San Francisco’s Transgender District has launched an emergency fundraising campaign after sweeping federal cuts under the Trump administration left vital community services in jeopardy.
The six-block Tenderloin neighbourhood — the world’s only legally recognised transgender cultural district — announced the creation of the Riot Fund, a three-year initiative aiming to raise at least $100,000. The campaign seeks to restore suspended programs and reduce the District’s reliance on government funding.
Federal freeze hits local programs
The launch follows the Trump administration’s move to freeze congressionally approved LGBTQ+ grants, widely criticised as unlawful. The cuts are trickling down to state and local budgets, with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s latest budget proposal reducing nonprofit contracts by more than $170 million.
Founded in 2017, during Trump’s first term, the Transgender District has become a global model for cultural preservation and investment in trans communities. But leaders say recent cuts have forced them to pause essential initiatives.
In a fundraising appeal, the group wrote:
“As the world’s first and only legally recognised transgender cultural district, we have spent the past eight years building a global model. Yet today, as funding sources disappear, we have been forced to scale back the very services so many trans and nonbinary people rely on.”
Services under threat
Among the programs now at risk are:
- The Entrepreneurship Accelerator
- The Social Justice Fellowship
- The Community Advisory Council
- Wellness and safety programs
- Name and gender marker change clinics
The District’s rent stabilisation program — crucial for trans and nonbinary people fleeing hostile states — has also been placed on hold.
Riot Fund debut
The Riot Fund was unveiled at the District’s annual Riot Party, commemorating the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riots, when transgender patrons resisted police harassment in San Francisco.
The event was co-produced with the all-Black drag revue Reparations, featuring performances by founder Nicki Jizz, as well as Jax, Militia Scunt, Afrika America, Redbone, Bettyie Jayne, and RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Naomi Smalls.
“They don’t want to fund anything to do with LGBT communities”
Co-executive director Carlo Gómez Arteaga told the San Francisco Chronicle:
“This administration doesn’t want to fund anything having to do with LGBT communities, especially the T. They don’t want funding to go toward diversity and equity initiatives, even if lifting the most marginalised lifts everyone.”
Fellow co-director Breonna McCree stressed the urgency of support as more trans and nonbinary people migrate to San Francisco from conservative states:
“Our community is very nuanced, and we need different pathways for entry to support. The more pathways we have, the greater likelihood that person will get the support systems they need.”
District leaders describe the Riot Fund as both a lifeline and a shield — protecting hard-won gains while building resilience against further political attacks.
