As I listened to FBI Director James Comey’s statement on the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server, one quote ran through my mind: “Vote For the Crook … It’s Important.” That was the unofficial slogan of the 1991 race for Louisiana governor. Whatever the official slogan was, it came in…
I remember how tough it was for me to change my documented gender in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) as a military retiree in 2013. It was incredibly tough and onerous: I needed six separate pieces of documentation, to include proof of surgery. Most of the documents the Department of Defense (DoD) required…
It makes sense that our homes would change with the times. We live more expansively than we did back in the 1920s and that is reflected in the way we design our homes. I found an interesting set of facts and figures compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau and reported in an article in Business…
I will never forget waking up and turning on the TV to the breaking news from Orlando. Still lying in bed, I listened as bit by bit the horror unfolded. The words froze in time as I heard them – “gunman,” “terrorist,” “mass casualties” and finally “gay.” It was a gay club. It was our…
I’m sitting in a hotel room in Denver as the sun is coming up on Independence Day and I’m thinking about the power of music. I’m thinking about the other 6,000 LGBTQ singers who are here for the GALA Chorus Festival, the largest LGBTQ performing arts event in the world. I’m thinking about the mothers…
Is there ever really a good time to travel? It seems even with all the planning possible we just can’t anticipate what the future may bring while we are away. This was certainly the case with my recent trip to Cuba. Last month, I was a member of the UNESCO World Heritage Reconciliation tour organized…
Our community once again is preparing to come together for our annual Pride celebration. That means it’s time yet again to reflect on a question that we are often asked. You know this question well: “Is Pride still relevant?” By all accounts, the advances that our LGBTQ community has made just in the last several…
It is one of the most diverse communities in the nation. Black, Latino/a, Pan-Asian, Native American, indigenous peoples, white, multi-ethnic, non-binary, gender non-conforming, gender-queer, transgender, male, female, cis-gender, Muslim, Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Protestant, Buddhist, Humanist, no organized religion, Democrats, Republicans, no party preference, able-bodied, disabled, scores of nationalities – immigrant and native born, low resource,…
One of the best things San Diegans get to enjoy during Pride weekend is the plethora of musical acts that the music festival has to offer. This year the annual San Diego Pride Music Festival in Balboa Park will include multiple stages of entertainment, with more than 200 musicians, bands, comedians and dancers to tempt…
A heavy bowl-sized molcajete made of black volcanic stone is placed on the table. Diced tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, garlic and cilantro are heaped inside. A whole peeled and pitted avocado is added to the mix with a squeeze of grilled lime juice then expertly blended. And that’s how guacamole ($7.99) is made at Ortega’s Mexican…
