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 Staff
CITY OF SAN DIEGO HOSTS ANNUAL PRIDE KICKOFF
The San Diego City Council and Mayor Todd Gloria invited various leaders and other members of the local LGBTQ community to take part in its annual “Pride Kickoff” celebration on July 1, at City Hall’s Council Chambers.
LGBTQ Mayor Todd Gloria and LGBTQ Councilmembers, including District Three (D3) Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, D2 Councilmember Dr. Jennifer Campbell, and D5 Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, presented those in attendance a proclamation of July 2024 as “Pride Month” in San Diego.
Christine Kehoe, the city’s first LGBTQ elected official (1993) who went on from the San Diego City Council to the California State Assembly and Senate, also spoke; her remarks focused on the 50th anniversary of San Diego Pride.
Key LGBTQ stakeholders were also acknowledged at the gathering, including San Diego Pride, the San Diego LGBT Community Center, the Hillcrest Business Association, and the City of San Diego’s LGBTQ+ Employee Alliance.
In addition, City Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez provided brief remarks regarding the very first Pride March, and announced this year’s 2024 Pride honorees: Mr. San Diego Pride 2024, Erick de la Torre; Ms. San Diego Pride 2024, Dawn Stultz; Miss San Diego Pride 2024, Alexis Gabrielle; Mx San Diego Pride 2024, Shiloh Tamir; and Mr. International Pride 2024, Logan Bolitho. Each received a sash that they will wear throughout the weekend.
San Diego Pride related festivities are already underway and culminate in the three major events that include the Spirit of Stonewall Rally on Friday, July 19; the San Diego Pride Parade, Sunday, July 20; and the San Diego Pride Festival, Saturday and Sunday, July 19 and 20.
To read the full proclamation, go to page 12 in this issue. To learn more about San Diego Pride festivities, visit sdpride.org.
CALIFORNIA BARS NOW REQUIRED TO PROVIDE ‘DATE RAPE’ DETECTION KITS
As of July 1, all California bars are required to offer customers “date rape” drug test kits. Assembly Bill 1013, proposed by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), mandates that type 48 licensed bars must purchase and make available the kits, which can be a strip, sticker or straw.
The kits will test for drugs typically found to be administered in drinks, like ketamine or GHB, which have become known as “date rape” drugs because they often render the person who drinks them lethargic and unresponsive, allowing them to be taken advantage of by the perpetrator. While use of the drugs infer a sexual intention, they are also often used as a way to put people in imminent danger, unable to function for themselves.
The law states that businesses can decide themselves whether to charge customers for the testing kits or give them out for free.
San Diego’s Channel 10 ventured out into our local LGBT community to get a sense of how folks feel about this new law. They reported from Number One Fifth Avenue that the bar will offer patrons a “test paper,” which once inserted into a cocktail or other drink would turn blue if it is spiked, but would not change color if it isn’t.
“We’re going to be providing them at no cost,” Tommy Sayles, the general manager at Number One, told Channel 10 News.
Brian Jinings, co-owner of Number One, also spoke to the Channel 10 reporter. “I thought it was a fantastic idea,” he said.
Channel 10 also interviewed a patron at Number One, Yahya Algathab.
“You never really know when somebody could be making you a potential target,” Algathab said. “Having that peace of mind with these kits also feels like you have an angel on your shoulder, you know, guarding you.”
Algathab pointed to the increasing number of non-LGBT patrons entering otherwise gay bars in recent years as an additional risk.
“I know that especially in the LGBT community, a lot of our bars become safe spaces for us and also our allies,” he said. “We’re getting more and more crowds in the door and you just don’t know if someone is gonna be on the good side.”
While they know they will offer the test kits for free, management of Number One is still working out how to implement the program but should be prepared in time for Pride weekend.
“Having a tool that’s available to where a customer or employee can take control into their own hands and be able to really look out for themselves, I think that’s a plus,” Jinings said in the Channel 10 story.
To read the full context of AB 1013, visit bit.ly/4bsOTY8.
LONG AWAITED RETURN OF WOMEN’S MONTHLY DANCES
The monthly Women’s Dances were developed a little over 10 years ago by personal DJ Susu Jones and entrepreneur Sally Hall, to provide a fun environment for women to come together and create community.
The original commitment of hosting the dances was to be one year. However, with the energy of all the guests and the need to keep the community connected, it was decided the dances should continue. Despite having the location of the monthly dance change on occasion, they continued with great popularity, and their last and longest-term home was The Rail.
Then COVID-19 put a halt to the fun in 2020.
Once the world returned to a safe environment, Hall said requests for the dances to resume was a weekly occurrence. She said she recently reached out to the new owners of The Rail and they graciously made a slot for the women’s dances to resume.
“Big thanks to Urbano and Isaac, the new owners, who embraced the women’s community for this effort,” Hall said.
The first opportunity to bring the women together again comes on July 18, Pride Thursday, with a Women’s Dance from 8-11 pm at The Rail, with DJ Lotus in the Velvet Box.
“This is a time women can get together with new and old friends before the other Pride festivities begin, at a reasonable cost of $10, and at a great place like The Rail,” Hall said. “Even more exciting, the women’s monthly dances will resume on the third Friday of every month, starting Aug. 16.”
Spinning in the “Velvet Box” for the August dance will be DJ Dallas Coats. Happy hour kicks off the night at 5 pm and the dance will end at 10 pm. DJ Dallas will perform the entire time, spinning a dynamic mix of pop, R&B, dance, rap, EMD, and old-school classics.
“A true legend playing music for the gay women’s community for over three electrifying decades, DJ Dallas’ unparalleled experience and passion for music keeps the crowd moving all night long,” Hall said. “Dallas knows how to ignite the party and create unforgettable nights. She has mastered the art of keeping the energy high, the women dancing, and the beats fresh no matter the era.”
Check out the women’s dance on Thursday, July 18, from 8 – 11 pm, in advance of Pride weekend, and again Friday, Aug. 16, from 5 – 10 pm. The Rail is located at 3796 Fifth Ave., in Hillcrest.
‘GAY USA’ FILM INCLUDES SAN DIEGO PRIDE 1977
A landmark documentary, originally filmed and released in 1977 – when the gay rights movement was facing Anita Bryant and her organized backlash against the community – “Gay USA,” directed by Arthur Bressen, Jr., has finally been released on DVD and BluRay media.
The 78-minute film focuses on the 1977 Gay Freedom Day march in San Francisco, but Bressen, who is gay himself, also includes footage from parades that same year in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Diego.
The film’s re-release is timely for San Diego Pride, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Promotion for the film’s new media release stated: “In the year following 1969’s Stonewall Riot, organizations such as the Gay Liberation Front, Gay Activists Alliance, and the Radicalesbians sprung up. They wanted to recall the courageous actions of those bar participants, who stood up against injustice and police harassment, which resulted in a mass political movement. This activism demanded not just societal acceptance and equality, but liberation. with a willingness to tackle oppressive institutions.
“To celebrate, encourage, and reinforce this new revolutionary ethos, they commemorated the first anniversary of Stonewall with parades, which celebrated who they were unashamedly, but also to initiate a new kind of social protest that had both cultural and political advocacy implications.”
“Gay USA” is an attempt to visually document those marches as they happened in some of the largest cities in the country.
Bressan dedicated the film to Robert Hillsborough, who was stabbed to death on a street in San Francisco on June 22, 1977, simply for being gay. To view a trailer for the film, visit vimeo.com/895993505.
The DVD and BluRay media also includes several other important documentaries of the time: Lilli Vincenz’s 1970 “Gay and Proud,” which documented the first Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade held in New York City on June 28, 1970; “Gay Power,” (1971) a lesbian-centric silent film from legendary artists/activists Sharon Hayes and Kate Millet, produced by the Women’s Liberation Cinema; “Parade,” (1972) from Ronald Chase, gives insight into San Francisco’s first official Gay Pride Parade; and “Freedom Day Parade” (1974), by iconic filmmaker and choreographer Wakefield Poole, was shot at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day.
Promoters of the DVD release said these films are considered to be “so momentous” they’ve been restored by the Library of Congress.
RICK AND BENNY’S 10TH ANNUAL PRIDE HAPPY HOUR
Details of the Pride related happy hour to end all happy hours has been announced. “Rick & Benny’s 10th annual Pride Kick-off Happy Hour” is scheduled for Monday, July 15, from 5-9 pm, at The Rail, located at 3796 Fifth Ave., in Hillcrest.
This happy hour event started out as a thank you to all the industry folks who work so hard during Pride week, to offer them a respite before the big events that will keep them so busy and give them the chance to mingle with other industry peeps. While that is still the focus (and why the event is always on a Monday), attendance has grown over the years to include friends of the industry, as well.
This popular Happy Hour has also moved locations throughout the community over the years, starting at Number One Fifth Avenue for its first few Prides, then moving on to Uptown Tavern, The Loft last year, and now The Rail.
“This event provides a space for our service industry staff, San Diego Pride staff and volunteers, and all community members to celebrate together,” said Benny Cartwright, co-founder of the event. “We always have a great time celebrating with a diverse group of neighbors, community leaders, industry staff, elected officials, and more.”
Co-founders Cartwright and Rick Cervantes say the event has “no agenda, no fundraising ‘asks,’ and no politics,” which is welcome news in these otherwise challenging times.
The duo says to “come as you are” and stay as short (for busy industry workers) or as long as you like and they promise drink specials, DJ sounds spinning by Kinky Loops, and Jell-O shots for purchase, which will benefit Kiwanis Club of Hillcrest All-Inclusive, who most recently put up the US Flags throughout Hillcrest for the Fourth of July.
For more information, contact Benny Cartwright at [email protected].
SAN DIEGO THEATRES ANNOUNCES LGBTQ-THEMED SEASON
San Diego Theatres, the official management of San Diego Civic Theatre and the historic Balboa Theatre, recently announced an expansion of offerings in its “ongoing commitment” to the LGBTQ community. The arts and culture organization released a schedule of LGBTQ friendly productions that they say “will resonate with audiences of all backgrounds.”
“From its inception, the iconic Balboa Theatre and San Diego Civic Theatre were envisioned as community epicenters, a place where people could come together to experience the magic of the performing arts,” the announcement stated.” Over the years, the theaters have evolved, continually adjusting its content, productions, and offerings to reflect the vibrant diversity of San Diego’s community.”
Mark your calendars for these important dates that feature a variety of performances that San Diego Theatres say “champion LGBTQ+ stories and themes.”
Aug. 3: Let’s Get Loud by San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus – This fun-filled Pride-infused show will be full of pop anthems from over 200 queer singers who will unite in song in a spectacular all-gender choral community.
Aug. 8: Sibling Rivalry – Two powerful drag queens Monét X Change and Bob the Drag Queen, will host a live taping of their popular, award-winning podcast.
Oct. 11: Rocky Horror Picture Show – Patricia Quinn (Magenta) will attend a screening of the original unedited movie with a live shadow cast and audience participation. This 49th anniversary tour includes a costume contest, and more!
Dec. 6: A Drag Queen Christmas – It’s the 10th anniversary of the longest-running drag tour in America, hosted by Nina West. Get ready for your favorite queens performing live on stage for this holiday spectacular.
March 29, 2025: Killer Queen – A fascinating tribute to the infamous band Queen, as performed by this internationally popular tribute band, the first ever tribute to have a show in the West End.
Additional shows to be announced late July.
“San Diego Theatres remains committed to its mission of enriching the community through the performing arts and looks forward to welcoming audiences to experience the transformative power of theater.”
Both in downtown San Diego, the San Diego Civic Theatre is located in Civic Center Plaza at 1100 Third Ave., while the Balboa Theatre is located at 868 Fourth Ave., just a few blocks away.
For more information on this schedule and other upcoming productions, visit sandiegotheatres.org.
NEW AWARD-WINNING ‘COMING OUT’ FILM HAS LOCAL TIES
Benjamin Howard’s high school struggle in San Diego’s East County is one many of us have experienced. He was trying to understand who he was and how he fit in. The additional layer was that he was also a popular athlete.
“While I was playing, I was struggling internally with my identity, with my sexuality,” Howard told CBS 8 News. “From some of that struggle came a lot of shame about who I was as a person, who I was as an athlete, even.”
Howard is now a filmmaker and has written and directed a piece of cinema to share his experience with the world.
The film, “Riley,” about a closeted football player who grew up in San Diego’s East County, just won eight awards at the San Diego Film Festival, and has been picking up accolades on the international film festival circuit.
Howard told CBS 8 that the film “is like a love letter” to his upbringing in East County. Many scenes in Riley’s life take place in areas where they actually happened in real life for Howard; including one at the top of Mount Helix Park.
“I used to take girls [there] when I was in high school.” Howard told the news station. “I would take them on dates, and we would drive up there and kind of park the car and just like, look out into the city.”
CBS 8 sports anchor John Howard is the filmmaker’s father, and he and his apartment have scenes in the film.
“To see him recognized this way, I couldn’t be prouder, no doubt about it,” his father said.
Howard not only hopes this film will be available for streaming later this year or early next year, he also hopes it is seen by those who need to see it.
“To someone who was like I was 10 years ago, when I was going through what I was going through, I kind of want them to see this movie, to see themselves, because I kind of made the movie that I needed to see, you know, about 10 or 15 years ago,” he told CBS 8. “And that’s, you know, that kid back then was who I was writing this film for and trying to tell the story for.”
To learn more about the film and keep an eye on where it may be screening next, visit windsorfilmcompany.com.
BIDEN PARDONS LGBTQ VETERANS WRONGLY CONVICTED
As part of his Pride month actions, President Joe Biden “righted a historic wrong” on June 26, by pardoning any LGBTQ veteran, whose sexual orientation or gender identity became known while serving in the US military and caused them to be criminally charged, subjected to court martial, and convicted. That result would have meant that no matter how long or how honorably these service members had otherwise served, they were not eligible for veterans benefits of any kind; and they have carried that conviction on their record for decades. This pardon has the power to change both of those burdens.
“Our Nation’s service members stand on the frontlines of freedom, and risk their lives in order to defend our country. Despite their courage and great sacrifice, thousands of LGBTQI+ service members were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Biden stated in his remarks. “Some of these patriotic Americans were subject to court-martial, and have carried the burden of this great injustice for decades.
“As Commander in Chief, I am committed to maintaining the finest fighting force in the world. That means making sure that every member of our military is safe and respected – so they can focus on their mission.”
Biden used his clemency authority, found in Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, to grant a full, complete, and unconditional pardon” to those veterans who were convicted of a variety of possible “unaggravated offenses” based on consensual, private conduct with persons age 18 and older. He identified a number of potential acts under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) that are covered under his pardon.
“This is about dignity, decency, and ensuring the culture of our Armed Forces reflect the values that make us an exceptional nation. We have a sacred obligation to all of our service members – including our brave LGBTQI+ service members: to properly prepare and equip them when they are sent into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families when they return home. Today we are making progress in that pursuit.”
The president’s proclamation applies to any convictions that occurred between May 31, 1951, through Dec. 26, 2013.Those who fall under convictions identified may apply for a certificate of pardon through the Military Department that conducted the court martial. Those who were serving in the Coast Guard at the time of their conviction would apply through the Department of Homeland Security.
The proclamation states the following: “If the relevant Department determines that the applicant satisfies the criteria under this proclamation, following a review of relevant military justice records, the Department shall submit that determination to the Attorney General, acting through the Pardon Attorney, who shall then issue a certificate of pardon along with information on the process to apply for an upgrade of military discharge. My Administration strongly encourages veterans who receive a certificate of pardon to apply for an upgrade of military discharge.”
Those who upgrade their discharges will be offered veterans benefits that they’ve been denied for decades.
Vice President Kamala Harris to0k to Instagram to share the news.
“Every person in our nation must have the freedom to love who they love, openly and with pride — including our brave service members who sacrifice so much,” she wrote.
“Today, @potus is pardoning thousands of former service members who were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation. They are finally receiving the justice they deserve, and we recommit to our fight for equality for all Americans.”To learn more about how to apply for the pardon, visit bit.ly/4cBncOo.
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