As a former gay resident of Mexico City, I cannot be quiet after hearing the vicious and racist statement by billionaire gringo Donald Trump about the Mexican people. His comments, many believed designed to create publicity for his TV career and his laughable presidential campaign, are despicable and sickening. My years living in Mexico City,…
In 1967, when I was a young gay teen, I would go to the only under 21 gay night club in Hollywood at the time, Gino’s. There I would meet my friends and danced to the Supremes playing on the juke box. At that time it was illegal for men to dance with men in…
I want the Chargers to stay in San Diego. I want a stadium funding plan that puts the costs on those who would benefit most. I read the Citizens Stadium Advisory Group (CSAG) report and followed the back-and-forth between the City and the Chargers, and I still want answers to a few questions. Does the…
With the various Pride related events scheduled in San Diego for Pride weekend, I’ve been thinking a lot about what Pride is. If one wants to call the Stonewall Riots the first Pride event, since Pride events technically are a remembrance and a celebration of the Stonewall uprising and the Gay Liberation movement that followed…
On the day GOP Senator Jesse Helms died, July 4, 2008, America celebrated with fireworks. As a longtime target of the senator’s hate tactics, I bought drinks for friends in San Francisco’s Castro. My hate mail from Helms’s followers has diminished some over the years. After more than 20 years, the anonymous letters and “No…
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn state bans on same-sex marriage spawned vigorous commentary on both sides. It also launched another round of analysis into how support for marriage equality grew so much faster than other civil rights movements. Most focus on the importance of coming out, personal conversations, the power of social media and…
During Carl DeMaio’s congressional campaign I gave a warning in this column that if the LGBT leadership did not speak out against the vicious false sexual smear campaign and gay baiting against DeMaio that in the future others would use this same tactic to destroy gay candidates; now County Supervisor Dave Roberts is being subjected…
You may be a reader who has discovered your own tendency toward dependency on substances that cause persistent disruption of relationships, work, education and support systems. Wherever you fall on the continuum, I encourage you to read on and discover the opportunity for recovery and celebrating your life! Speaking of celebration, we are just weeks…
When referring to the “LGBT” community, most people mean a group that includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. When referring to legislation, however, the LGBT label is often slapped on anything that benefits lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals. The change in conjunction is small, but far from harmless. Protections based on sexual orientation…
“So Stonewall is a great, great foundation,” transgender activist and Stonewall veteran icon Sylvia Rivera wrote in her 2001 essay Bitch on Wheels. “It began the modern day liberation movement, like we spoke before about the Daughters of Bilitis and the Mattachine Society. Yes, there were lots of other little groups but you had to…
