The Transgender District is a cultural district spanning eight blocks of San Francisco, California. The Transgender District was founded to be a safe space for transgender individuals and advocates for reparations for transgender people. ¹

Transgender District advocates for and supports programs that subsidize housing for transgender individuals and transgender-owned businesses. It also advocates for far-left cultural trainings that teach people identity politics-based ideology. ²

Background

In 2017, the city of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors created an ordinance establishing a six-block span in San Francisco of the southeast Tenderloin and two blocks of Market Street as the Transgender District. The board allocated $300,000 in seed funding from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development to help cover operating costs and the development of a community center as part of the ordinance. ³

The Transgender District was founded by Aria Sa’id, Honey Mahogany, and Janetta Johnson. Honey Mahogany served as a legislative aide to a member of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, revealing in an interview that the board also gave the Transgender District $75,000 in seed funding for decorations and events. ⁴

Transgender District leadership attends policy meetings with San Francisco’s politicians and government agencies to advocate for policy that would prevent transgender people from having to compete for housing with non-transgender people and in business ventures, especially within the Transgender District. It also advocates for subsidizing housing for transgender people and transgender-owned businesses, stating they take place as a form of reparations for the transgender community. ⁵

Activities

Transgender District supports what it calls “reverse gentrification,” which can include removing groups of people or businesses that do not contribute to the transgender community within the transgender district, funding housing agencies to subsidize housing for transgender individuals, subsidizing transgender-owned businesses, and creating community programs that encourage participation in the transgender community. ⁶

Transgender District advocates for cultural preservation of the district. It wants to prevent the development of modern buildings and wants to preserve locations of significance for the transgender community. The Transgender District also campaigns for the creation of transgender districts in other cities. ⁷

Transgender District advocates for businesses and organizations to implement far-left trainings rooted in identity politics that would teach employees and members how transgender people are allegedly disadvantaged in society by identifying as transgender. ⁸

Leadership

Aria Sa’id is a co-founder of The Transgender District and works as the executive director. She also works as a program manager for the St. James Infirmary. ⁹

Honey Mahogany is a co-founder of the Transgender District, was elected to San Francisco’s Democratic County Central Committee, is a legislative aide to San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney (D), and is known for her participation on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” ^{10 11}

Janetta Johnson is a co-founder of Transgender District and is an executive director of the TGI Justice Project. ¹²

Funding

Transgender District was given $300,000 by the city of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development’s budget when it was created in 2017. The money was given to help develop a community center and cover operating costs. It was later revealed that another $75,000 was allocated by the board for decoration costs and to fund events. ¹³

In 2020, Transgender District received a grant over “six figures” from Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. ¹⁴

1. The Transgender District. “The Transgender District 2020-2021 Biennial Report.” San Francisco: The Transgender District, n.d. https://4e91d86b-c7d5-4d3f-ab8e-3190d354b680.filesusr.com/ugd/40a234_fbc58ca5041741619f86e3b06bc840ec.pdf
2. The Transgender District. “The Transgender District 2020-2021 Biennial Report.” San Francisco: The Transgender District, n.d. https://4e91d86b-c7d5-4d3f-ab8e-3190d354b680.filesusr.com/ugd/40a234_fbc58ca5041741619f86e3b06bc840ec.pdf
3. “SF Queer Cultural Districts Take Shape.” The Bay Area Reporter / B.A.R. Inc. Accessed July 12, 2021. https://www.ebar.com/news/news/280415.
4. “SF Queer Cultural Districts Take Shape.” The Bay Area Reporter / B.A.R. Inc. Accessed July 12, 2021. https://www.ebar.com/news/news/280415.
5. “ABOUT: The Transgender District.” transgenderdistrict. Accessed July 12, 2021. https://www.transgenderdistrictsf.com/about.
6. The Transgender District. “The Transgender District 2020-2021 Biennial Report.” San Francisco: The Transgender District, n.d. https://4e91d86b-c7d5-4d3f-ab8e-3190d354b680.filesusr.com/ugd/40a234_fbc58ca5041741619f86e3b06bc840ec.pdf
7. “COMMUNITY PROGRAMS: The Transgender District.” transgenderdistrict. Accessed July 12, 2021. https://www.transgenderdistrictsf.com/community-programs.
8. The Transgender District. “The Transgender District 2020-2021 Biennial Report.” San Francisco: The Transgender District, n.d. https://4e91d86b-c7d5-4d3f-ab8e-3190d354b680.filesusr.com/ugd/40a234_fbc58ca5041741619f86e3b06bc840ec.pdf
9. Madison, Alex. “The Nation’s First Trans Cultural District Is Starting to Turn Ideas into Reality.” LGBTQ Nation. LGBTQ Nation, October 7, 2018. https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/10/nations-first-trans-cultural-district-starting-turn-ideas-reality/.
10. Wilson, Emily. “San Francisco Creates World’s First Ever Transgender Cultural District.” The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast Company, December 11, 2018. https://www.thedailybeast.com/san-francisco-creates-worlds-first-ever-transgender-cultural-district.
11. Bajko, Matthew S. “Political Notebook: In a 1st, SF Trans Women Win Local Party Posts.” Bay Area Reporter, March 12, 2020. https://www.ebar.com/news/news/289265.
12. Wilson, Emily. “San Francisco Creates World’s First Ever Transgender Cultural District.” The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast Company, December 11, 2018. https://www.thedailybeast.com/san-francisco-creates-worlds-first-ever-transgender-cultural-district.
13. “SF Queer Cultural Districts Take Shape.” The Bay Area Reporter / B.A.R. Inc. Accessed July 12, 2021. https://www.ebar.com/news/news/280415.
14. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. “BLACK LIVES MATTER 2020 IMPACT REPORT.” Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, 2021. https://blacklivesmatter.com/2020-impact-report/