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Sacramento LGBT Community Center CEO David Heitstuman, City Councilmember Pluckebaum, Sacramento police LGBTQ+ liaison Sgt. Jon Houston and Midtown Association Executive Director Emily Baime Michaels in 2025 discuss incidents affecting the LGBTQ+ community during a safety forum in Lavender Heights at the Sacramento LGBT Community Center in Sacramento.<\/p>\n
PAUL KITAGAKI JR.<\/p>\n
Sacramento Bee file<\/p>\n
Still bruised and tender, Joseph \u201cJoey\u201d Sais returned to work at Sacramento City Hall two days after he said four men shouting homophobic and racist slurs attacked him outside a nightclub last weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy bruising is healing pretty nicely, but it\u2019s at times hard to eat because my lip was so busted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In the days since, the incident has sparked another round of reckoning<\/a> with safety for LGBTQ people in Sacramento\u2019s Lavender Heights neighborhood<\/a>, which has seen a number of violent incidents<\/a> in recent years. And it has brought new urgency to the topic, and some efforts are already in motion.<\/p>\n On the city\u2019s end, officials promised improved lighting in that area and also positioned surveillance cameras at the intersection of 20th and L Streets. On Sunday, the annual Rainbow Festival<\/a> returns from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., celebrating with music, food and a theme of \u201cRetro Rainbow.\u201d<\/p>\n Sais\u2019 connections to the community extend to his job with the city. There he is council liaison for Councilmember Eric Guerra. He also works with the Sacramento State Pride Center, advocates for the Sacramento Stonewall Democrats and has centered his education and career around advancing equity for queer people.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really proud of Joseph because when previous assaults happened in the neighborhood, he had just started in my office and he knew exactly how to respond and who to call,\u201d Guerra said.<\/p>\n Sais describes what happened<\/p>\n Sais\u2019 Saturday night out was initially a \u201cgreat time,\u201d he said. His friends pushed him to be bold and climb onto the platforms at Badlands nightclub typically reserved for professional go-go dancers.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody cheered me on,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a night I felt happy and elated and in community with everyone there.\u201d<\/p>\n After another dance session at Faces across the street, Sais\u2019 group headed south on L Street in the early hours of Sunday morning when Sais said four men started snickering at him and his pink jersey adorned with the f-slur, a word historically associated with violence toward gay men which has been ironically (and affectionately) reclaimed by those affected by it.<\/p>\n When the group started spitting the word back at him, he knew that he was not among peers.<\/p>\n Sais said he and his friends told the group to \u201cf— off.\u201d The situation then escalated faster than he could process.<\/p>\n He said the men chased him down, punched him several times and threw him on the ground as they yelled homophobic and racist slurs. He said his head hit the concrete and sometime during the scuffle, he lost his glasses. Sais later found them destroyed \u2014 he has since worn his prescription sunglasses as he waits for a new pair.<\/p>\n After his friend pulled off his attacker, Sais said he was chased to the Mercantile Saloon, dripping with blood. What happened next was confusing \u2014 Sais said that he thought he was being turned away when he asked security personnel for help, that they told him \u201cthey didn\u2019t want that here.\u201d In a later conversation with bar management, Sais said he was told it was a misunderstanding and that the security guards were directing their comments to the men going after him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt did not seem that way,\u201d Sais said. \u201cI don\u2019t blame the Merc, but I\u2019m a little frustrated that there was no humanity shown.\u201d<\/p>\n But the men ultimately ran away and Sais said he no longer feared for his safety. He flagged down police and specifically requested a designated LGBTQ liaison officer, a program he was aware of through his work at the city.<\/p>\n Sacramento Police are investigating the incident as a felony assault with a possible bias motive, but no arrests have been made. Local officials said the case may be difficult to solve because of the lack of lighting and cameras in the area.<\/p>\n Local reaction<\/p>\n Sais\u2019 attack spurred an immediate reaction among local leaders and activists.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is absolutely shameful that in 2026 we are still dealing with this type of harassment, targeting and prejudice and violence,\u201d said Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum, whose district covers Lavender Heights.<\/p>\n Guerra said he was relieved to hear that Sais was OK but that the situation remained \u201cvery emotional.\u201d<\/p>\n Sais\u2019 attack, which did not result in life-threatening injuries, has for many called to mind the community\u2019s most recent tragic loss due to violence.<\/p>\n Last Halloween, Alvin Prasad, 58, was left comatose after being brutally beaten outside of Badlands nightclub in an alleged homophobic attack. Prasad died<\/a> from his injuries in late December, survived by two daughters and two granddaughters. He was posthumously honored as a grand marshal<\/a> of the Sac Pride Parade this summer. Family members marched and accepted the recognition on Prasad\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n Sean Payton pleaded not guilty<\/a> to charges of involuntary manslaughter in February and was since released. Payton, 25, awaits trial, according to the Bay Area Reporter<\/a> and is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 1.<\/p>\n Prasad\u2019s attack was the impetus for a serious conversation about LGBTQ safety in Sacramento\u2019s historically queer neighborhood, but a December community meeting revealed tension between residents, business owners, police and local officials, who disagreed about tactics to reduce and address violence, particularly when it came to law enforcement\u2019s role.<\/p>\n Safety for LBGTQ community<\/p>\n Although people can expect to see additional patrols in the area in the coming weeks, especially for this weekend\u2019s Rainbow Festival, local leaders emphasize a community-driven approach over additional law enforcement presence.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re sensitive to overpolicing so the best case is for the community to step up and say \u2018we\u2019re not going to take this anymore,\u2019\u201d Pluckebaum said.<\/p>\n Sais, Pluckebaum, Guerra and the Sacramento LGBT Community Center\u2019s CEO David Heitstuman each spoke about a potential community watch program that could provide protective watch throughout the neighborhood on the weekends to more quickly address or ideally prevent instances of violence.<\/p>\n Heitstuman said that the LGBT Center is working with local businesses and community partners such as the Midtown Association to improve safety in the area. He is encouraging those who are wary of speaking to law enforcement to fill out a report through the center\u2019s hate and bias reporting form<\/a> on its website, and to take advantage of the many services they offer.<\/p>\n Cultural problems<\/p>\n Leaders like Pluckebaum, Guerra and Heitstuman see Sacramento as a diverse, welcoming city, but worry that outsiders\u2014particularly people radicalized by increasingly bigoted online movements \u2014 could bring hostility into the neighborhood. Although there is no evidence that the attackers were from out of town, those interviewed for this story speculate that they were unfamiliar with, or indifferent to, the area\u2019s history as a haven for queer people.<\/p>\n LGBTQ organizations also are losing material support due to downward pressure from the federal government, Heitstuman said.The LGBT Center let go of several employees this year due to the loss of federal grant funding, and he noted that this year\u2019s pride parade saw a stark downturn in corporate support due to \u201cprecompliance\u201d with President Donald Trump\u2019s threats to institutions that support LGBTQ causes.<\/p>\n Guerra emphasized the importance of teaching younger generations about LGBTQ hate.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we don\u2019t continue to discuss this, there will be another generation that feeds into all the hate they see on their phones,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Remaining visible is also critical, Heitstuman said.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t let this sort of incident curtail your queer joy,\u201d he said. \u201cContinue to live your life, refuse to go back into the closet or in some way diminish who you are out of fear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018I\u2019m still going to be dancing\u2019<\/p>\n Until now, most of Sais\u2019 advocacy work has happened behind the scenes. But the news of his attack deeply affected the queer community in Sacramento and thrust him into the public eye. He was largely numb to what happened until the story blew up. In the aftermath, he has felt both heartened by the support and chilled by the realization of how much worse the attack could have been.<\/p>\n \u201cThe level of support from everybody was amazing, all the people telling me how I touched their lives was endearing,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I love doing \u2014 giving back to the community. This was a moment where I felt the community gave back to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the trauma that comes with being assaulted on the basis of who he is (a self-described \u201cqueer, Latino, feminine man\u201d), Sais said that he will not be any less out and proud.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s shaken me, but it hasn\u2019t destroyed me,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m still going to be in Lavender Heights, I\u2019m still going to karaoke at Faces or Badlands, and I\u2019m still going to be dancing.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally published September 4, 2026 at 10:35 AM.<\/p>\n David Heitstuman is CEO of the Sacramento LGBT Community Center. David Heitstuman <\/p>\n
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