Newsletter: ‘Halloween is like our Super Bowl:’ What the holiday means to the queer community
Plus, learn about Proposition 50 and ICE blocking Congress members from observing holding cells.
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Parents are baking homemade pumpkin treats and kids are dreaming of plentiful stashes of candy. Meanwhile, teens and young adults are curating playlists for their upcoming costume parties.
Halloween is just around the corner, and the holiday holds a deep meaning for the LGBTQ+ community.
With an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ policies and attitudes, Kathie Moehlig, the executive director of TransFamily Support Services, said it’s critical that queer people feel safe in their community spaces, especially those in the transgender youth community.
“We are at a time where the federal government is unrelenting in their attack against the trans community,” Moehlig said. “They're attacking at school. They're attacking health care. The threat is looming.”
Pockets of positivity, like Halloween, help keep up the fight.
The ooky-spooky, trick- and treat-filled holiday holds a special place for the queer community, especially the trans and non-binary folks she works with, Moehlig said. The holiday allows for authentic self-celebration.
TransFamily Support Services threw its fourth annual Boo Bash Friday — a program created to be a safe space for queer youth to feel affirmed in their identities and for their families to become more knowledgeable about their loved ones’ queerness, Moehlig said.
“Halloween is an important queer holiday, and so we really wanted to be able to honor that,” Moehlig said. “Our trans kids are primarily being raised by cis, straight individuals who don't have an understanding of the queer culture or queer history.”
Elena Scarr — a prevention specialist at the Collective Coalition, a LGBTQ+ advocacy group — is a self-proclaimed queer history and film buff. They said the spirit of Halloween, which is evident throughout history and reflected in cinema, is heavily about the freedom to do, be and look however one wishes.
They said it’s a “no-expectations” holiday, where it doesn’t matter much what you look like.
“Things are supposed to be strange [and] out of the status quo,” Scarr said.
They think queer people find solace and opportunity in that intention and it allows them to be “queerdos.”
“Halloween is like our Super Bowl,” Scarr said. “If you are a queer person who maybe doesn't feel safe on other days to dress the way that you want to, maybe Halloween is a day that you can feel safe to do that.”
They shared excitement that people are starting to delve into history with a queer lens and learning that Halloween is emblematic of the expansiveness and openness within the queer community.
“I think a lot more people are understanding that queerness is a culture,” Scarr said. “Queerness has more to do with identity than just sexuality.”
To them, Halloween and queerness are intertwined, as evident in some classic spooky season movies like “Jennifer’s Body,” “Silence of the Lambs” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge.” And of course there’s the queer cult-classic, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Scarr said these films contain historical testaments to the innate queerness of the holiday, from depictions of drag to not-so-subtle homoeroticism.
“We can all be constantly talking about gayness and Halloween,” Scarr said. “So much of Halloween is about costuming, and so much of rich queer history is rooted in altering our appearance, but also just dressing up for fun.”
But with mainstream culture aligning heavily with conformity to stereotypical gender presentation and expression, Moehlig said it’s hard for many queer people, especially kids, to feel comfortable in costumed spaces, even on Halloween.
She said the holiday should also be about demystifying cross-gender costumes, educating families on queer representation in the community and other potentially confusing concepts that Halloween helps explain.
What makes Halloween different from other holidays, Moehlig said, is identities are more equal as people can dress and act in a way that feels right and appropriate to them, rather than conforming to outside pressures and expectations.
Seana Earls — an event organizer with The G Spot, which curates events for lesbians across San Diego — said it's a day where people can express themselves, which is more difficult with the more conservative social climate in the United States
Earls and The G Spot are hosting a sapphic costume party based on the movie, “Sinners,” which she said will heavily involve vampire-themed, classic southern attire, and a joyful community space.
“It's just a room full of people that maybe have the same values or the same interests,” Earls said. “You just get to be free, and you don't have to worry about too many judgments.”
Scarr has been scouring the county for lesbian-centered events, from Out and About to Sapphic Book Club to LEZ Run SD and events at San Diego’s flagship lesbian bar, Gossip Grill. They said their conversations with people in these spaces proves there is a need for more comfortable sapphic and generally queer spaces.
“It's very dangerous to be a queer person or trans person right now, especially if you're a low income or a Black or Brown person, but in fear, we seek out each other,” Scarr said. “A lot of people want a reason to meet up with each other, feel connected, maybe forget about what's going on for a night.”
Moehlig said authentically celebrating Halloween is a way to fight against those who oppose the queer community.
“Take one day or one weekend and stop paying attention to what's happening on the news, put down your social media and just enjoy in the magic of which this community is, the resilience of which this community is,” Moehlig said. “We have these times in order for us to have the resilience necessary to move forward in the fight.”
She said queer people, especially youth, will resonate with the feelings of Halloween if given the opportunity to celebrate in a way that’s true to themselves and part of a bigger picture.
Scarr said queerness is slowly becoming more mainstream, but the special meaning of Halloween to the LGBTQ+ community has always existed.
“When people start to understand what the values are in queer culture they start to see them everywhere,” Scarr said. “Our history has been there. We've been here, we've been queer.”
— Sam Barney-Gibbs
Family farms, local businesses and nonprofit organizations are hosting events throughout the fall season to celebrate autumnal vibes and Halloween spirit. Ghouls, goblins and ghosts can gather at these happenings across the county to be in community with like-minded people, enjoy sweet treats and maybe even experience a welcomed trick.
— Sam Barney-Gibbs
Prop. 50 could redistrict San Diego
Registered voters across the state have received mail-in ballots for the upcoming Nov. 4 election, during which they’ll decide whether to change the state’s Congressional district maps. Find your voting center and more local election information by visiting sdvote.com, and read the state’s official special election voter information guide at bit.ly/CAelectionguide2025.
— Lauren J. Mapp
Prop. 50 and its democratic significance
Californians have until Nov. 4 to vote on Prop. 50, a ballot measure led by Gov. Gavin Newsom that seeks to redraw the state’s congressional maps to help Democrats and cancel out similar Republican-led efforts in other states. Supporters claim the move is necessary to fight back against President Trump’s efforts to undermine democracy.
— Story by Jeremy Lindenfeld, Capital & Main
ICE blocks Congress from basement holding cells
After reports of increased detentions at the ICE offices in downtown San Diego leading to overcrowded conditions in the basement holding cells of the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building, Reps. Juan Vargas and Scott Peters showed up Monday morning to inspect the facilities. ICE turned them away.
— Kate Morrissey
Kaiser goes on five-day strike
The nation’s health care workers want to be paid fairly, but that’s hardly news — you could say the same for any worker group in the United States. The recent contract-related walkout by 31,000 Kaiser employees in California, Oregon and Hawaii almost perfectly illustrates the disconnect workers feel. While Kaiser officials declared that “the heart of this negotiation is a dispute about wages,” workers pointed to the lack of staffing as the primary reason they walked.
— Story by Mark Kreidler, Capital & Main
Diwali brings light to Balboa Park
Hundreds celebrated light overcoming darkness at the Diwali Festival of Light in Spreckels Organ Pavilion on Oct. 19. Attendees enjoyed singing, dancing, food and bonding with the community.
— Brittany Cruz-Fejeran
Other news
San Diego County warned CalFresh recipients that November benefits may not be issued due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Residents should prepare for possible delays and access local food resources by calling 211 or visiting county websites.
The San Diego City Council unanimously approved the “Due Process and Safety Ordinance” restricting city cooperation with federal enforcement, especially ICE, ABC 10 News reported. The ordinance requires warrants for data access, limits information sharing, and aims to protect immigrants and residents from discriminatory federal actions.
KPBS reported the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3–2 to advance two policies aimed at protecting residents’ rights and strengthening due process. One restricts federal agents’ access to county facilities without warrants, while the other addresses ICE impersonators.
Sierra Club organizer Charles Rilli is working to expand the group’s reach in south county, where membership is low despite serious environmental problems. Voice of San Diego wrote that Rilli wants to connect environmental and economic issues, prioritize local concerns like Tijuana River pollution and make activism more inclusive overall.
Grossmont Union High School District replaced all teacher-librarian positions with library technicians and one district-level librarian. KPBS found students and teachers at the schools say the change limits access, weakens literacy programs, and reflects heavy influence on literary and general learning materials by a conservative school board.
Oct. 26
Oceanside Día de Muertos Festival: Friends of Oceanside is hosting its 24th annual Día de Muertos Festival downtown next to City Hall. The festival features a Por Siempre car show, altars, chalk cemetery, vendors and live entertainment. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Oceanside City Hall, 300 N Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054
CinKuni Pumpkin Party: Wild Creative and Free is hosting a night of drinks and succulent pumpkin crafting. Tickets are available online starting at $45. 3025 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, CA 92104
Little Italy Trick-or-Treat: Select businesses on India Street will hand out candy for trick-or-treaters, as local vendors sell food and other products. The Piazza della Famiglia will be decorated like the film, “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and Shake Shack Little Italy is hosting a costume contest with prizes. India Street, San Diego, CA 92101
South Park Trick-or-Treat: The South Park business community will provide tarot readings, magic shows, live music and photo opportunities. Businesses will fill a South Park-themed tote bag for $18. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Check-in at South Bark Dog Wash (2037 30th St., San Diego, CA 92104) or Wicked Fit (1504 30th St., San Diego, CA 92102)
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