More than 15,000 people attended Baltimore Safe Haven’s annual Trans Pride on Saturday.

“Last year we had maybe 2,500, and the year before that, we had 5,000,” Renee Lau, administrative assistant for special projects coordinator for Baltimore Safe Haven, said. “In today’s political climate, it’s absolutely amazing.”

Lau said allies and other groups “went into hiding” for about a month or two after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, but then all at once, different organizations started to reach out. 

“The community has really come together to support us,” Lau said. “It was a fun, exciting day.” 

Baltimore Safe Haven Executive Director Iya Dammons in a press release said the “historic turnout” showed the transgender community’s strength, as well as their unity to fight for justice and equality for all LGBTQ people.

At the event, attendees were seen waving flags and shouting “Trans Lives Matter,” showing their support for the community. 

On Friday, before Trans Pride, Baltimore Safe Haven opened their new building to the public, gathering notable attendees like the Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohan, Council Member Antonio Glover, and representatives from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.

“(It) was historic in itself because … we’re the only direct service providers for people in the LGBT community,” Lau said.

Providing housing for 18- to 24-year-olds, Lau said the new building also serves as a community hub and has office spaces for workers. 

With only a few hiccups of arguments between attendees and fixing street blockades during Trans Pride, Lau said the event showed what the community can do. 

“It was amazing that so many people came out and had that much fun. We were all giddy by Sunday morning,” Lau said. “(It gave) Safe Haven exposure and continuity. We are not just an LGBT organization, we are an organization that supports the entire community.”

Celebrating the transgender community, Baltimore Safe Haven, an organization committed to empowering LGBTQ individuals in Baltimore City, plans to host their fourth annual Baltimore Trans Pride on Saturday. 

Instead of the usual parade and march, this year’s Trans Pride will be a block party on Charles Street and between 21st and 22nd Streets. The event will start at 1 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and last until 10 p.m. 

Community members can go on guided tours, enjoy refreshments by local vendors, listen to presenters, and watch performances by special guests. 

Sukihana, the event’s headliner, plans to take to the stage to entertain the crowd, along with a variety of local performers, according to Melissa Deveraux, Baltimore Safe Haven’s executive assistant to Executive Director Iya Dammons.

“Some (are) prominently known, some (are) just making a name for themselves,” Deveraux said. Iya is always making sure that community talent is showcased at all of our functions.”

In company with Pride on Saturday, Baltimore Safe Haven will be opening its new building on Friday from 1-4 p.m.

“That is sort of going to be the prelude to pride,” Lau said. “Thanks to Sen. Mary Washington and the Weinberg Foundation, we were able to purchase the building outright, and it’s going to be a community hub of administrative buildings and 12-bedroom apartments.”

Renee Lau, administrative assistant for special projects coordinator for Baltimore Safe Haven, said the planning process for Baltimore Trans Pride began in January, and putting it all together was a collaboration of multiple city agencies and organizations. 

“Safe Haven is an LGBT community organization, but we service the entire community, and that’s the message we try to spread,” Lau said. “We’re not just here for the LGBT community. We’re here to spread goodwill and offer harm reduction and housing to the entire community.”

Lau said the organization’s biggest goal for the event is to gain exposure. 

“(We want) to let and let people know who we are and what our community is about,” she said.  “Right now, because of what’s happening in DC, there’s a lot of bad untruths going on, and the total thing is bringing out the truth.”

Deveraux said having a place of inclusivity, acceptance, and togetherness is important in today’s political climate and the current administration.

“This event will have people seeing the strength and resilience of the transgender community, showing that no matter what we are going through, we still show up,” Deveraux said. “We are here, we will not be erased.” 

As Baltimore Pride celebrates 50 years of LGBTQ history in their “50 Shades of Pride” events from June 9-15, they’re focused on mobilizing and taking action. 

“When we think back to the history of Baltimore Pride, it is one of the most central pride movements of LGBT and black liberation, and so this year will be very different,” FreeState Justice Advocacy, Policy, and Partnerships Director Ronnie Taylor said. “In a time where federally, we are under attack and dealing with so much, I think this will be a really amazing way for our federal, state, and local individuals to be able to come together and be amongst the community we serve.”

Taylor said she’s excited to be part of the events leading up to the Baltimore Pride Parade that showcase the LGBTQ community. She said celebrating 50 years of history is a way for her to pay homage to her “transcestors” and ancestors who fought hard in Baltimore and Maryland to ensure equality for all. 

“For me, personally, acknowledging, and celebrating 50 Years of Baltimore pride is monumental,” Taylor said. “And knowing that we’ve only taken two years off based on COVID-19 mandates to be able to come together … is going to be really monumental.”

For Taylor, one of her personal goals for the “50 Shades of Pride” celebration in upcoming years is to have a summit or conference where Pride is not just acknowledged, but talked about regarding policies and safety agendas. 

“We need to be able to have a space to talk about legislation, and we need to be able to have a space for all to feel like (the LGBTQ community) is included in their decision-making process on the federal, state, and city-wide level,” Taylor said. “And so this will be a way for our elected officials to be able to come together and hear from community members.”

Taylor added that mobilization and activation in the community are needed now more than ever. 

“We see it on a federal level. We are not protected right now in what we have,” Taylor said. “All we have is each other. And you know, none of us should be sitting back and waiting for someone to come and save us, as we are the saviors of ourselves.”

Taylor said having a space to “break bread” and party in the streets to celebrate Pride is amazing, but Pride organizations’ initiatives go beyond that. 

FreeState Justice and the Pride Center of Maryland have created a trans advocacy care initiative that will be released and marketed to engage with community members throughout Baltimore’s Pride festival, according to Taylor. 

“We have to stop moving in cycles,” Taylor said. “(When) we’re talking about community work and mobilization and activation … we wouldn’t be here with it without it being for each other. Overall, collectively, let’s do the work and get it done.”