Still Here, Still Fighting: The Urgency of Pride in 2025 and beyond
In June 1969, LGBTQ+ people, led by trans women of color like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, fought back against police brutality at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. This act of resistance sparked a national movement for dignity, safety, and equality. Pride was never just a celebration; it was a protest demanding justice. In 2025, we must honor the roots of this movement and the trailblazers who brought us here.
This year, over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in the U.S. aiming to strip us of our rights in every factor of our lives. We are witnessing a coordinated effort to push queer and trans people back into the closet. That is why we must celebrate and honor Pride boldly and unapologetically in our tobacco-control projects. Because when they try to erase us, we can’t disappear. We must turn fear into action, visibility, and advocacy in the ways we can.
Lucy Yale, a Fresno Drag Artist, performing at We Breathe’s
April 2025 Community Forum in Fresno
At the Community Forum hosted by We Breathe in April of 2025, careful thought went into selecting the location – intentionally focusing on a more rural region like the Central Valley, where LGBTQ+ communities often experience less visibility, fewer resources, and minimal institutional support. These gaps are not accidental. They stem from systems that normalize exclusion and fail to create space for LGBTQ+ people in policy, health care and funding decisions. Too often, LGBTQ+ communities are erased from the data used to inform public health decisions. This erasure is especially stark when it comes to tobacco use, where data on LGBTQ+ populations—and especially non-binary people—remains limited or completely absent.
To push back against these gaps, We Breathe is committed to creating community-led resources that center LGBTQ+ voices and experiences. Quitting While Trans, a zine created by and for trans people, offers affirming and culturally tailored support for those navigating quitting tobacco. Our HIV and Tobacco fact sheet sheds light on the unique harms tobacco poses to people living with HIV, and our Pronouns fact sheet provides guidance for practicing inclusive language. When systems fail to reflect us, we create our own. These resources aren’t just tools, they are acts of resistance, care, and visibility.
We Breathe and several partners meet with Assemblyman Chris Ward,
Chair of the LGBTQ+ Legislative Caucus
As the month concludes, we carry the spirit of solidarity throughout our advocacy efforts. Organizations such as The Quit Alliance, LGBTQ Minus Tobacco, Say San Diego, and more carry on this spirit, bring awareness to issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community, offer the community tools for quitting tobacco, and engage those beyond our community in understanding and allyship.
Supporting and funding LGBTQ+ community-specific programs is crucial, especially those led by and for LGBTQ+ people, rooted in equity, and committed to health justice. These programs bridge data gaps, provide culturally responsive care, and fight erasure head-on. Pride season can’t be the only time of year when inclusion is celebrated – it’s a daily practice, a year-round commitment, and a shared responsibility.
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Tania A. Ruedas Ortiz (she/they) is the We Breathe Communications Intern at the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network. Tania is a graduate of the University of La Verne, holding Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and Speech Communication, and is currently a Public Policy Graduate Student at the University of California, Riverside.