Marching at the front of the Pride parade ‘a big step’ for LGBTQ+ immigrants
Each year San Diego Pride chooses a neighborhood to serve as grand marshals Near the front of the parade they are cheered on for their year-round advocacy for the society like with librarians and educators last year who stood up for LGBTQ youth amid book bans forced outing policies and other attacks This year the parade will be led by LGBTQ transients and defenders For me and our society I think this is a big step announced Jamie Arangure founder of Proyecto Trans Latinas I think it s really more critical double vital with this administration when we are under attack specifically immigrant society and trans area She disclosed for decades the immigrant trans locality struggled to connect to services and were not thought about by other LGBTQ organizations We were struggling all the girls Arangure commented She founded PTL with seven other women to help a marginalized group pushed to the edges of the public due to being undocumented not knowing English and doing survival sex work They identified materials for them and advocated with healthcare providers to improve their recovery PTL brings workshops to all parts of San Diego not just Hillcrest to teach skills like first aid after an attack beauty tutorials and more We empower our neighborhood she noted Arangure announced countless trans transients are afraid right now as national rhetoric has emboldened the worst parts of society The administration gives them the society the excuse to do violent acts and to discriminate she stated Leading the parade is meaningful for a neighborhood that demands more aid It is really essential now they are looking at us Arangure stated In addition to PTL other nonprofits Frontier Angels Haitian Bridge Alliance and Transgenero will be in the neighborhood grand marshal contingent PTL is a small organization with a low budget Arangure dreams of opening a shelter for older trans women immigrants so they can retire from sex work and have a better life We have a lot of work to do she mentioned Despite a lack of support and targeting of the region Arangure holds strong Discrimination cannot stop us
