TLC’s 2026 Job Fair Connected TGI Job Seekers With Opportunities and Community
TLC connected TGI job seekers with affirming employers, professional-development workshops, and resources designed to support lasting economic opportunity.
Job seeker speaking with an employer representative during The TransLatin@ Coalition’s 2026 TGI Job Fair in West Hollywood.
The TransLatin@ Coalition brought job seekers, employers, and community partners together in West Hollywood for a day centered on employment, professional development, and workplaces where TGI people can thrive.
On April 21, 2026, The TransLatin@ Coalition hosted its TGI Job Fair at the West Hollywood Aquatics & Recreation Center, creating a welcoming place for transgender, gender-expansive, and intersex (TGI) people to meet employers, strengthen their professional skills, and build connections.
Twenty employers and community organizations participated, representing health care, education, finance, security, workforce development, civil rights, and other fields. Throughout the day, job seekers spoke directly with representatives, shared resumes, learned about available opportunities, and connected with resources designed to support their goals.
The job fair created space for attendees to ask questions, share their experience, and learn about employment opportunities.
For our community, access to employment is about more than receiving a paycheck. It is connected to housing stability, health, safety, independence, and the freedom to build a future on our own terms. TGI people bring talent, leadership, experience, and creativity to every industry. We deserve workplaces that recognize those strengths and allow us to show up as our full selves.
Watch: Inside TLC’s 2026 TGI Job Fair
See how job seekers, employers, and community partners came together for a day of opportunity, learning, and connection.
Highlights from TLC’s 2026 TGI Job Fair, where job seekers, employers, and community partners came together for a day of opportunity, learning, and connection.
Preparing Employers to Welcome TGI Workers
The work began before the fair officially opened.
Participating employers attended a Trans 101 training before the job fair opened to community members.
At 11:00 a.m., Mel Escalante, TLC’s Violence Prevention and Workforce Development Manager, led a Trans 101 training for participating employers. The session addressed respectful engagement with LGBTQI+ people and encouraged employers to focus on each applicant’s skills, experience, and professional potential.
Creating an affirming workplace takes more than putting a rainbow on a company logo. It requires respectful policies, informed staff, equitable hiring practices, and an ongoing commitment to ensuring that TGI employees feel safe and valued.
At noon, TLC President and CEO Bamby Salcedo welcomed attendees and officially opened the job fair.
More Than a Table of Job Listings
The fair was designed to address several parts of the employment journey.
TLC provided professional attire so clothing would not become another barrier for job seekers.
Professional attire was available for attendees who needed it, helping ensure that clothing would not stand between a qualified job seeker and an opportunity. Workshops offered practical information on resumes and cover letters, financial management, artificial intelligence tools for executives and entrepreneurs, workplace health, and navigating substance-use challenges at work.
Programming also included stigma-reduction education through TLC’s TRUE Program, funded by the City of West Hollywood.
Together, these resources recognized something our community already knows: finding and keeping meaningful employment can require more than submitting an application. People need information, preparation, supportive networks, and employers ready to treat them with dignity.
A Place to Build Hope and Connection
The strongest moments of the day happened in the conversations between people: job seekers introducing themselves, employers listening, community members exchanging information, and attendees recognizing that they were not navigating the job market alone.
Attendee Maia Benford chats with potential employers at the TLC Job Fair.
Attendee Maia Benford described the gathering as a source of hope and an opportunity to network and build community, even beyond the possibility of receiving an immediate job offer.
That sense of connection matters. In a difficult job market, and at a time when TGI communities continue to experience discrimination and political attacks, affirming employment spaces remind our people that we belong in every profession and at every level of leadership.
The job fair reflected what becomes possible when community organizations and employers work together with intention. Employers have a responsibility to remove barriers, build inclusive workplaces, and evaluate TGI applicants for what they bring to the table: their abilities, preparation, ideas, and experience.
Continuing the Work
We thank the employers, community organizations, workshop presenters, staff members, and volunteers who helped make the 2026 TGI Job Fair possible. Most importantly, we thank every community member who walked through the doors ready to explore a new possibility.
Community members gathered at the West Hollywood Aquatics & Recreation Center for a day of opportunity and connection.
The fair may have lasted one day, but the work continues. The TransLatin@ Coalition remains committed to expanding access to employment, services, advocacy, and resources that help TGI people live with dignity and self-determination.
View photos from the 2026 TGI Job Fair and stay connected with The TransLatin@ Coalition for future events, programs, and opportunities.
When our community has the resources to grow, lead, and thrive, all of Los Angeles becomes stronger.
See More From the TGI Job Fair
Explore moments of learning, connection, and community from the April 21 event.
View Photo GalleryThank you to the participating companies that made this year’s job fair possible:
APLA Health, St. Johns Community Health, Teach for America, Serve Robotics, Bank of America, Mass Liberation, LAUSD Classified, Covenant House California, Los Angeles Education Partnership, Scorpion Private Security, the California Civil Rights Department, LA Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Coalition for Responsible Community Development, Clínica Romero, M&L Enterprise WC LLC, Hospitality Training Academy, Low Income Study, AHF, and Safelink
