LOS ANGELES — Today, The Social Impact Center announced “Coming Out Green” in Los Angeles, part of the first-ever Circa queer histories festival.
The multimedia activation and celebration features 20 LGBTQ+ California leaders who have shaped the past, present, and future of cannabis.
Featured leaders include Drug Policy Alliance Director, Cat Packer; Veteran, CEO and Oakland social equity leader, Amber Senter; Trans Latina Coalition founder, Bamby Salcedo and national labor leader, Rigo Valdez. The installation includes footage from Castro Castle – home of late medical cannabis activist Dennis Peron and birthplace of the Compassionate Use movement – on public display for the first time.
The event takes place Sunday, October 22, 2023, from 3-7 PM at beTRUE in Los Angeles, 7225 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046. Activation includes:
A thought-provoking documentary photo installation charting queer and trans activists and leaders from 1980s to today who redefined cannabis and LGBTQ+ movements.
“Canna Conversations Couch,” an on-site activation where participants take a portrait and record their story with Social Impact Center young leaders.
A celebration space embracing the spirit of cannabis and queer and trans cultures of healing.
Host Felicia Carbajal has served as a LGBTQ+ change-maker and innovator in cannabis for decades. Involvement in battling the HIV/AIDS epidemic and in the medical cannabis movement in San Francisco in the 1990s set the stage for a lifetime of social justice activism.
Felicia Carbajal says, “The LGBTQ+ community led the fight for medical access and legalization in California and is fundamentally shaping its future. Much still has to be done in our fight for equity and justice – for cannabis and queer and trans communities alike – but we invite everyone to join us to celebrate these unique leaders and how far we have come.”
The event is part of Circa, the first and only LGBTQ+ histories festival in the US, happening across Los Angeles October 2023 thanks to the 70-year strong ONE Institute.
About The Social Impact Center
The Social Impact Center, led by Executive Director Felicia Carbajal, is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit empowering marginalized BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities through stigma-free organizing, mutual aid, education, storytelling, intergenerational healing, and cultural expression.
