A close-up is featured of a newly installed and painted Pride Crosswalk near the Crimson Moon in Wilmington on June 24, 2025. This public event, preceded by a Pride Month Proclamation Signing hosted by Mayor John Carney and the City of Wilmington, celebrates the City's ongoing commitment to equality, inclusion, and visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community.
San Diego, California – The San Diego LGBT Community Center, a vital institution serving tens of thousands of San Diegans each year, is preparing for sweeping staff layoffs as it braces for possible federal funding cuts under the Trump administration. In a legally mandated notice filed earlier this month, the Center warned that all 106 of its employees could be laid off as soon as September 6.
Though no final decision has been made, leadership at the Center described the move as a precautionary measure, prompted by the likelihood that federal grants—especially those supporting health and wellness programs—will soon be slashed. Federal dollars currently make up nearly $4.4 million of the organization’s $15.5 million annual budget, funding everything from HIV screenings to housing services and crisis response. Officials say the loss of these funds would severely curtail the organization’s capacity, compromising core programs relied upon by many of the city’s most vulnerable residents.
The warning comes amid a broader rollback of support for LGBTQ+ communities and public health initiatives nationwide. Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has pushed deep cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services and its sub-agencies, including the CDC and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. These agencies supply the grants that sustain many of the Center’s critical services.
The potential layoffs would impact departments across the organization, from youth services and behavioral health to housing and wellness programming. While some employees are not directly funded by federal grants, their work is interconnected—sharing infrastructure and supporting grant-backed initiatives. Leadership emphasized the WARN notice was filed “in the spirit of transparency,” hoping to give staff time to prepare, even as they explore alternative funding sources like individual donations and private grants.
The Center’s significance to the San Diego community extends far beyond its budget. For residents like Jolene Sebastian, who travels from Vista to Hillcrest each week for the Center’s Ageless Art program, it is a space for healing and belonging. For others, it provides mental health care, housing navigation, and crisis counseling—services that are in growing demand as the region grapples with a mental health workforce shortage.
The funding crisis echoes other recent cuts. Just last week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced California would intervene to keep open the LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention hotline “Press 3,” which had been defunded by the federal government. The service had logged more than 230,000 crisis contacts this year alone.
In San Diego County, where 1 in 6 teenagers identify as LGBTQ+, the loss of institutions like the Center would leave a deep void. Advocates and community leaders have called on the Department of Health and Human Services to restore funding. As of now, they have received no reply.
