The Kevin Roe Legacy Fund is delighted to be able to provide resources to several programs on the SJSU campus that recognize, support, and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.
Here are some of the Legacy Fund’s first Program Support Awards, announced in April 2026. Some of the awards were made earlier in 2026 to support work done before the formal announcement; the rest will occur later in 2026.
Program Support Awards
SJSU 2026 Trans Teach-In
February 18, 2026
Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Pride Center; College of Social Sciences, Student Wellness Center
This vibrant event featured Keynote Speaker Erin Reed on the state of transgender civil rights, speakers on resources for trans and queer students, a zine-making workshop, and a student panel of experience, wisdom and joy in transgender lives.
“We deserve to live a life of joy, free from discrimination. Queer Joy! Resistance!” - Erin Reed
Trans Financial Workshop
Spring 2026 | TransTalk SJSU
This series of educational workshops throughout Spring 2026 includes 1:1 financial literacy coaching and support to open a bank account.
“Many transgender people have a relationship with money that is tainted by anxiety and stress. The series will help transgender individuals navigate complex financial systems that have historically excluded them, re-interpreting such spaces into ones that are affirming of transgender people.”
Queer Careers
April 24, 2026 | Queer Hope Institute
This symposium for 100+ SJSU students will be held in partnership with the SJSU Career Center and the Santa Clara County Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs. This is the second annual event designed to show “how to incorporate your authentic, full self at work, how to find jobs and network as a queer person, and how to see your sexuality and gender identity as an asset!”
Bestie Fest
May 29, 2026 | Queer Hope Institute
This on-campus conference for 200 LGBTQ+ middle school youth in the Bay Area will build on the successful 2025 Unity Conference. It is intended to be “a public proclamation of queer joy, especially for those among us who are feeling dark and sad right now. Queer and trans youth in the Bay Area deserve vibrant, loud celebrations of who they are. We hope that Bestie Fest enables our community’s youth to feel a sense of pride and joy.”
MaskBloc DIY Air Purifier Build
Fall 2026 | MaskBloc SJSU
Planned for Fall 2026, this maker event will include an educational workshop on the importance of clean air in fighting the spread of airborne disease—and a step-by-step tutorial on building a take-home air purifier.
“We continue the legacy of those who came and went during the AIDS epidemic, of ACT UP, and of every queer ancestor we lost. Our DIY Air Purifier Build is part of a larger mission to assert that when the system neglects us, we will keep us safe.”
-
Kevin Roe Legacy Program Support Awards
Applications are currently open through July 1 for programs planned for the next 12 months.
-
Kevin Roe Legacy Fund Donations
The Legacy Fund is grateful to the many donors who have made this level of support possible. Please join us to help support vital programs like these in the future.