Javier Garay applies make-up to Ally Garber at MiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
![\"Sisters](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SGT-L-MiSELA-HATE-CRIME-0816-3.jpg\")
\nSisters Briana and Patricia Santillan arrive to hang out at MiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
![\"MiSELA,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SGT-L-MiSELA-HATE-CRIME-0816-12.jpg\")
\nMiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, is open for business on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
![\"Bags](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SGT-L-MiSELA-HATE-CRIME-0816-13.jpg\")
\nBags of dog poop can be seen on the window canopy at MiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment, on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
![\"Jesus](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SGT-L-MiSELA-HATE-CRIME-0816-10.jpg\")
\nJesus Suatan takes the karaoke stage at MiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
![\"Ally](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SGT-L-MiSELA-HATE-CRIME-0816-2.jpg\")
\nAlly Garber poses for pictures at MiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
![\"Javier](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SGT-L-MiSELA-HATE-CRIME-0816-7.jpg\")
\nJavier Garay applies make-up to Ally Garber at MiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
![\"Ally](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SGT-L-MiSELA-HATE-CRIME-0816-5.jpg\")
\nAlly Garber is getting his corset fitted at MiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
![\"MiSELA,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SGT-L-MiSELA-HATE-CRIME-0816-11.jpg\")
\nMiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, is open for business on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
![\"Jesus](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SGT-L-MiSELA-HATE-CRIME-0816-8.jpg\")
\nJesus Suatan poses for pictures at MiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
![\"Sisters](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SGT-L-MiSELA-HATE-CRIME-0816-4.jpg\")
\nSisters Briana and Patricia Santillan arrive to hang out at MiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
![\"MiSELA,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SGT-L-MiSELA-HATE-CRIME-0816-1.jpg\")
\nMiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, is open for business on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
![\"Rosio](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SGT-L-MiSELA-HATE-CRIME-0816-9-1.jpg\")
\nRosio Reyes and Natalie Barrios arrive to hang out at MiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Show Caption<\/p>\n
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Javier Garay applies make-up to Ally Garber at MiSELA, an LGBT youth center in Bell that has been the target of harassment in the form of bags of dog poop thrown on its window canopy, on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n
Expand<\/a><\/p>\n At one point, coworker Javier Garay noticed a green bag of poop in between the marquee letters for the center, and they both realized something more nefarious was going on: A display of hate against the center and its mission.<\/p>\n As recently as last week, Velasquez-Lopez said, there was \u201cjust a big heap of \u2019em, and that\u2019s kind of when we started to say, oh, this is something targeted.\u201d<\/p>\n The Mi SELA center in Bell offers services intended to support and create a safe space for LGBT youth in Southeast LA. The center is operated by the Latino Equality Alliance, which also runs a center in Boyle Heights called Mi Centro.<\/p>\n Mi SELA\u2019s two year anniversary was last week as well.<\/p>\n That anniversary coincides with a sobering reality within the LGBTQ+ community this year.<\/p>\n Velasquez-Lopez said the timing of the poop bag attacks, which have ramped up since early Spring, coincides with the Trump administration\u2019s defunding LGBTQ+ research<\/a> as well as limiting youth access to gender-affirming care<\/a>.<\/p>\n A surge of grant cancellations hit researchers focused on the health of gay, lesbian and transgender people in March, as the Trump administration continued to target what it describes as ideologically driven science.<\/p>\n At the beginning of his new term, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at cutting federal support for gender transitions for people under age 19, his latest move to roll back protections for transgender people across the country.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called \u2018transition\u2019 of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,\u201d the order says.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the zeitgeist right now is just very much like, anti-queer, anti-Trans, anti-anything that\u2019s LGBT. But at the same time, this is exactly why we are out here doing the work,\u201d Velasquez-Lopez said.<\/p>\n \u201cSoutheast LA is notoriously a desert for LGBTQ+ resources,\u201d Velasquez Lopez continued. \u201cBeing the very first queer youth resource center out here in the Southeast LA region as a whole, personally, I knew that we were gonna kind of face some backlash.\u201d<\/p>\n The San Fernando Valley is also a desert for LGBT resources \u2013 one that has been served by Latino LGBT resource center Somos Familia Valle, which experienced hate around another time with heightened attention on Trump and the LGBT community: the presidential election in November last year. Kevin Al Perez, the president of Somos Familia Valle, said there was a huge uptick in spam attacks at the time, with emails from Trump supporters faking interest in membership.<\/p>\n Despite the display, Velasquez-Lopez said Mi SELA\u2019s programming has been continuing as usual, and nothing has inhibited people from showing up for the events or support they receive from the center.<\/p>\n In fact, support from the community has been demonstrated in more ways than one.<\/p>\n The Bell Chamber of Commerce posted an official statement on Instagram in support of Mi SELA after what many see as a hate incident.<\/p>\n \u201cI am deeply disturbed and outraged by the recent despicable acts aimed at our community,\u201d wrote Executive Director Adolfo Varas. \u201cThe disgraceful incident\u2026is not merely an act of disrespect; it is an unequivocal manifestation of hate. This center serves as a vital lifeline for many young people who are courageously navigating their identities in a world that can often be hostile and unwelcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n L.A. County Supervisor for the 4th District Janice Hahn also shared her sympathy and support for the center.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that this person is going out of their way to do this says everything about them and nothing about our LGBTQ community in SELA,\u201d Hahn said in an emailed statement. \u201cThis is gross and cowardly. I hope that the people who depend on Mi SELA know how much they are loved and supported in this community and do not take this hate to heart.\u201d<\/p>\n Hahn\u2019s office told the Southern California News Group it would be offering Mi SELA a $2,500 grant to upgrade their cameras and security system. The grant addresses one of Mi SELA\u2019s concerns: whoever is attacking the center has successfully evaded their existing cameras.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an unfortunate kind of event that\u2019s been happening,\u201d Velasquez-Lopez said. \u201cBut I feel like the result of it being all of our community coming together has really been heartwarming for me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In March of this year, Yaya Velasquez-Lopez looked up at the Mi SELA Center awning one day, and…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":172280,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[6286,1582,276,39476,2961,5603,224,6080,5337,50,39410,52],"class_list":{"0":"post-172279","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-bell","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-hate-crime","12":"tag-la","13":"tag-lgbtq","14":"tag-los-angeles","15":"tag-los-angeles-county","16":"tag-losangeles","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-san-fernando-valley","19":"tag-top-stories"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115085024327594845","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172279\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}