queer silicon valley team

Day 27 of LGBTQ History Month

LGBTQ+ youth are almost five times as likely to have attempted suicide than their heterosexual peers (via The World Health Organization). It is crucial that the youngest members of the LGBTQ+ community are provided with the resources they need to feel safe, seen, and supported.

That’s where the San Jose LGBTQ Youth Space comes in. The Youth Space is a community drop-in center and mental health program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and ally youth and young adults ages 13-25 who live in Santa Clara County. The center is committed to running a participant-driven program focused on youth empowerment strategies.

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Day 26 of LGBTQ History Month

The Health Trust is the largest provider of non-medical services to people living with HIV/AIDS in Santa Clara County. As a nonprofit operating foundation, The Health Trust tackles health inequities using a multifaceted approach: providing direct services, making grants to community-based organizations, and advocating for policies and initiatives that advance its mission to build health equity in Silicon Valley.

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Day 26 of LGBTQ History Month

The 1970s and 1980s were a harrowing time for the LGBTQ+ community. The battle against the HIV/AIDS crisis continued to ravage people’s lives, and the lack of support for HIV positive individuals was dismal. Recognizing this, The AIDS Resources, Information & Services (ARIS) Foundation formed in 1986 to provide information, resources, and support for AIDS & HIV positive patients in Santa Clara County.

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Day 25 of LGBTQ History Month

In 2003 Silicon Valley was the only major metropolitan region in the country without an LGBT Democratic Club, and Clark Williams was committed to changing that. With an anti-LGBTQ “marriage” amendment to the U.S. Constitution on the horizon, Williams pulled together a group of activists including David Parker, Evan Low, Doug Winslow, and Ray Mueller at the Billy DeFrank Center to organize. This was how the Silicon Valley LGBT Democratic Club, later known as the Silicon Valley Stonewall Democrats, was born.

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Day 24 of LGBTQ History Month

Aejaie Franciscus’s story starts with a letter to Santa Claus at five years old, “I asked Santa to make me a little girl for Christmas, as I was born a boy. To say the least, that present wasn’t under the tree, but it did set me on my life’s journey,” she recalled.

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Day 23 of LGBTQ History Month

In 1984, students at San Jose State University, Mary Jeffrey, Marilyn Cook, and Karen Hester, met with Amy Caffrey to discuss the need for a women’s bookstore and coffeehouse where women could socialize and enjoy live music by women. After several meetings, the group named this project Sisterspirit.

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Day 22 of LGBTQ History Month

For 15 years, ENTRE NOUS provided an opportunity for lesbians to speak out in print. News, profiles, book and movie reviews, discussions of controversial issues and much more were contributed by a large number of talented writers. Original staff members found community in group mailing parties hosted to distribute the publication.

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Day 22 of LGBTQ History Month

Check out all the vibrant content that has been published by the Silicon Valley LGBTQ+ community! We are thrilled to present a brief history of ENTRE NOUS, Our Paper/Your Paper, Lesbian Voices, OutNow, and more. Are we missing your publication? Send us a message! We’d love to include you.

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Day 21 of LGBTQ History Month

Arturo Magaña first experienced a folclórico performance in 1992 when he was 18 years old, and it inspired him to keep dancing for the rest of his life. He has fought long and hard for a space where the LGBTQ+ community could express themselves through this type of dance, and it was with this spirit that Ensamble Folclórico Colibri was born. 

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Day 20 of LGBTQ History Month

Content Warning: Police Violence and Transphobic Language

On May 4th, 1986, a young Black man named Melvin Truss was shot and killed by a member of the San Jose Police Department. He was 17 years old. The SJPD claims that Truss was an armed robbery suspect. The community, however, was outraged over the murder of this young person’s untimely death. They fought for his justice.  BAYMEC was successful in having the San Jose City Council approve of LGBTQ sensitivity training of the police department, led by Wiggsy Sivertsen.

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