South Bay Queer Solidarity
OUR MISSION:
South Bay Queer Solidarity (SBQS) is an intersectional, queer-led group that builds community and power to make the South Bay a place where LGBTQ+ people can live and flourish. We are organizing our community and allies to take effective action that improves LGBTQ+ lives in the South Bay.
Get Involved
Join SBQS
Sign up: https://form.jotform.com/250456912942157We welcome LGBTQ+ community members and our allies. We are focused on making change in Santa Clara County and the broader south San Francisco Bay Area, California, through community organizing. Learn more about our projects.Calendar
- 1st Tuesdays: Potluck & General Meeting
--- Potluck: 6-7pm in San Jose, CA
--- Meeting: 7-8:30pm, hybrid
- 3rd Tuesdays: Project meeting & working group time
- 3rd Saturdays: Quest House volunteer days
Community - Mutual Aid - Advocacy
Our History
Early Beginnings
Our group started in 2023 when the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center in San Jose, California, came together with People Acting in Community Together (PACT) to form PACT's first secular organizing group, the Billy DeFrank Organizing Committee. The group's goal was to organize the LGBTQ+ community in Santa Clara County and our allies around issues that matter to us.
School Board Candidate Forums
For the November 2024 election, the Billy DeFrank Organizing Committee partnered with Alpha Public Schools, KIPP Public Schools, and PACT San Jose to hold candidate forums for two local school board elections: the Alum Rock Union School District and the Franklin-McKinley School District. These forums allowed community members to hear directly from the candidates hoping to represent them. Our Franklin-McKinley forum was covered in by San Jose Spotlight in an article entitled "Silicon Valley school board candidates divided on LGBTQ+ issues".To inform voters of the candidates' responses, we assembled and sent out mailers of the candidate’s responses to our questions. Through grassroots fundraising, we were able to send 554 mailers to residents of the Alum Rock Union School District and 570 mailers to residents of the Franklin-McKinley School District.
Reimagining SBQS
In February 2025, we became independent from the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Center and PACT. We changed our name to South Bay Queer Solidarity and expanded our scope from political work to include mutual aid.
Our Projects
Distribute mutual aid
Advocate for the LGBTQ+ community
Strengthen our community through regular meetings and social events
Build power in the South Bay by training our members in community organizing
Educate and empower allies
Volunteer at Quest House
We volunteer at Quest House on the third Saturday of each month. Through this work, guests at Quest House will be able to enjoy fresh veggies and a more organized house while they recover from gender affirming surgery. We are lucky to play a small role in improving the lives of trans folks!These volunteer days are a great way to get involved with mutual aid and build community with trans people and allies.
Advocate and Educate With Trans 101s
Our Trans 101 presentation is an hour-long talk and discussion for curious allies on the basics of knowing and supporting trans people. We train interested members on how to give these presentations to communities, politicians, and anyone who wants to learn more about our community.To schedule a free Trans 101 for your group or office, email: [email protected]
Political Outreach
Sam Liccardo represents the 16th Congressional District in the State of California. Several of us from SBQS met with Sam Liccardo in April, 2025. We had a great meeting with him here in San Jose! Thank you to Representative Liccardo for listening to our stories about what it's like to be trans and have trans people in our lives.We followed it up with a Trans 101 presentation to his staff. At times like these, supportive electeds who are open to learning about our lives will be essential to protecting our futures.
For the latest, visit us on social media: Bluesky | Instagram