Our Family Coalition’s Oakland-based programming needs your support!
For over twenty years, Our Family Coalition (OFC) has served Oakland and East Bay LGBTQ+ families, providing support groups, play groups, workshops, and community events. Each year over 750 LGBTQ community members rely on our Oakland support groups, playgroups, workshops, and community events.
Over 1,400 community members come to our Oakland Pride Family Garden alone–now our biggest Pride event ever–many for the very first time as out LGBTQ families.
For nearly ten years we’ve been proud grantees of the City of Oakland, confident of our strong and continued presence in the city that’s home to the largest community of LGBTQ families in California.
This year we were shocked to hear
we were denied our Oakland funding!
We know: the denial of funds wasn’t based on the success of the programming itself–we’ve met or exceeded every goal of our Oakland grants, year after year.
We’re worried: the reason behind our loss of funding is precisely the reason our support services are so dearly needed, now more than ever: our most vulnerable families are the most invisible.
So long as misconceptions about LGBTQ families remain unchallenged– that we’re not also immigrants, working class and poor families, families of color, with our kids in Oakland Unified School District schools– critical, life-changing supports for allLGBTQ+ families will be lost.
We can’t let that happen!
Oakland City Councilmember At Large Rebecca Kaplan will be introducing a budget at the upcoming June 10th City Council meeting which will restore LGBTQ+ family support funding for the upcoming fiscal year.
Here’s how to help:
1. OAKLAND RESIDENTS, EMAIL YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER to demand they support LGBTQ Families in Oakland by voting “Yes” on Rebecca Kaplan’s budget.
Let them know why it matters so much to you that Oakland LGBTQ family support remains fully funded!
If you live outside Oakland but come to and rely on Oakland programming, contact Rebecca Kaplan and say the same
2. CALL THEM to back up that email!
3. COME TO THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING on Monday, June 10, at 5:00pm in the City Council Chambers, 3rd floor, Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, [map]
• Gather together and rally our spirit from 4pm on at Awaken Cafe with our friends Alphabet Rockers! Just a block away at 1429 Broadway; we’ll be there from 3:30pm on. [map]
• Alphabet Rockers will rev up our inspiration for the City Council with a listening session of their new album “The Love” – written in partnership with OFC! Hear songs lifting up our gender diversity and the power of our community before we head into the City Council!
FIND YOUR OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT & REPRESENTATIVE
CONTACT INFO HERE [opens interactive map]
