The pink ribbon is as important as the red

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and as I’ve said before, “The pink ribbon should be as important to the GLBT community as is the red.” During those dark, early and lonely years of AIDS in the 1980s lesbian women were the unsung heroes who many times took care of their then dying gay male friends who had AIDS.

Interestingly enough, lesbian Susan Jester is the founder of San Diego AIDS Walk and Laurie Leonard is the founder of Mama’s Kitchen; and let’s not forget the “Blood Sisters Drive” of the San Diego Democratic Club – lesbian members who conducted a volunteer blood drive because gay men could not give blood. When I founded the AIDS Assistance Fund and Food Bank we always had women volunteers, but it seems most gay men in turn just give token support to lesbian health issues. When I hold AIDS benefits, men who can and do write checks worth thousands of dollars to the HIV-AIDS causes will give much less to women’s health causes.. This I know is a fact! It has been the late Gloria Johnson and Toni Atkins who have educated me about lesbian and women’s health issues. That why I established the Toni Atkins Lesbian Health Fund now at our Center which helps our sisters to get breast cancer tests. So come on guys, we can do more to educate ourselves about our sisters and why not send a donation to the Atkins Fund at The Center. Thank you.

Cincinnati, Ohio

Wow, I actually enjoyed my trip to the 65th largest city in America which just two years ago elected their first openly gay councilman. Like San Diego, next year will be this city’s 40th anniversary of Pride and I met both their Pride and Community Center’s directors (their GLBT Center celebrated its 20th anniversary). About 60,000 people attend their Pride Parade and they have about a half dozen gay bars and are only across the bridge from Kentucky. Hey, I got to meet RuPaul’s Drag Race former T.V. contestants Penny Tration and Mystique Summers. I found Cincinnati gays to be some of the nicest and most hospitable people of my many travels. Well, now I’m off to Toronto this weekend and Portland next week.

North County LGBTQ Center

Recently, I attended the open house reception of the thriving LGBTQ Resource Center in Oceanside. I’ve been supporting North County since the 1970s, as indeed there are GLBT citizens living in our entire county not just Hillcrest. It’s so great to see the growing and more visible GLBT presence in North County. They now have their own Pride Parade and Center. Among VIPs at the Oceanside event were Supervisor Dave Roberts, Oceanside Mayor Jim Wood, Escondido Deputy Mayor Olga Diaz, Oceanside Councilmember Esther Sanchez, Vista Councilmember Cody Campbell, Michael Hadland the district director for state Assemblyman Rocky Chávez, John Brown of the San Diego Dignity Foundation and many more. If there is a gay mayor and lesbian first lady of North County that would be Max Disposti and Carolyn Bolton, two dedicated and hardworking leaders who I respect so very much. (Love you Max!) Congratulations to Max and Carolyn who were named “2013 Local Heroes,” a very prestigious annual award presented by KPBS and Union Bank. Very, very well deserved.

San Diego LGBT Community Center celebrates its 40th anniversary

Having seen for four decades our San Diego LGBT Community Center grow to what it is today gives me a sense of pride for the hundreds of activists, donors, staff and volunteers who have been and are our Center. Founder Jess Jessop was a Vietnam War veteran and yes, a hippie and everyone loved him. One of the nicest and most down to earth activists I ever met. Trust me, I know that our Center has and does save and change lives just by being there and its countless programs help so many. The Center is truly the “heart” of our community and one must salute Dr. Delores Jacobs and her near-decade of leadership and devotion. She has taken our Center into the 21st century and made it one of the most respected centers in America. Also “thank you” to the staff and volunteers.

Darl Edwards … R.I.P.

Since the 1970s, our community could always count on businessman Darl Edwards who could never say “no” to almost any organization or cause that needed financial support. One of the founders of the Imperial Court de San Diego, he was a big donor of our Center and countless non-profit agencies. Darl often gave the seed money to help new organizations like our Pride, Center, Stepping Stone and almost all of our HIV-AIDS organizations. He was the owner of Club San Diego and was my friend and had a great sense of humor. He helped me and others out personally and truly was an “unsung hero” of our community and a true pioneer. I mourn his loss and know I was blessed to have a friend like him in my life.

Nicole Murray Ramirez has been an award-winning columnist since 1973, and a Latino and gay activist for more than 40 years. He is currently a city commissioner and has served the last six 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. Nicolemrsandiego@aol.com