Advocacy

One of the tenets of Brothers of the Desert’s mission is advocacy. We believe advocacy is important in building a healthier and more just community for Black gay men and our allies to thrive. We have participated in and supported several initiatives that promote equity and social justice.

Highlights of our advocacy efforts include work on the following issues:

  • On-going support for Survivors of Section 14.

  • Voter registration efforts to get our community to register for upcoming elections.

  • Supporting voter rights

    • We held an event called A Day of Advocacy to highlight the concern about voter suppression in Black and LGBTQ+ communities.

  • Candidate forums

    • BOD held a forum in October 2022 to hear from local and state candidates on issues pertinent to the Black and LGBTQ+ communities.

  • Support for statewide legislation on behalf of LGBTQ+ student’s safety in schools.

  • Making an organizational stand on pertinent community concerns, such as the removal of the Frank Bogert Statue and solidarity with the survivors of Section 14.

  • Solidarity with responding to Asian hate. 

    • As rising concerns over the mistreatment of Asian communities occurred during the COVID pandemic occurred, we made a statement posted on our website.

  • Support of projects from other community organizations such as PALS, SAGE, the Mizell Center, and DAP Health on such issues as HIV/AIDS, senior housing, LGBTQ+ history, and the meaning of Juneteenth and freedom for Black Americans.

  • Working with Palm Springs Unified School District to support their HBCU College Tour to provide opportunities for Black students to visit campuses.

  • Support for Black and LGBTQ + student success. We have a separate scholarship support program that helps to fund four Black and LGBTQ+ scholarships. For more information on programs we support, check out our scholarship page.

  • Creation of a Black business listing to support the success of Black businesses in the Coachella Valley

How affirming it is to have queer Black unity and community in our sense of belonging to the world, and how important it is to our survival to show up for each other.