{"id":383459,"date":"2026-07-02T11:24:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T11:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/383459\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T11:24:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T11:24:16","slug":"sf-leaders-discuss-patriotism-this-july-4th-under-trump-the-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/383459\/","title":{"rendered":"SF leaders discuss patriotism this July 4th under Trump | The City"},"content":{"rendered":"

For communities that feel as if they\u2019re being targeted by the current federal government\u2019s policies, how to celebrate the United States\u2019 250th birthday has become a thorny question.<\/p>\n

Since President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025, sweeping policies have been proposed or enacted that affect the country\u2019s most vulnerable people, including immigrants, the LGTBQ community, low-income families, people of color and women.<\/p>\n

Congress slashed social safety nets such as Medicaid and SNAP in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, jeopardizing food and health-care benefits for hundreds of thousands of people. In one of his first acts in office, he issued an executive order defining gender as sex assigned at birth on official government documents, affecting the identities of transgender and nonbinary people.<\/p>\n

As of May, 400,000 people have been detained<\/a> by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as Trump aims to fulfill his promise of mass deportations, according to an analysis by Brookings, a policy think tank.<\/p>\n

San Franciscans have other occasions to celebrate this summer, such as the annual Pride parade that recently took place and the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Presidio in September.<\/p>\n

But when it comes to feeling patriotic, some are trying to carve out their own ways to mark the coming holiday \u2014 or finding it difficult to feel celebratory at all.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf all the years that I\u2019ve been doing drag here in San Francisco, this last administration has really thrown us all for a loop,\u201d said San Francisco drag queen Juanita More.<\/p>\n

More said that rather than Independence Day, she often focuses instead this time of year on Pride, where she throws an annual party<\/a> to raise money for charity, this year supporting the GLBT Historical Society. Over the 22 years that she\u2019s hosted this event, she\u2019s raised more than $1.5 million for local causes.<\/p>\n

She said that for this year\u2019s event, to mark the anger and frustration she\u2019s felt over ICE activity, she\u2019s hired only Latino DJs and performers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was my little powerful way of making a statement,\u201d More said.<\/p>\n

\"Juanita<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Juanita More shows off a Juanita More cocktail, made with the queer-owned LALO tequila, lime juice, grenadine and seltzer.<\/p>\n

Craig Lee\/The Examiner<\/p>\n

More said the Fourth of July isn\u2019t much of a big day for her during an average year \u2014 but for her, being an American and a San Franciscan means showing up every day and being as active and visible as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to be even more queer and even more louder,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

More said she feels that she\u2019s not the only one in her community reacting that way right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone is more busier,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople want us all to be present, to be visible, so that\u2019s super, super, super amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

For some, it\u2019s difficult to even find any type of patriotic expression \u2014 even at the local level \u2014 in challenging times.<\/p>\n

Del Seymour, a formerly homeless veteran who is now a local substance-use recovery advocate known as the \u201cMayor of the Tenderloin,\u201d said he\u2019s become fed up with even San Francisco\u2019s inadequate show of solidarity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not feeling sorry for myself, because I can handle myself, but I look at the people that can\u2019t handle themselves, some of our youth, our LGBT people, and this mess with the Giants … that was too much for me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Del<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Code Tenderloin founder Del Seymour sits by his office window to observe who might need help as they walk past 55 Taylor Street in November 2024.<\/p>\n

Craig Lee\/The Examiner<\/p>\n

Seymour is referring to the San Francisco Giants players who recently added unauthorized bible verses to their Pride-themed team caps. LGBTQ activists and fans criticized what they called a lukewarm response from the league and the Giants, while conservatives accused MLB of restricting free speech and discriminating against Christians<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This latest event is just one of many that Seymour said make him feel that the country \u2014 and San Francisco \u2014 has lost its way.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow can I be patriotic?\u201d Seymour asked. \u201cWhat would I be celebrating?\u201d<\/p>\n

Seymour said he feels The City should be stepping up and doing more to advocate for and protect the communities affected by Trump. That was the San Francisco he used to know, Seymour added.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not seeing our activism out here,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not seeing our protests out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seymour wishes there could be more emphasis on American values \u2014 that is, \u201cthe general principles of living a good, fair, and loving life, loving everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Until then, he said he\u2019s at least going to show up for Pride.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"As
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Pride coincides with the finalizing of The City budget and LGBTQ+ orgs are calling for the restoration of nearly $3 million to their programming<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"Trio
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Three facilities that serve youths and seniors are slated for closure if the proposed budget is finalized<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n \"Supreme
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

San Francisco resident\u2019s successful 1898\u00a0appeal\u00a0set precedent\u00a0in case that had profound implications for the nation and The City<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if it\u2019s only for an hour, I\u2019ll be there,\u201d Seymour said.<\/p>\n

Shellena Eskridge, a San Francisco native who is the executive director of the Homeless Prenatal Program, said she\u2019s also struggled to feel as proud of today\u2019s San Francisco as she did the San Francisco of her youth.<\/p>\n

\"Shellena<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Shellena Eskridge, Homeless Prenantal Program Executive Director at 2500 18th St. in San Francisco on Friday, March 7, 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Craig Lee\/The Examiner<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of community and activism that was here is no longer here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The influx of forces such as tech and AI has made it harder for The City to retain its spirit of protest and activism and remain a haven for those most vulnerable, Eskridge said.<\/p>\n

Eskridge and her program work with low-income unhoused mothers and families, some of whom are undocumented immigrants. She said her clients and her newborn son provide her with a source of pride when she might not be able to find it elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery single day we support people who are pregnant and get to witness little newborns coming into our space,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are still a lot of things that we continue to fight, continue to advocate for what is right, and advocate for what families deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said that keeping that in mind, she wants to take the opportunity to open a dialogue\u00a0this Fourth of July with her young cousins and nieces, who are between eight and 10 years old, about what they would \u201cchange in America,\u201d and what they would \u201cwant to do differently in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nonie Greene, a longtime San Francisco organizer and leader with Reproductive Freedom for All, has similar conversations with her daughters \u2014 not just about the future of America, but its past.<\/p>\n

\"Reproductive<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

SAN FRANCISCO, CA \u2014 March 21 \u2014 Nonie Greene attends Reproductive Freedom for All 29th San Francisco Power of Choice Luncheon 2024 on March 21st 2024 at Fairmont San Francisco in San Francisco, CA (Photo \u2014 Ando Caulfield for Drew Altizer Photography)<\/p>\n

Drew Altizer Photography<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery Fourth of July, I always read the Declaration of Independence,\u201d she said. \u201cIf I\u2019ve got a bunch of kids around, they\u2019re all reading it too … those words are maybe more meaningful to me now than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also not just the country\u2019s history, but her personal history too, that makes her feel pride around this time of year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a lot of beautiful stories in my family of really strong women who, when the men went off, they took care of everything \u2014 the farms and the businesses, everything,\u201d she said. \u201cMy great-grandmother was a suffragette, and she never got to vote because she died, but I still think about her, and I have photos of her, and I look at her, and I just feel so strongly about the courage that she had.\u201d<\/p>\n

While there have been setbacks in the area of reproductive health in recent years, with abortion access being restricted and rolled back across the country, Greene said she\u2019s also focusing on the positives this Independence Day. They include progress that has been made in improving maternal health outcomes, covered maternal leave, education, and stigma around pregnancy in the workplace.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s those advancements that reflect the principles on which this country was founded on, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnalienable rights and the pursuit of happiness \u2014 these things bring a lot of joy to me,\u201d Greene said.<\/p>\n

Honey Mahogany, a transgender activist who is the director of The City\u2019s Office of Transgender Initiatives, said she also often comes back to those foundational principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence these days.<\/p>\n

\"Honey<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Honey Mahogany, director of The City\u2019s Office of Transgender Initiatives, said \u201cthe safest place in the world for people like me is right here in San Francisco.\u201d<\/p>\n

Craig Lee\/The Examiner<\/p>\n

\u201cTrans people in so many ways really exemplify what it means to believe in the pursuit of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,\u201d she said. \u201cTrans people are expressing what it means to be free, to be their true selves, to live their lives in peace, and to be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s especially important for her and her community, she said, because the transgender community has been the subject of several policies aimed at making its existence harder, including limiting access to gender-affirming care.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see people in our community doing that every day in different ways, whether they are directly involved in politics or government, or whether they\u2019re fighting for resources on behalf of their community, people are really engaged in this battle for their lives\u201d Mahogany said.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Mahogany said, what she wants people to keep in mind this year, at a major milestone, is that the United States was built on the very communities being targeted right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing patriotic right now means understanding how this country was built, which was through rebellion, through people standing up for their rights and their independence from an oppressive regime,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Fighting back is something that they will continue to do, every day, not just on the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are battles that are ongoing, and right now it feels in some ways that we are taking steps back and losing some fights, but that doesn\u2019t mean that we give up hope,\u201d Mahogany said. \u201cIt means that we have to fight harder, and fight smarter.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For communities that feel as if they\u2019re being targeted by the current federal government\u2019s policies, how to celebrate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383460,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[536,14,123032,2434,16572,101,103,102,104,106,105,40284],"class_list":["post-383459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-donald-trump","tag-immigration","tag-july-4","tag-lgbtq","tag-reproductive-rights","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-transgender"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}