(The answer is trans men, if you’re curious.) In case you missed the event, here’s a sample question: Which group has the hardest time accessing financial services? In order to spin, people were asked to answer financial ed questions with the chance to win prizes, including gift cards, stickers, flags and temporary tattoos. Our table featured a fun spin the wheel game. The proceeds from the festival help support the labor of transgender folks who were showing up for their community before they were getting paid to do so. The festival also featured transgender spoken word artists, resource vendors and other activities. Headlining the entertainment was Ryan Cassata and the R Band. The festival was held in the over 200 acres of Recreation Park. Some groups in attendance included Nolan Ross and Company, Reach LA, OC LGBTQ+ Center, Colors LGBTQ+ Youth Counseling Center, Stars Behavioral Health Group, Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Center, BAI, Gender Justice LA, Long Beach Forward and the AMAAD Institute. Other organizations tabling at the festival created a physical presence to provide other types of resources for the community. Because many of the team at Daylight are transgender, we felt it was important to support fellow transgender advocates in the Long Beach community. Several Long Beach Trans organizers have been showing up for the community again and again without getting anything in return. Creating this type of space helps these groups feel less alone, and shows them what resources are available. The organizers of the festival wanted to get away from focusing on gay men in transgender spaces and show up for our transgender and nonbinary siblings, who often get left out of the equation. The focus of the event was highlighting those showing up and doing the work in the community, as well as supporting transgender artists and other creators. Instead of expecting them to come to us, our team at Daylight went out to meet them at the festival. Many transgender folks rely on local LGBTQ+ centers and pride events for their services and to find community. Showing up for the Long Beach trans community We wanted to join the efforts of those organizing Long Beach Trans Pride and supported the festival by providing a table with resources and financial education for the queer community. The festival aimed to create a dedicated trans inclusive space in the fall to provide a gathering point for at-risk members of the community to gather throughout the year, instead of only having those resources provided during the summer.
Long Beach Trans Pride aimed to celebrate and advocate for transgender folks who are still with us and create a space that goes beyond mourning those we’ve lost. This is done despite transgender folks paving the way for the rest of the community and getting no recognition for their efforts.Įvents that do focus on the transgender community often hone in on transgender violence and remembering those who have been abused or killed. So many LGBTQ+ spaces focus on those of diverse sexual orientations at the expense of those with varied gender orientations. After that, Angel, Alexa and some of the other trans members of California Families in Focus launched the Long Beach Trans Pride festival. She was so inspired by the recipients’ stories that she wanted to do more to advocate for the community. 18, 2021, the first ever Long Beach Trans Pride aimed to create “unity in the community.”Īfter holding the “Angels on Earth” awards dinner for members of the trans and nonbinary community, Alexa Castanon and Angel Macias were inspired to create Long Beach Trans Pride to empower and highlight the local transgender and nonbinary community.Īngel fully funded and supported the original awards dinner with her own money. Let’s take a look at the first-ever Long Beach Trans Pride and how the event was received in the community.