Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter.

The California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network expresses its outrage and grief at the loss of Black Lives. We join movement leaders across the country in demanding justice and accountability for the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Stephon Clark, and too many others over the past several years and throughout our history.

As an organization dedicated to achieving health equity for queer and trans people, we know we can’t reach those goals without achieving justice and equity for Black people. We cannot have full equality while Black people are being dehumanized and dying at the hands of law enforcement and white supremacists, dying of COVID-19 at disproportionately high rates, feeling fear to go for a run, go bird watching, or sleep in bed, and while we have an epidemic of violence against Black Trans people.

With Pride Month kicking off today, it’s important to take the time to reflect on the fact that the first Pride was a riot. We can’t and won’t back down in the fight to end homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, and racism. We support the direct actions of Black movement leaders who are showing us the way toward a more just and equitable future, just as Black and Latinx Trans women led the way during the first Pride. We must continue to follow the lead of Black communities by donating to Black-led organizations (like #BlackLivesMatter, Black Women for Wellness, the National Black Justice Coalition, and Anti Police-Terror Project), uplifting the voices of Black leaders, and joining the calls for policy changes that build more equitable systems.

You can learn more about how to support the movement by joining the LGBTQ #BlackLivesMatter Town Hall on June 3rd. And you can find more resources on how to support Black Trans communities in our recent blog post by Ebony Harper.