We may not be perfect, but we are very giving

Yes, this weekend I’ll celebrate yet another birthday, and no, I wasn’t here to greet Christopher Columbus.

Dear Jim Winsor of SDGLN

First of all, I don’t know much about the “Hillcrest Hot Messes” but I do commend them for volunteering to feed the homeless. As for me, who came from the 1960s and ‘70s and had a drug problem, I am not going to pass judgment on anyone. We live day by day and pray for the best. But we all know that our community has indeed a big drug/alcohol problem. But Mr. Winsor , for you to bring up anyone’s mental issues, medical records, suicide attempts, depressions and so on, and write about someone’s depression that will probably lead to “blowing his brains out” (did you know this person’s father was killed by a gun to his head?) was way over the line. This is why people who do get depressed and are suicidal do not get help because of the stigma and the negative comments like yours. In my more than 40 years of writing a column, the one that got the most responses was the one where I talked of my own depression, suicide thoughts and drug problem. The outpouring of people going through the same experiences overwhelmed me.

Of course you, Jim Winsor , had to bring me in to your attacks because of my friendship with Kurt Cunningham , who has for more than 20 years been a dedicated, compassionate and wonderful community volunteer and charity fundraiser. Is he perfect? Who is? But neither he, nor anyone, should be subjected to what you wrote. Our community has had too many suicides and rising depression rates, so I hope you will agree Mr. Winsor that this issue is nothing to make light of. Thank you for listening.

Community’s generosity comes out at Thanksgiving

The GLBT community and friends really came through this Thanksgiving and the 23rd annual Scott Carlson Dinner drew its biggest crowd at The Center . We were able to provide groceries for more than 45 GLBT families with children (part of Family Matters ) and 30 hot meals were delivered to the UCSD hospital “HIV/AIDS” ward. Though these annual campaigns are done by the Imperial Court de San Diego with help from The Center and Family Matters , let me make it very clear that it is you , the community, and your generosity that makes this happen. One gay senior told a volunteer how happy he was to be at The Center, as he had no one to share this day with. A homeless veteran told another volunteer that he had lost his blanket, so we provided him with a new one and a coat. Sadly one of the grocery bags was not picked up, and when Family Matters called the two lesbian mothers with children they said, sadly, they had no gas money to get the food so it was delivered to them. A big thank you from the Imperial Court to the many donors and volunteers: San Diego Human Dignity Foundation; Rich’s; Ben F. Dillingham Grant; Redwing; Toni Sanders; Rick Ford; San Diego Fire Fighters; Councilman Todd Gloria; Kaiden; Linny Thomas; Cory Huston; Pepper Price; Big Mike; Robert Rodriguez; Carlos Silva; Joe Martinez; Regina; Mikie Lochner; Alex Arce; Jan Garbowsky; Tracee Trax; Maureen Steiner; Camille Davidson; Elaine Graybill; Bo Andreas; Mari Graham; Bonnie Russell; Ann Schoer; Melissa Nagatsuka; Karthi Ragendran; Slakisha Luckie; Michael and Billy Weiss of Bourbon Street and Lei’s Lounge; Dak Thomsen-Bousquet (beautiful speech); Chris Grinston; The Center’s staff and so many more. Emperor Allan, Empress Erika, the Imperial Court and myself say thank you so very much and God bless you all. Now on to the toy drive and Christmas meals for GLBT families and friends. More info: 619-692-1967 .

8th annual Wreath Auction: Dec. 12

Mark your calendar and just follow the happy crowds to Martinis Above Fourth for their 8th annual Holiday Wreath Auction , Monday Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. This is always a fun event for the Eddie Conlon Youth Fund which helps GLBT youth 14-19 years. The wreaths are already coming in and they are awesome. So please support this wonderful event. For more info: martinisabovefourth.com .

People, politics and opinions

State Assembly Majority Whip Toni Atkins informs me that she has indeed endorsed Dr. Shirley Weber for the 79th assembly seat. I am glad to hear that Republican Steve Danon is running for county supervisor (District 3). I’ve known him for a long time and consider him to be a compassionate Republican. Word is that City Councilwoman Marti Emerald’s decision to run in the new 9th City Council District (which everyone said would be a new Latino district … hmm) has made almost all the other declared candidates drop out. A recent Union-Tribune positive editorial piece on former City Attorney Mike Aguirre has some Latinos urging him to run for the city council in the future. In a conversation with Mike he told me he would not rule out a possible future city council run. There will be a big blow-out birthday party/fundraiser for District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis , Dec. 7 . For more information phone 619-239-1721 . ACLU board member Stephen Whitburn’s recent fundraiser for this most worthy organization at Rich’s was a big success. Today, popular City Commissioner Robert Gleason will be honored by the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice of San Diego County ; congratulations, Robert, and well deserved. By the way, everyone’s favorite Rabbi , Laurie Coskey , will be celebrating a decade of service with the ICWJ . Coskey is thought to be a future candidate for local public office and many of us think she would make an outstanding public official. Lots of people are privately commenting on Bob Filner’s mayoral campaign wardrobe. Try to dress it up a little more, Bob. In the meantime, Filner continues his rise in the polls. Joseph Rocha is back from San Francisco and is working on former Supervisor Bevan Duffy’s mayoral campaign. I will be in Palm Springs next week with Stuart Milk and the Harvey Milk Foundation to plan Harvey Milk Day 2012 . I have the honor of being the co-chair of the Foundation’s international advisory board. Who will San Diego Democrats for Equality endorse for congress – Lori Saldana or Scott Peters ? Word is the club’s membership is very divided.

Christmas decorations and gifts: 2004 University Ave.

There is this new unbelievable holiday store just opened, with four rooms of the best and most beautiful Christmas decorations and gifts I’ve ever seen, and so cheap and beyond reasonable. The store is right next to the F Street Bookstore (2004 University Ave.) and is called “One of a Kind Christmas Collectibles” – and, boy, are they. Stop by and, trust me, you’ll be as excited as I was.

Outrageous Bingo: Dec. 14 Bourbon Street

Yes, the Outrageous Holiday Bingo night will soon be upon us. It is set for Wednesday Dec. 14 at Bourbon Street from 8-11 p.m. This is a benefit for aNoteToMyKid.com and the Trevor Project (San Diego Ambassadors). Allan Spyere and I will be your naughty hosts and more than $2,500 worth of prizes will be given out. Bring a toy for the Toys For Kids drive and get a free game. This promises to be another wild fun night, so I hope to see you all at Bourbon Street, Dec. 14 .

In memory of Sam Cuevas

Recently, local gay personality Sam Cuevas (Bite restaurant) died after a long illness. Sam was a nice guy with strong opinions and leaves his partner of more than 12 years, Chef Chris Walsh . I liked Sam and his wild tattoos and he will be missed by many.

Nicole Murray Ramirez has been an award-winning columnist since 1973, and a Latino and gay activist for well over 40 years. He is currently a city commissioner and has served the last five mayors of San Diego. He is also a national board member of the Harvey Milk Foundation and chairman of the International Court Council of the USA, Canada and Mexico. Nicolemrsd@aol.com.