The Walk4Humanity is not a symbolic gesture. Walk4Humanity will transform ordinary streets into a moving monument of resistance, love, and truth. Led by the TransLatin@ Coalition, this mobilization centers Trans, Gender Non-Conforming, and Intersex (TGI) people, particularly Black, Brown, and immigrant communities who have borne the heaviest weight of violence, economic exclusion, and hostility. Walk4Humanity is a vital reminder that survival requires visibility, solidarity, and investment. It is also a fundraiser—every step taken sustains life-saving services for people society too often overlooks.
A Day of Marching, Celebration, and Community Power
Walk4Humanity 2025 will take place on Sunday, August 24, 2025, transforming Los Angeles into a powerful stage for love, resilience, and solidarity. Hosted by The TransLatin@ Coalition, the uplifting 2-mile walk and community celebration will begin at Sunset Junction and continue to Hollywood, with events running from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Participants will march in unity while uplifting TGI voices, followed by a day-long celebration featuring speakers, cultural performances, and community-building activities designed to inspire, educate, and mobilize support.
“The Walk4Humanity is not just a march—it’s a declaration. We are walking for our lives, for our dignity, and for our right to exist without fear.” – Bamby Salcedo
A Declaration in Motion: Voices Leading the Way
The walk begins at Sunset Junction—the iconic intersection of Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards in Silver Lake—where Bamby Salcedo will deliver an opening speech. Participants will then journey east along Sunset Boulevard, passing through vibrant neighborhoods like Virgil Village, Thai Town, and Little Armenia—areas celebrated for their cultural murals, flourishing small businesses, and visibility of immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities. The route culminates at Serrano Avenue, where the Walk4Humanity Block Party unfolds from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, featuring live performances, DJ sets hosted by Kalen Allen and Maria Roman, community vendors, cultural music, and uplifting speeches. The march will be raising funds that will be used directly to support the creation of a new community center offering critical services like housing, legal assistance, mental health care, and emergency relief for Two-Spirit, Transgender, Gender-Expansive, and Intersex (2TGI) individuals.
For Bamby Salcedo, founder and president of The TransLatin@ Coalition, the walk is not symbolic, it is survival. “The Walk4Humanity is not just a march—it’s a declaration,” she says. Her words aren’t poetry for the sake of rallying a crowd; they are a blunt reflection of the stakes.
From Advocacy to Action: What the Walk Powers
The Walk4Humanity is not just about raising awareness. It’s about fueling the work that keeps people fed, housed, and safe. That work happens daily inside The TransLatin@ Coalition—a nationally recognized, trans-led organization that has transformed advocacy into tangible infrastructure.
Salcedo explains: “We don’t just advocate—we build. Housing. Healing. Hope.”
With federal and community funding, The TransLatin@ Coalition delivers:
- Workforce Development – Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, these programs train and connect TGI individuals to jobs, breaking cycles of economic exclusion.
- Violence Prevention Services – Supported by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), these services provide trauma-informed care to survivors targeted because of their identity.
- Housing & Case Management – Transitioning unhoused trans individuals into stable housing while offering wraparound services that make that stability last.
- Substance Use & Mental Health Support – Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), this program delivers culturally competent care that addresses trauma head-on.
- Re-entry Programs – Supporting TGI people returning from incarceration, where discrimination and neglect often compound harm.
Every step taken in Walk4Humanity directly funds these services. Without them, countless people would be left without shelter, without income, and without safety.
The Reality: What’s Being Denied
The very needs that these programs meet are the ones most often denied to TGI people. Safe housing, fair employment, affirming healthcare, and even the right to have legal documents match one’s identity, these are treated as privileges, not rights, for too many in the TGI community.
Salcedo iterates: “We are not asking for special treatment—we are demanding the basic human rights everyone else already has.”
The data confirms the crisis: TGI people face disproportionate rates of homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, and violent assault. For those who are Black or Latinx, these risks multiply due to systemic racism and xenophobia layered on top of transphobia.
Breaking the Myths That Fuel Fear
One of the central goals of Walk4Humanity is to confront and dismantle the myths that have long been used against TGI people.
“We are not your enemy. We are your family, your coworkers, your neighbors. We are human beings trying to live.” – Bamby Salcedo
Misunderstanding doesn’t just breed discomfort, it fuels policy, violence, and exclusion. Many of the stereotypes about trans people have been recycled for decades, now amplified as language designed to provoke fear.
Salcedo and her peers are committed to confronting these myths head-on.
On Employment
Misconception: “All trans women are sex workers.”
Truth: Systemic exclusion from employment drives many trans women, especially women of color, into survival work.
“Yes, the majority of us are sex workers—but that’s because of the lack of access and opportunity within our society. We’re not choosing it freely—we’re surviving.”
The reality is that many trans women turn to sex work because they are excluded from traditional employment opportunities, not because it is their preferred career path.
On Health
Misconception: “All trans women are HIV-positive or drug users.”
Truth: Disproportionately high rates of HIV and substance use are linked to systemic barriers, not identity.
“It’s true that trans women have the highest incidence of HIV—but that doesn’t mean all of us are HIV-positive. And we are working every day to change the systems that increase our risk.”
This means fighting for culturally competent healthcare, preventative services, and harm reduction, rather than allowing stigma to dictate the narrative.
reduction, rather than allowing stigma to dictate the narrative.
On Medical Transition
Misconception: “All trans people want surgery or medical intervention.”
Truth: Transition is not a universal path, and identity is not defined by procedures.
“Not everybody wants gender-affirming surgery or hormone injections. Being trans is about identity—not about procedure.”
Not all trans people seek medical transition, and their identities are valid regardless of the choices they make about their own bodies.
On Bathrooms
Misconception: “Trans people are a threat in bathrooms or are sexual deviants.”
Truth: Fear-based policies stigmatize trans people and deny them safety.
“The idea that we’re sexual deviants is why we’re being denied access to basic things like bathrooms. It’s not about safety—it’s about stigma.”
Limited bathroom access places trans people, especially trans women, at greater risk of harassment and violence.
Why This Walk Is Urgent Now
The Walk4Humanity is as much about narrative control as it is about fundraising. Salcedo emphasizes: “We constantly have to create our own narratives to push back against the lies that have been told about us.”
Walking together, in public, in broad daylight, is an act of visibility—and with visibility comes vulnerability. But as Salcedo points out: “When we are visible, we are vulnerable. But we are also powerful.”
The stakes are clear: “We walk because we have been silenced. We walk because we have been killed. We walk because we are still here.”This is not symbolic activism, it is a demonstration that policy must change, services must be protected, and dignity must be restored. “Walk4Humanity is about showing the world that trans lives matter—not as a slogan, but in policy, in services, and in spirit.”
Love as Resistance
When funding is slashed and hostility rises, community love becomes an act of defiance. Salcedo’s reminder is both practical and profound: “They may try to defund us, but they can never un-love us. Our community has always made a way.”
The Walk4Humanity is proof of that—people walking shoulder to shoulder in defense of lives too often targeted, erased, or ignored.
And perhaps that is the walk’s greatest power: showing that survival is not an individual achievement but a collective promise.
The Invitation
This is a moment about humanity. Walk. Donate. Share the message. Speak up when you hear misinformation. Refuse to accept that anyone should have to fight this hard for what others take for granted. Because as Salcedo has made clear from the beginning, this is not just about walking—it’s about living. To learn more visit: https://www.walk4humanity.org/.
About Kalen Allen
Kalen Allen is an award-winning television personality, content creator, and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. With a platform that reaches millions, Kalen uses his voice to amplify marginalized communities and spotlight issues impacting the trans and queer communities, particularly in Los Angeles. He is a passionate ally and storyteller dedicated to equity, representation, and social justice.
About Bamby Salcedo
Bamby Salcedo is a renowned activist, community leader, and the founder of the TransLatin@ Coalition (TLC). She has spent decades advocating for Brown and Black trans communities, providing critical services, creating safe spaces, and advancing policies that protect marginalized individuals. Bamby is a tireless voice for justice, equity, and human dignity.
About The TransLatin@ Coalition (TLC)
The TransLatin@ Coalition (TLC) is the largest organization in the U.S. serving Brown and Black trans communities. TLC provides life-saving services, including healthcare, housing, mental health support, and advocacy. Committed to truth, equity, and community empowerment, TLC works to combat misinformation, uplift trans voices, and ensure the dignity and survival of the people it serves.
Media Contact
Randy C. Bonds. Media & Talent Relations, The TransLatin@ Coalition. Randy@rcbondspr.com | (708) 415-6409
Thai Lee. Jr. Publicist, The TransLatin@ Coalition. Press@rcbondspr.com | (323) 508-9151
Kionna Simon. Jr. Publicist, The TransLatin@ Coalition. Asst@rcbondspr.com | (940) 206-7078
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