von Wilpert and Raul Campillo introduced the proclamation on Tuesday.
“With the rise in anti-trans hate and bigotry, I want our trans community to know that I see you, I respect you, and I love you, as does this entire Council,” Campbell said. “More importantly, our city honors and celebrates all of the wonderful contributions you have made to San Diego. Happy Transgender History Month.”
San Diego follows San Francisco, which has recognized August as Transgender History Month since 2021. The California State Assembly did the same last September.
The chosen month is a nod to August 1966, when trans women and drag queens protested police harassment at Compton’s Cafeteria in San Francisco.
It was one of the first LGBTQ+-related uprisings in U.S. history, three years before the Stonewall Uprising.
Trans Family Support Services board member Danny Conger pointed out trans history stretches back much farther than that.
“Trans folks and people that have challenged societal gender norms have been around as long as history has been here, sometimes dating back 700 years across many cultures,” they said.
“Trans folks and people that have challenged societal gender norms have been around as long as history has been here, sometimes dating back 700 years across many cultures."Danny Conger, Trans Family Support Services board member
Trans Family Support Services youth volunteer Blu London said remembering trans history is crucial for the future of young trans people like himself.
“By sharing the opportunity to learn about the stories of others who came before us, we make space to imagine futures of our own that we may not have seen, if not for the preservation of our community's past,” he told the City Council.
The proclamation comes days after former President Donald Trump promised to defund schools "pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content onto the lives of our children."
One public commenter on Zoom spoke against the city’s declaration.
Councilmember Stephen Whitburn called their remarks hateful, and used it to point out the disadvantages of virtual comment, which the City Council has been recently debating.
“The people here in chamber spoke about this item that is very meaningful and impactful to them. Then we heard from people in virtual comment who, under the veil of anonymity that virtual comment enables, made hateful comments, and those hateful comments do real damage. We have facilitated the public disparagement of people already subjected to prejudice for far too long,” he said.
The proclamation’s wording only applies to August of 2024. The Council would need to redeclare next year.
