Hundreds of LGBTQ+ students, their families, educators and allies from throughout the Central Coast will gather at Watsonville High School Sept. 26 for the Rainbow Conference, a day organizers say is designed to build community, share resources and celebrate young people.
For Katherine Figueroa, 15, a sophomore at Pajaro Valley High School who identifies as nonbinary and transgender and prefers the pronouns they/them, the conference is also a chance to help other young people feel comfortable being themselves.
Figueroa is serving on the Rainbow Conference planning committee for the first time this year, a role that grew out of their increasing involvement in the community.
“From a very young age, I just loved putting myself out there,” Figueroa said. “As I got more involved in my own community, I saw all these incredible things that people were doing.”
Seeing people speak at conferences and award ceremonies was inspiring, Figueroa said, although they never imagined they would eventually take on a similar public role.
“But as I continued to keep myself available communally, more opportunities just presented themselves,” they said.
The 2026 Rainbow Conference runs from 9:30am-2pm and includes three simultaneous events: the Queer, Trans & Allied Student Summit of the Central Coast for middle and high school students; the Understanding Gender Conference for parents, guardians, educators and adult allies; and Rainbow Glitter Kids for elementary-age students and their families.
The free event draws participants from Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties.
“The Rainbow Conference is a day of celebration, community and learning for young people and their adults who support them,” organizer Stuart Rosenstein said.
For Rosenstein, the word “celebration” is an important part of that description.
“It’s not just tolerating and accepting them, but it’s celebrating them as a human being,” he said. “So this day is meant for queer and trans youth and their allies, supporters, to come together and have a day of learning, a day of community and a day of celebration.”
Figueroa said they try to be open about their identity at Pajaro Valley High School, where their public roles frequently put them in front of other students.
“I like to be very outward in presenting my identity,” they said.
That visibility, Figueroa said, can help classmates become more comfortable with LGBTQ+ people.
“People in my community, you know, tend to be a little sour to the idea, but then they meet people like me in person, and they kind of tend to change their minds up a bit,” they said.
Figueroa said Pajaro Valley High School’s relatively small size can help students get to know people whose experiences and identities differ from their own.
“Of course, we have some work to do,” they said. “But I do think the size of our school helps people get connected and learn more about each other.”
The student summit is youth-led and this year carries the theme “Wildflower Masqueerade,” chosen by members of the student planning committee. Organizers use wildflowers growing through concrete as a metaphor for resilience and for young people finding ways to express their identities despite obstacles.
Rosenstein said bringing students together from three counties can be particularly important for young people who may know only a handful of openly queer or transgender students at their schools.
The gathering, he said, allows students to trade ideas about what works at their schools, learn about resources and simply spend time with others who share similar experiences.
“Bringing 200-plus students together from different communities just brings a sense of community,” Rosenstein said.
Figueroa said similar LGBTQ+ gatherings they have attended have been welcoming places.
“Everybody’s incredibly kind,” they said. “No disrespect whatsoever. No matter what their abilities, their capabilities, their age even, everybody’s very, very accepting and very supportive, too.”
The summit will begin with breakfast and a resource fair, followed by a welcome ceremony and keynote speaker. Students will then participate in identity-based caucuses and two workshop sessions before a closing ceremony and lunch.
Organizers are planning workshops on topics including mental health, healthy relationships and consent, along with activities such as pumpkin painting. Some workshops will be led by students, while others will be led by adults or a combination of the two.
Rosenstein said the conference also takes on added significance amid national political and legal battles over LGBTQ+ rights.
“There’s a sense of urgency to build coalitions among queer and trans youth,” he said.
But, he added, the gathering is intended to offer more than a response to political challenges.
“It’s about remembering the history in the past and also fighting for the future,” Rosenstein said.
Figueroa likewise said events such as the Rainbow Conference can demonstrate that LGBTQ+ communities are not only present, but willing to push back against discrimination.
“I think anybody who’s anybody should definitely be aware that not only are communities just being here, but we’re also pushing against any sort of hate or discrimination,” they said.
While teenagers attend the student summit, adults can participate in the Understanding Gender Conference, a free bilingual program aimed at parents, guardians, educators and other adult allies.
The program will include A.D. Sean Lewis, a senior attorney with Lambda Legal, who is scheduled to discuss legal issues affecting LGBTQ+ people.
Jen Hastings, a family physician who has provided transgender health care for many years, is also among the scheduled presenters. Simultaneous Spanish translation will be available.
Rosenstein said involving parents and other adults is an important component of supporting young people.
“Love and support from their families is first and primary,” he said.
The conference’s third track, Rainbow Glitter Kids, is aimed primarily at fourth- and fifth-graders, who attend with parents, guardians or family members. Rosenstein said the program was created by two parents and their children and is intended to give younger children and their families a supportive space.
All three programs take place simultaneously at Watsonville High School.
Rosenstein said school districts throughout Santa Cruz County are providing buses to help students attend, support he said goes beyond simply endorsing the event.
The Rainbow Conference is sponsored in part by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and other community organizations. Registration and additional information are available through the Safe Schools Project website.
