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Assemblymember Mia Bonta Hosts Pride Month LGBTQ+ Roundtable

Source: Alameda Post

Assemblymember Mia Bonta hosted a roundtable on Wednesday, June 25, to discuss local LGBTQ+ priorities in response to an adversarial federal administration. The event, held at Oakland’s City of Refuge UCC church, served as an opportunity for East Bay leaders, nonprofits, and other service providers to share their insights and reactions to federal attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and to hear from Assemblymember Bonta about state-level efforts to safeguard rights and protections.

Alameda Post - Assemblymember Mia Bonta (center) hosting the roundtable.

“Our trans siblings are seeing their passports come back with the wrong gender marker, LGBTQ-related words or phrases are being scrubbed from federal websites and recognition, and HIV prevention funding is being gutted in Washington,” Bonta said. “So while this administration targets joy and love, we continue to shine through. As Martin Luther King Jr. has said, the arc of the moral universe may be long, but it bends toward justice. That’s why we are here today to continue to create that justice together.”

A press release issued by Bonta’s office noted the following state legislative priorities designed to help protect and support the LGBTQ+ community:

  • AB 40 (Bonta) – clarifies access to abortion in emergency health care settings.
  • AB 224 (Bonta) – expands coverage requirements to include fertility services, hearing aids, and wheelchairs in the individual and small group markets.
  • AB 938 (Bonta) – provides relief to survivors of human trafficking.
  • AB 1318 (Bonta) – protects non-profits from politically motivated targeting.
  • SB 504 (Laird) Communicable diseases: HIV reporting.
  • AB 1487 (Addis & González) Public health: the two spirit-transgender, and gender nonconforming and intersex wellness and equity fund.

The roundtable was sponsored by the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, Oakland LGBTQ Center, and Alameda Pride. Attendees included Oakland Councilmember Rowena Brown, the Office of Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, and the Office of Senator Jesse Arreguín, among others.

“Right now, when we feel completely scared, it’s easy to think about ways that we can shrink to just save what we can, but I really want to encourage us to think about what is truly possible,” said Oakland LGBTQ Community Center Development Director Johanna Holden. “Today, I feel inspired by the possibility that our community could come together and demand something not only against what has been going on at a federal level but something better for all who live here in the state. I truly believe that we have the ability as a state to enact bold and powerful changes.”

The roundtable discussed the impacts on the LGBTQ+ community of over 160 executive orders signed by President Trump this year, continued funding for LGBTQ+ services in the California State Budget, and the importance of allyship, as research shows that LGBTQ young people who felt their sexual orientation was accepted by at least one adult had lower odds of reporting a suicide attempt in the past year compared to those who did not feel accepted.

Alameda Post - Assemblymember Mia Bonta and Alameda Pride founder Jeramie Andehueson speak at the roundtable.

Pride isn’t just a parade—it’s a foundation,” said Alameda Pride Founder Jeramie Andehueson. “It’s about making sure LGBTQ+ families have the resources, support, and visibility to thrive. Especially in places like Alameda where we’re finally being seen.”

Bonta added, “We are in a moment of chaos, but we are still part of a strong California — and at the heart of what is possible in this country is California. More specifically, it’s Northern California. It’s the East Bay.”