Having been involved with San Diego Pride since the beginning in 1974, I have the unique experience of knowing every board of directors. Sadly, the current Pride Board has lost its way and lost touch with the LGBT community which it serves. Last week’s Pride Board meeting saw almost 100 San Diegans show up with…
Yes, racism and homophobia are alive and well in our country. Yes, our criminal justice system is far from perfect and there are indeed some bad police officers. I know about some of these issues and have personally lived out some of them in my life. To this day, I have witnessed these things which…
At the start of each school year, the Imperial Court de San Diego, along with The LGBT Community Center, leads a campaign for children living below the poverty line to receive backpacks and school supplies. With the help of The LGBT Center’s Family Matters program, children of LGBT parents in need are also given help…
Congressional leader Nancy Pelosi called the ceremony not only historic for the LGBT community, but for all Americans and it most certainly was. American LGBT leaders and officials flew in from all over our great nation to pay tribute to a great American civil rights icon who has become a global hero for LGBT people…
Many times I have been asked why I am so patriotic and wear my American flag shirts to civil rights rallies and almost every March on Washington where I have been involved and/or spoken. I come from a very patriotic and Catholic family upbringing as my father served in the Army in World War II,…
In 1974, homosexuals could be, and were, sent to state mental hospitals, and were subjected to electroshock therapy and lobotomies. The police were frequently raiding gay bars (that only heterosexuals owned because gays could not be issued liquor licenses) and beating us up and arresting us for “lewd conduct” (that being dancing with someone of…
Over 80 percent of the victims in the Orlando, Florida terrorist attack and massacre were people of color, mostly Latino of Cuban, Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. This coming Saturday, July 9 at 6 p.m., at St. Pauls’ Episcopal Cathedral (2728 Sixth Ave. in Hillcrest) over 50 San Diego Latino and Latina organizations will be…
Around one in the morning Sunday, June 12, my phone started ringing off the hook. Soon I was in a conversation with Stuart Milk, (founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation), who lives in Florida, and Russell Roybal (Acting national director of the National LGBTQ Task Force in Washington, D.C.) and other national and Florida LGBT…
All of the LGBT community’s eyes were on the District 3 council race to see if the community would continue to have a voice/representation on the San Diego City Council, and Chris Ward did not let us down by easily winning outright this past Tuesday, primary night. It was good to see our community solidly…
As a Latino American, I would love to see three qualified Latino city councilmembers. Anthony Bernal’s parents were two hard-working Latino Americans, but sadly Bernal never really got involved with his own Latino community in San Diego, and has no record within his own community, its leaders and organizations. That’s why a vast majority of…
