On June 26, 2015, I had just turned 14. I was living in downtown Fresno at the time, and my mother and I were in our living room watching history unfold on the news.
Last June was the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark 5–4 decision on Obergefell v. Hodges, a culmination of several lawsuits across the country that ultimately resulted in the federal recognition of same-sex marriage.
I remember watching TV and thinking at the time that this is what my parents and grandparents must have felt like, seeing similar historical decisions unfold on their black-and-white televisions in the sixties.
In that moment, I felt inspired, seeing the end result of a fight that I had been aware of since I was a child. I felt like anything was possible then.
I wished to myself that I would witness more and more historical events so one day I could tell my children or even grandchildren where I was. Unfortunately, it seems this wish was made on a monkey’s paw without my knowledge.
Eleven years later, I have been witness to countless historical events. These include nationwide ongoing efforts to undo the legacy of Obergefell v. Hodges.
The decade since that decision has been tumultuous, to say the least. What felt like a rising tide, a certainty of acceptance reflected in the history I was taught, has revealed itself to be a wave.
A wave that crested right then and has been pulling back ever since, dragging down protections that I, perhaps optimistically, perhaps naively, believed would be permanent.
In the past five years, there has been an explosion in legislative proposals targeting LGBTQ+ individuals. In 2020, just under 100 proposals were introduced in state legislatures.
Just three years later, more than 500 proposals had been introduced, with more than 80 being passed into law, making this the worst year ever recorded for the introduction and passage of anti-queer laws.
In 2023, the Human Rights Campaign declared a National State of Emergency regarding the well-being of LGBTQ+ Americans.
So far since the beginning of 2025, more than 850 anti-LGBTQ+ proposals have been made at the state level, most of which target transgender people.
This legislative assault on our rights has been constant and deliberate. Conservative lawmakers recognized early on that there was less public support for transgender people than there was for gay and lesbian people, and they went on to exploit that gap with prejudice.
What started as bills targeting trans kids in sports escalated in the blink of an eye to bans on gender-affirming healthcare, restrictions on identification documents, forced outing of students in schools, bathroom bans and even proposals to criminalize transgender identity altogether.
In 2025, 22 states have introduced and/or adopted anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
There is also significant polling data that reflects this shift. In a May 2025 Gallup poll, it was observed that there has been a large drop-off in the percentage of Republican voters who support same-sex marriage—down to 41%, from 55% in both 2021 and 2022—which is at a record low since 2016.
The difference in party affiliation on this topic is now an unprecedented 47 points, the highest Gallup has recorded over nearly 30 years.
Perhaps even more disturbing, a 2024 Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey indicated that support for nondiscrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity among those aged 18–29 in America dropped from 80% in 2015 to 73%.
Specifically, among young Republicans, support for same-sex marriage went from 64% in 2020 to 49% in 2023. There is no doubt that the social, cultural and legislative tide that previously appeared to be moving toward greater equality has shifted.
Moreover, the human toll of such an environment is substantial. According to a Data for Progress survey conducted in 2025, 85% of transgender Americans stated that anti-LGBTQ+ policy and rhetoric has negatively affected their mental health.
In addition, 70% of the transgender respondents in a Pew Research Center survey completed during the same time period expressed significant concern regarding their own physical safety.
Lastly, according to a 2024 GLAAD survey, 50% of LGBTQ+ voters stated they were bullied or harassed; In addition, 72% stated their mental health had decreased due to the current political climate.
Again, these statistics represent real individuals within our communities, neighborhoods and schools who are constantly vigilant about their well-being, due to a considerable number of elected officials choosing to use them as tools in a highly publicized “culture wars.”
We felt the weight of this right here in Fresno. In early 2021, Adventure Church began purchasing the Tower Theatre, the historic anchor of the Tower District and one of the few openly queer-friendly spaces in the Central Valley.
The Tower District has served as a sanctuary for many years; it is a place where queer Fresnans can be themselves with no apologies. In this same area, the Reel Pride Film Festival has been held for many years and remains one of the oldest LGBTQ+ film festivals in the United States.
To add insult to injury, the church made a point to commemorate the deceased homophobe Rush Limbaugh on the iconic marquee.
When the church attempted to buy the theater, there was widespread backlash from the local community. More than 2,100 people signed petitions opposing the sale of the Tower Theatre to the church.
There were daily protests along Olive Avenue. Local community members, including James Martinez, an elected member of the Fresno County Board of Education, spoke at length about how important the Tower Theatre is as a safe space for all queer individuals.
As a result of this huge backlash, the City of Fresno stepped in and purchased the theater for $6.5 million. The courts also ruled against Adventure Church in 2024. We won that battle.
But the fact that the fight was necessary at all, that a congregation with a documented history of anti-LGBTQ+ positions could make a play for the heart of a queer neighborhood and nearly succeed, tells you everything about the current moment.
The Clovis Unified School District adopted a Student Site Plan (SSP) policy in early spring of 2023. This is essentially a consent document that requires parental approval for a student to have their name changed, for their pronoun preference to be recognized by the school or for their recognized gender identity to be changed at school.
The previous form allowed students to decide for themselves whether to include their parents in their decision-making process. As with the other districts, this was done unilaterally, without staff input or the people’s vote and without regard for students who may face hostility when they return home. This was a forced outing policy.
Almost 100 people attended a Clovis school board meeting that summer. Both the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Office of the California Attorney General became aware of what was happening.
Under heavy pressure from both organizations, the school district eventually modified the policy to allow students to access gender-affirming services without first obtaining their parents’ permission.
However, by then, it was too late; every LGBTQ+ child attending a school within this district now knew that their school might not support them.
Finally, in the summer of 2025, the attacks moved to the county level. Fresno County Supervisor Garry Bredefeld was against allowing the Fresno County Department of Public Health to participate in the Fresno Pride parade, and he secured a 3–2 vote for increased oversight over how all of the county departments interact with community event activities.
LGBTQ+ advocates were correct when they said that it was an attempt to stop County government–funded agencies from taking part in any Pride-related events. Bredefeld stated that he believed the county library was acting politically and that its outreach efforts to the LGBTQ+ community were unacceptable.
The actions by the supervisors have continued to escalate since then. They voted this month to prohibit Fresno County libraries from celebrating Pride Month or having any involvement with the Fresno Rainbow Pride festival.
These are not actions being taken by a State House in Alabama or a school board in Florida. These are our elected officials, and they are making decisions in Fresno County.
So where are we now? Hopeless? It sure feels like it. What this really feels like is being punched in the mouth. The rights we have were not handed to us. They were organized for, marched for, litigated for.
We fought for those rights with every thrown brick, every march, every rally, every second of disruption. We have no choice but to defend those rights with that same energy.
Much of the current assault on queer rights is happening at the state and local level. That means the most immediate and effective response is also local.
You will find a piece on this website by my colleague, mars santos, on the mechanics of recalling and voting out Board of Supervisors members in light of Bredefeld recently escalating his crusade against queer Fresnans by barring the library from participating in Pride.
I encourage you to read it carefully. The people who sit on our city councils, our school boards and in our state legislature have more power over the daily lives of queer and trans people than most of us realize.
The 14-year-old watching history on TV believed progress was inevitable. The 24-year-old writing this knows better.
Progress is a constant struggle. We cannot rest on the laurels of the heroes who came before us; they fought for those in their day. We must continue their fight for those in ours.
