In a windowless meeting room at Mesa College, President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts to higher education are becoming a contentious topic among students and educators in San Diego.
At a recent event known as the Lavender Celebration, Lucio Lira, the coordinator of Mesa College’s pride center, passionately declared, “This presidential thing, we will not let that happen here at Mesa College,” eliciting loud applause from an audience of over 50 students, faculty, and staff.
Trump’s budget proposal targets the U.S. Department of Education with over $10 billion in cuts for the 2026 fiscal year, specifically singling out community colleges and their LGBTQ+ pride centers in San Diego.
In California, where community colleges educate more than half of all undergraduates, these institutions have largely escaped the brunt of Trump’s spending cuts until now. However, the future appears uncertain in the wake of Trump’s latest budget proposal.
The San Diego Community College District, which consists of four colleges, received more than $225,000 in federal grants in 2023 to support programs and community spaces for LGBTQ+ students.
In his budget proposal, Trump justifies these cuts by asserting that federal money is being used for initiatives unrelated to student education.
“These grants have allowed colleges to fund ideologies instead of students,” the proposal argues, suggesting that states and institutions, rather than the federal government, should be responsible for funding educational programs.
At the Lavender Celebration, Lira highlighted how the federal funds helped transform the meeting room into a festive banquet hall to honor LGBTQ+ graduates.
“Each graduate received a pride-themed stole, or ‘sash’,” he explained, making it clear that any student could participate in the event, given California’s Proposition 209, which forbids preferential treatment based on race or sex.
Following Lira’s address, the college president, the district chancellor, and a board member all voiced their opposition to the Trump administration’s efforts to censor diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in higher education.
They referenced a February letter from the administration that threatened federal funding for colleges promoting such values, resulting in many institutions cancelling or rebranding their LGBTQ+ graduation events.
Chancellor Gregory Smith expressed urgency, stating, “We’re planning to spend down the federal money as quickly as we can so it isn’t pulled back” while acknowledging that any cuts would require Congressional approval, which could take months.
Trump’s approach to education funding has been widely criticized, particularly by those who see LGBTQ+ youths as a convenient target for political points.
Local Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs, co-chair of the “Transgender Equality Task Force,” called the proposed cuts an act of distraction designed to shift focus away from broader issues affecting higher education.
“He wants to control what (colleges) teach, who they admit and hire, and what areas of study they can follow,” Jacobs asserted, criticizing the administration’s focus on LGBTQ+ students as a scapegoat.
The funding cuts proposed are part of a broader trend. The administration has already reduced research funds for professors focusing on LGBTQ issues and has moved to exclude undocumented students from accessing certain programs.
Trump’s social media posts further spotlight his stance, as he threatened to withhold federal funding from California over a single transgender athlete.
The pride center at Mesa College serves not only as an event space but also a supportive hang-out area for students seeking community and resources.
Outside the center, a rack of free clothes is available for students transitioning their gender. Daniella Abbott, a student frequenting the center, shared her experiences.
“I met most of my friends here,” she said, noting the growing popularity of the pride center since its inception in February 2023.
Christopher Delgado, another regular at the center, described how Lira’s guidance helped him navigate a tough period before enrolling in a counseling course tailored for LGBTQ+ students.
“I was able to lift myself out of a bad place,” he stated, as he attended the Lavender Celebration to support his friends about to graduate.
At the end of the celebration, Lira called out the names of the graduates, who shared their college plans and posed for photos with school leadership.
Abbott, who was the first to be recognized, humorously announced her plans to attend UCLA, even though she remains on the waitlist, saying, “It’s happening. They just don’t know it yet.”
She was a recipient of a $500 scholarship provided to low-income LGBTQ+ students involved in the pride center, which she joked about needing for lunch support.
Despite living at home, Abbott faces daily expenses like gas and food as she navigates her education.
The proposed budget not only threatens initiatives like scholarships and support programs for low-income first-generation college students but also jeopardizes long-standing federal resources.
In response to these impending cuts, the advocacy association for California’s community college presidents has sought state assistance, though California currently faces its own projected budget deficits.
The federal budget process complicates these issues further. The Republican-controlled Congress prepares its own spending bill, which ultimately needs the president’s signature.
Iris Palmer, a community college policy director, remarked that the House version of the spending proposal does not specifically reference the funding for San Diego’s pride centers, likely due to a focus on larger dollar programs.
While the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education includes approximately $200 million a year, Palmer described it as being
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