Women Rising: Community, Connection, and Resilience

By Gus Hernandez

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the Trump administration’s return to office, we recognize that women’s rights and bodily autonomy have faced sustained national challenges. The rollback of federal protections around reproductive healthcare and access to gender-affirming care has reshaped the landscape of gender equity in profound ways. Across the country, women — particularly queer women, transgender women, and women of color — are feeling the impacts.

In the face of this uncertainty, one truth has become even clearer: community is power. The San Diego LGBT Community Center continues to be a vital resource for women seeking support, connection, joy, and empowerment. Whether they are exploring their identities, building friendships, or finding solidarity in a world that can feel increasingly hostile, The Center is a safe and affirming space.

As we step into the new year, The Center is uplifting the strength and brilliance of women with a slate of offerings and events designed to meet them exactly where they are. 

Women’s Coming Out Group

Coming out is not a single moment, it’s a process that unfolds over months, years, and sometimes a lifetime. For women, the journey is deeply layered, shaped by family expectations, cultural contexts, and gendered norms around sexuality and relationships.

The Women’s Coming Out Group provides a guided, facilitated environment for women who are exploring their identities or taking steps toward authenticity. This group meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month via Zoom.

Participants support each other through questions, triumphs, vulnerabilities, and revelations. The group emphasizes confidentiality, compassion, and personal agency.

Women’s Discussion Group

This long‑running support group brings together women from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum for open, affirming conversations. Topics range from current events to personal journeys to the joys and challenges of being a woman in today’s constantly shifting social landscape. 

Peer‑driven and confidential, this group offers first‑time participants and long‑term community members a place to feel seen and valued. At a time when women’s voices continue to be marginalized or legislated against, the Women’s Discussion Group is a reminder that storytelling is its own form of resistance. 

This group meets every Monday evening, alternating between virtual via Zoom and in person at The Center.

Sashay You Play on January 27

Sometimes, joy itself is a form of liberation, and nothing captures that better than Sashay You Play, The Center’s inclusive game night for everyone in our LGBTQ+ community.

On January 27, folks from across the region will fill The Center with laughter, competition, and community. Whether you’re a strategy queen, a trivia wizard, a casual card‑player, or just someone who wants to be in a room full of vibrant people of all gender identities, Sashay You Play at The Center offers a welcoming and low‑pressure way to meet new people and build community.

Recognizing LGBTQ+ Leadership — Equality Business Awards on January 30

San Diego Equality Business Association recognizes local leaders making an impact, honoring the resilience, innovation, and leadership of LGBTQ+ business owners, professionals, and allies who are shaping the future of our community. 

This year, three women leaders from The San Diego LGBT Community Center have been nominated:

• Cara Dessert, CEO — Equality Advocate of the Year Award
• Kim Fountain, Deputy CEO — Community Leader of the Year Award
• Beth Davenport, Chief Operating Officer — Allyship in Action Award

Read the full list of nominees and buy tickets for the January 30, 2026 Awards Ceremony at SDEBA.org.

Celebration on the Dance Floor: Red Hot Dance on February 7

On February 7, 2026, The Center invites queer women to the Red Hot Dance—an evening dedicated to joy, movement, and community.

This event is more than a party. It is a celebration of queer women’s joy and an opportunity to gather in a women‑centered social space. In a moment when women’s autonomy continues to be challenged nationwide, creating spaces where queer women can feel energy, safety, pride, and connection is both radical and necessary.

Why These Spaces Matter Now More Than Ever

National headlines often spotlight big legislative battles, but it is in local communities where many women feel the daily impacts of policy shifts—whether in access to healthcare, safety, economic opportunity, or basic dignity. For LGBTQ+ women, these pressures can layer on top of discrimination, family rejection, and cultural invisibility.

That’s why women‑centered spaces at The Center remain essential. 

As we enter a new year marked by both reflection and resolve, The Center reaffirms its commitment to uplifting and empowering women in all their identities, ages, cultures, and experiences.