Brief and concise coverage of local, regional, and national news that impacts the lives of the southern California LGBTQIA community.
By LGBTQ San Diego County News Staff
ENJOY DECEMBER NIGHTS’ NEW ‘MOBILE EXPERIENCE’ AND ICE SKATING RINK
Community members are invited to participate in the festive December Nights in Balboa Park. The annual event will be held this weekend, starting Friday, Dec. 1, from 3 to 11 pm, and then on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 11 am to 11 pm. December Nights, which will transform the park into a winter wonderland with an ice rink near Panama Plaza, has been welcoming millions of guests over the last four decades and is San Diego’s largest free event. More than 1,600 performers, 70 performance groups and five stages will make up the entertainment, with museums open to the public for free and 200+ food vendors of every kind.
This year city staff have launched a new feature – a mobile website called December Nights Mobile Experience, which will make it easier for attendees to navigate the festivities and create their own unique experience. Made available through a partnership between the City of San Diego and San Diego Community Power, the mobile website will include information about parking, transit, food, vendors, entertainment and performance schedules, maps of attractions, and even offer time sensitive alerts.
“Our December Nights celebration is a joyous and beloved annual tradition that helps San Diego kick off the holiday season,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “I want to thank our City of San Diego staff and everyone who bring this event to life every year.”
On Friday, at 6 p.m., Mayor Gloria will join Councilmember Stephen Whitburn and event organizers for a festive tree lighting ceremony on the Spreckels Organ Pavilion Stage.
There will be free shuttle services available from various locations, a free bike valet, and free and pre-paid vehicle parking options with shuttle service from outside the park, but a reminder that parking is limited and attendees are encouraged to find alternative transportation. MTS will run a free shuttle from the City College transit hub to Balboa Park. December Nights will take place “rain or shine.” To learn more, visit the mobile website at experience.arcgis.com.
NOMINATIONS FOR ‘HILLCREST HONORS 2023’ OPEN THROUGH DEC. 3
The second annual Hillcrest Honors has opened a nomination period through Sunday, Dec. 3, to give community members the opportunity to suggest nominees for the 26 categories included in this year’s program.
Founded by Rick Cervantes and Benny Cartwright in 2022, the Hillcrest Honors aims to uplift the people, businesses, organizations, and events that make Hillcrest such a fabulous neighborhood to live, work and play in. Unlike other local awards events, the Hillcrest Honors are not selected by popular vote, but by a holistic look at nominees who have made an impact over the last year.
Categories range from things like Fabulous Bar and Fabulous Server, to Fabulous Philanthropist, Fabulous Community Volunteer, and special awards categories of Hillcrest Icon, Heart of Hillcrest, and Hillcrest Changemaker.
A selection committee, led by Cartwright and Cervantes, will choose this year’s honorees in early December, and the announcement of the honorees will be posted on the @HillcrestSanDiego Instagram account between Dec. 15-31. LGBTQ San Diego County News will also list the honorees in our February edition.
A private party to celebrate the honorees will be held in early February at a venue in Hillcrest.
To make a nomination, visit hillcresthonors.com by the end of day on Sunday, Dec. 3.
RALLY AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM
This Sunday, Dec. 3, 6 pm, there will be a rally “against anti-semitism” and other kinds of hate at the Hillcrest Pride Flag monument, located at the corner of University Avenue and Normal Street.
Organizers identify sponsors of the rally to include the Anti-Defamation League, San Diego Pride, The San Diego LGBT Community Center, the City of San Diego’s Human Relations Committee, the Harvey Milk Foundation, Metropolitan Community Church, Temple Emanu-El, the Imperial Court, Equality Business Alliance, and many others. A flyer regarding the rally states the following message: “Join us as we come together as a community for a peaceful rally to show solidarity with one another against hatred.”
For more information, call 619-241-5672.
HILLCREST COMMUNITY HOLIDAY PARTY
The Kiwanis Club of Hillcrest All-Inclusive, Hillcrest Town Council, and @HillcrestSanDiego have joined forces to host a Hillcrest Community Holiday Party on Thursday, Dec. 14 from 6-8:30 pm at Uptown Tavern.
Everyone (21+) is welcome to the party and all Hillcrest neighbors and those who love Hillcrest are encouraged to attend. The festive evening will include hosted appetizers, drink specials, and visits from several community leaders and elected officials.
Guests are encouraged to wear their most festive “onesie” and there will be a contest with a $100 cash prize for the best onesie!
The host organizations have come together to organize this party in an effort to build community in Hillcrest.
For additional information, contact Rick Cervantes, vice president of the Hillcrest Kiwanis Club, at [email protected]. Uptown Tavern is located at 1236 University Ave. in Hillcrest.
FLAMY GRANT MEETS KICKSTARTER GOAL FOR NEW ALBUM IN TWO DAYS
Matthew Lovegood, also known as their drag persona, Flamy Grant, left San Diego in early September with their husband Christopher Lovegood (former server at Hillcrest Brewing Company and trivia host extraordinaire at Gossip Grill) and headed to Asheville, North Carolina, where Matthew is originally from.
Their long planned departure unexpectedly came on the heels of Flamy’s debut studio album of religious trauma songs, called “Bible Belt Baby,” topping the iTunes Christian music charts in August and creating a firestorm of attention — from each end of the spectrum.
“All I ever wanted as a child was to be a Christian music star,” Flamy has often told her followers, and it’s happening.
Attacks from far right religious zealots reacting to their album and name actually helped “Bible Belt Baby” climb the charts and it has definitely made Flamy a genuine star; they currently have 17,500 followers on Instagram. It’s important to note that “Flamy Grant” pays homage to one of Lovegood’s childhood idols, Amy Grant.
Since moving to North Carolina, Flamy has been on the road practically non-stop touring and will continue to do so into 2024.
Two weeks ago, Lovegood launched a Kickstarter campaign, setting a $30,000 goal to fund their next record, which will be recorded in Nashville. The goal was met in 48 hours, shocking even Lovegood.
Since then, Lovegood has added “stretch goals,” which allow them to offer things like trucker hats and prayer candles for purchase along with new pledges. To date, the Kickstarter is at $47,281 with 16 days to go on the 30-day campaign.
The new album is described on the Kickstarter website as “A disco/gospel/folk/funk record so draggy it will usher in the second coming. Let’s give the end times the soundtrack they deserve.”
If you’d like to learn more about the campaign and donate to Flamy’s “Big Gay Christian Record” efforts, visit bit.ly/3uDzKUe.
GREAT TURNOUT FOR TOWN HALL HELD TO DISCUSS ‘PLAN HILLCREST’ AND LGBTQ+ CULTURAL DISTRICT
Approximately 80 community members gathered on the dance floor at Rich’s San Diego on a rainy Wednesday evening in mid-November for a town hall meeting to discuss the proposed Hillcrest LGBTQ+ Cultural District. Presented by Vibrant Uptown, and co-sponsored by the Hillcrest Business Association, the Hillcrest Town Council, Kiwanis Club of Hillcrest All-Inclusive, and @HillcrestSanDiego, the event gave participants the opportunity to share their input on the big changes coming to the neighborhood.
With the City of San Diego’s Hillcrest Community Plan Amendment (“Plan Hillcrest”) currently in the draft process, some community members are working to develop a proposal to create the Hillcrest LGBTQ+ Cultural District, which will attempt to preserve the vibrant community that LGBTQ people have built in the neighborhood over the last 40+ years.
The proposed Cultural District has been in the works for several years by community members and the proposal includes provisions for housing at all income levels, creation of the LGBTQ+ Cultural District, protection of the neighborhood’s safe spaces, and proposes a new renovation of the DMV property.
After opening remarks by representatives of Vibrant Uptown, Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, and Honorary Mayor of Hillcrest Nicole Murray Ramirez, community members were able to choose from a variety of breakout discussion groups to engage on topics such as celebrating LGBTQ history, mapping the future, and community growth. Moderators of the breakout groups reported back after the discussions, with a variety of opinions and ideas expressed by participants.
Murray Ramirez also announced at the event that thanks to the Hillcrest Business Association and San Diego GLBT Historic Task Force, new street light banners will soon be installed in Hillcrest honoring local LGBTQ heroes and icons. Currently, the banners honor nationwide celebrity LGBTQ icons. A mockup of the banners was shown featuring longtime Hillcrest businessman and philanthropist Chris Shaw, creator of the “MO’s Universe” group of bars and restaurants, which are now all independently owned.
Those who wish to learn more about future development plans for Hillcrest should visit planhillcrest.org. Also check back to LGBTQ San Diego County News in a future edition for a more detailed look at the proposed changes to Hillcrest.
HBA’S TASTE ‘N’ TINIS RETURNS
Another holiday favorite in the gayborhood is Taste ‘n’ Tinis, presented by the Hillcrest Business Association, which takes place Thursday, Dec. 14, from 5:30-9 pm. The “sip and stroll” event is $35 and offers attendees a tasting “passport” good for a food tasting at each participating restaurant, a commemorative mini martini plastic cup for a “mini tini” at participating retail businesses. VIP tickets are $45, which offer a real mini martini glass and an extra half hour of strolling. Both tickets allow you the opportunity to SHOP for the holidays while you are on your trek. Make sure to pace yourself! There will be two will call booths – one in the parking lot of Hairspray and Ortega’s at University and Third avenues; the second is located at the other end of Hillcrest at the Fabulous Hillcrest (HBA) offices at the corner of University Avenue and Herbert Street.
For more information, visit fabuloushillcrest.com.
LOCAL COUPLES THERAPIST TO HOLD SPECIAL BOOK SIGNING FOR COMMUNITY
Jennine Estes Powell, LMFT, who established Estes Therapy here in San Diego decades ago, has written a book with co-author and fellow therapist Jacqueline Wielick, MFT and said she is looking forward to celebrating its release with the LGBTQ community.
The book, “Help for High Conflict Couples,” is based on her many years of couples counseling and the “tough” interactions that some therapists shy away from. The book’s cover says it uses “emotionally focused therapy and the science of attachment to build lasting connections.”
Despite her successful group therapy practice, teaching other therapists how to work with couples, dozens of therapy-based blog posts (Relationships in the Raw) long before blogs were a thing, and creating the popular #BeingLOVEDIs movement campaign, Estes Powell simply wanted to do more for couples after all she’d seen and experienced. Hence, this new book, which digs deep and provides a roadmap for couples in trouble.
“I wanted to reach more people and make a bigger impact,” she said. “And then, out of the blue, a book publisher got wind of what I was up to and reached out to chat about writing a book.
“I didn’t want to write your run-of-the-mill, boring communication book,” she continued. “I wanted to dive into the real nitty-gritty, the tough stuff that highly-escalated couples struggle with and therapists are afraid of.”
Estes Powell admits she has a learning disability but has never let it hold her back. She was once told by a professor that she’d never make it to grad school. Instead, she’s thrived ever since.
“Because writing is difficult for me due to my learning disability, I knew I couldn’t tackle this alone, so I asked Jacqueline Wielick, MFT, to join me in the project,” Estes Powell said. “We crafted this book to address the common issues that trip up high-conflict couples. It’s not just a talk-it-out kind of deal; it’s a step-by-step guide, a playbook if you will. We’re laying out the roadmap to heal those wounds from the past and improve communication.”
San Diegans may remember Estes Powell’s #BeingLOVEDIs campaign – which connected people through photos of them with a hand-held chalkboard where they share their idea of what it means to be loved – and many within the local LGBTQ community took part in the project. To watch a video of the #BeingLOVEDIs campaign, visit bit.ly/46DmPic.
To celebrate the release of “Help for High Conflict Couples,” Estes Powell has scheduled a reading and signing event, which will take place Friday, Jan. 12, at 5:30 pm at The Sinclair on G Street, 643 G St., San Diego.
Expect a fun evening with a book reading, comedy, live music, and even a circus! Estes Powell and her wife are both trapeze artists who have performed at various venues around the county, including at the San Diego Pride Festival.
If you are interested in attending the book reading, you can RSVP by calling 619-558-0001. To learn more about all the offerings of Estes Therapy, visit estestherapy.com.
FILMOUT PRESENTS 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR FILM
Based on Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s masterpiece Broadway rock opera, the film adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar has reached a milestone and FilmOUT is bringing it to San Diego. The film will screen on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 7:00 pm. at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas, located at 3965 Fifth Ave.
Through the same brilliant lyrics and music of the smash hit play, the film recounts the last days of Jesus Christ (played by Ted Neeley). The perspective is that of Judas Iscariot, his betrayer (played by Carl Anderson, who also played Judas in the Broadway version). As Jesus’ following increases, Judas begins to worry that Jesus is falling for his own hype, forgetting the principles of his teachings and growing too close to the prostitute Mary Magdalene (Yvonne Elliman). After Jesus has an outburst in a temple, Judas turns on him. Neeley and Elliman were understudies in the Broadway and touring versions before being cast as leads in the 1973 film, which runs 1 hour and 46 minutes. Tickets are $12 online and $15 at the door. To learn more or purchase tickets, visit bit.ly/47VoFfr.
MELISSA ETHERIDGE TO PERFORM AT BELLY UP
Grammy- and Oscar-award-winning lesbian rocker Melissa Etheridge is bringing her latest tour “I’m Not Broken” to the Belly Up on Monday, April 1, at 8 pm, with an additional date just added, April 2, at 8 pm
This intimate venue will be a great experience for true Melissa fans, with prices ranging from $95 for advance general admission (standing); $167 reserved loft seating (available over the phone 858-481-8140 or in person at the box office); $175 for her tour package (GA ticket and VIP gift pack); and $275, which includes a photo package (photo packages are sold out for April 1).
Melissa’s latest album, “One Way Out,” was recorded in 2021 and is full of songs she wrote in the 1980s and ’90s that were never published or made available until now.
This is a 21+ event and attendees must show ID for entry. Most of the venue is standing room only – so if you have special needs or want to sit for the show, take note of the loft seating above. The Belly Up offers a full bar and food.
For more information about the show and tickets, visit bit.ly/47AxZ8G. The Belly Up is located at 143 S. Cedros Ave., in Solana Beach.
MPOX SEES UPTICK IN INFECTIONS
Public health officials are encouraging those at risk to get vaccinated for Mpox, after a recent uptick in cases. Those who have already received two doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine should not assume they are protected.
In September, four cases were reported, and in October, 11 new cases were reported, a “significant increase” over the previous month, according to a statement released by the San Diego County Health Department, though it still does not reach the 30–to-60 cases per week during the outbreak last year. These increases are not just limited to San Diego, according to Dr. David “Davey” Smith, head of the division of infectious diseases and global public health at UC San Diego.
“All through California we’ve seen it for sure, but we can see upticks across the nation,” Smith said in the statement.
“Even if someone is vaccinated, if they get a lesion or a rash, they should go talk to their doctor and think about mpox as a possibility,” Smith said.
Mpox is spread through intimate contact between people. Anyone can be infected with mpox, but the cases have been largely found among those who identify as gay or bisexual men.
Smith also said the CDC is studying cases where people who have recovered from mpox have become reinfected, and each one has also had HIV.
“We’re wondering if there’s some sort of immune deficiency connection there,” Smith said.
To get more information on mpox and the vaccine, visit bit.ly/45WNTss. To read an earlier report from NBC 7, visit bit.ly/3GlnMkz.
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