For over a decade, Dr. Bronner’s has supported the LGBTQ+ community through nonprofit partnerships, advocacy, and participation in Pride events nationwide. In June and July 2026, as part of our Pride campaign, we are launching a limited-edition Pride soap featuring a special scent and exclusive label to honor that long-standing commitment and advance freedom of expression globally. We are committed to using our platform to celebrate the community and highlight the urgent fight to protect LGBTQ+ rights. As part of this initiative, we are interviewing our community advisors who have provided strategic advice to our planning process.
When it comes to the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and equality, the national headlines tend to center on legislative battles and politics in the U.S. Capitol; however, the consistent quiet work is often done right in our own backyards. While many changemakers stand on the national stage to fight for rights, it is important to also acknowledge the local activists who stand on the front lines in our communities and neighborhoods day after day.
The North County LGBTQ Resource Center opened its doors in Oceanside, California in 2011, and has evolved from a small vision into an essential lifeline for the entire region. From providing crisis support and youth mentorship to hosting community-building events, the center has become a visible symbol of resilience and care for thousands of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies across North County San Diego.
Since 2019, Dr. Bronner’s has been honored to stand alongside the center as a partner, supporting their mission to ensure that no one in the community has to navigate life alone. To truly understand the impact of this work, it’s important to look behind the mission statement to meet the people driving the change behind the scenes.
We are honored to interview Myshell Thomas, the Gender Advocacy Project Coordinator at North County LGBTQ Resource Center, to learn more about the center’s work, her personal journey, and advice for fellow activists.
What work does the North County LGBTQ Resource Center do, why is it needed, and what should people understand about the impact you’re striving to make?
The North County LGBTQ Resource Center’s mission is to serve, empower, and advocate for North County’s diverse LGBTQ+ community. We envision a community where everyone lives in equality and feels accepted, valued, safe, and free from social stigma. In today’s world, this work is needed more than ever. LGBTQ people have always had to fight for equal footing, but recently, the attacks have been even more blatant, and the stakes have never been higher. The impact that I am striving to make is by lifting up our trans and gender diverse siblings and making sure that their voices and needs are not getting lost along the way.
Systems of oppression rely on marginalized communities to be the scapegoats and lightning rods for hate. The fight to keep our joy intact is enormous, and I know the work we do is important because of all the opposition we face on this uphill climb. We will not rest until everyone is free from stigma because I have learned on my journey that no one is truly free until we are all free, unconditionally.
What does Pride mean to you?
I grew up in Nebraska, far away from any Pride celebrations. My first Pride was in San Diego in 2015, and up until that point, I had never felt so validated in all the parts of myself I had always felt ashamed of. I got my first taste of true visibility and acceptance, and it became a focal point of my life of activism from then on.
Every year, I am reminded that I am not alone in my journey through life. The life of an activist can sometimes feel like you are not making a difference in the greater scheme of things, but during Pride, you can see the collective work that we are all doing come to fruition. You gain a better understanding of what you are truly fighting for and why it matters. During Pride, we heal the wounds we have forgotten about or tied ourselves into knots trying to forget. During Pride, we get a sense of what truly belonging feels like. During Pride, we get to feel like we should feel all the time.
What are the North County LGBTQ Resource Center team’s plans for this year?
The North County LGBTQ Resource Center is always expanding and always growing. We plan to continue to show up for our community in the ways that we are needed and always rediscover what that looks like. It’s important to have a plan, but always know it may change depending on how we are needed. To do this, we need to listen to the community and be receptive to issues beyond our own journey.
Based on recent events, we know we want to expand our Gender Advocacy Project to better serve our gender-diverse community. Our services are limited only by our resources, so expanding our resources is our number one goal. We need to be ready to meet whatever challenge comes our way in the future. I expect more commitment to actively fighting the attacks we are seeing while also promoting the services we already provide on a larger scale.
As an activist, what’s your advice for other activists who wish to sustain their work and dedication over time? How do you stay committed and driven?
If you want to sustain your work and dedication over the long term, always seek out the younger generation and inspire them to continue to build on the work you are doing. If you show them what is possible, they will see why it is important and carry the work forward. We are all standing on the shoulders of the giants that came before us. I am only able to do what I do because of the amazing people who had the courage to put in place the framework that makes what we do possible now.
At the end of the day, the driving force is the joy I experience collectively with the community. Sometimes it is in a one-on-one encounter, such as helping someone legally change their name and gender. Sometimes it is a group of folks at an event that I have had the honor of planning, and you can feel the electricity in the air. When you know you have done a good job and made a difference for someone, it makes you want to get up and do it again tomorrow.
How can readers best support your work?
Readers can best support the work we do by getting involved as well. There are many ways to support. Donations, volunteering, and spreading the word about our work are among the best ways. We started out as a dream and have grown into a great organization that continues to serve the North County community in San Diego, driven mostly by our volunteers and grassroots donations. I started out as a volunteer just like many of our staff, and through that experience, I realized just how important this work is.
I think it is easy to feel crushed by the overwhelming amount of bad news that we are exposed to daily. If that is happening to you, my best advice is to see where you have the capacity to contribute to the solution and start there. By getting into action, you will at least see change happening at the ground level. It is all of us working collectively toward a common goal that will lead to true positive and permanent change.
Dr. Bronner’s is proud to support the North County LGBTQ Resource Center. Join us in our support by making a donation.