On Oct. 24, 2025, Santa Clara County held its seventh annual LGBTQ+ Summit at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event was hosted by Santa Clara County’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, which provides opportunities and support for members of the LGBTQ community to advocate for their personal well-being. The summit is an opportunity for diverse identities and marginalized voices to come together in hopes of advancing equity for all. At the event, there were numerous speakers, discussions and workshops to deepen community bonds and foster growth.
Each year, the LGBTQ+ summit follows a specific theme. This year, the theme was “Together, We Rise.” The goal of this year’s theme is to embrace collective strength in unity in order to promote equity for marginalized voices and break down barriers. This year’s summit was also centered on coalition building, which is the process of forming connections and alliances among diverse individuals who are all striving to make a difference. Some past themes of the annual summit include “Disability Pride,” “Power in Accessibility,” “All Work is Work,” “Intersectionality,” “Transgender Economic Empowerment,” “SupportOUT LGBTQ+ Youth Well-Being,” and “Inaugural.”
The event started with registration and breakfast at 8 a.m. A quick transition was made with some opening remarks as it moved onto a ceremonial opening prayer, led by Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits. BAAITS is a volunteer-based organization that offers cultural activities for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex Native Americans.
After this heartfelt prayer, the event moved on to a presentation from keynote speaker Bamby Salcedo. Salcedo is a nationally and internationally recognized transgender Latina activist. She is the president and CEO of the Los Angeles-based TransLatin@ Coalition, an organization that advocates for systemic change and ensures that essential services are accessible to transgender, gender-expansive and intersex individuals. Founded in 2009, TLC has made a significant impact in transforming the lives of TGI individuals and has been represented across 10 different states. TLC offers leadership programs and empowerment events such as fundraisers, panels and workshops.
After a 15-minute breakout session, there were more speaker presentations. Jerrell Hardnett from the organization Gay & Lesbian Allegiance Against Defamation presented “Telling your Stories,” and Jack Beck from the organization TurnOut presented “Building Community Power and Resilience.” As these presentations came to an end, the lunch break and resource fair began. Next, two more speaker presentations were held. Jacob Amagao from the organization South Bay Drag Coalition presented “Coalition Building in the Drag Community,” and Anjali Rimi, as well as Jethro Patalinghug from the organization Parivar Bay Area, presented “Transgender Intersectional Unity.” The summit came to an end at approximately 3 p.m. after some closing remarks.
The Santa Clara LGBTQ+ Summit created an opportunity for marginalized individuals to express themselves through community growth. It provided an expansive network for people to build strong connections with others, ultimately building a safe space where all could feel equal.
