Show Your Love With a PFLAG SDC Membership
Friend, your PFLAG SDC Membership is more vital than ever. Anti-LGBTQ+ laws are on the rise, and anti-LGBTQ+ organizations continue to make their presence known in San Diego County (see Awaken Church article below).
In response, PFLAG SDC members are advocating, attending meetings, and supporting our LGBTQ+ loved ones. In addition, PFLAG National is monitoring discriminatory legislation and suing four states. We need your support in turn! When you join PFLAG at the local level, a portion of your membership also goes to PFLAG National.
We have four monthly in-person support groups and two virtual groups. The North County Coastal group will shift from virtual to in-person meetings starting this month.
Our scholarship program is thriving, and in 2023 we awarded more than $50,000 to LGBTQ+ students. We are now accepting applications for the 2024 scholarships (see article and link below).
We can only do this vital work because of you, so join as a new member or renew your membership today. You can do this from our website atpflagsdc.org/membership or send your renewal to PO Box 82762, San Diego, CA 92138.
Sincerely,
Nancy Colbert
She/Her/Hers
President
PFLAG San Diego County
Summer Qamp Movie
The Human Rights Campaign is hosting the movie Summer Qamp to be shown this Friday, February 2 at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. It is an uplifting, funny, honest, and moving film for a look into a summer camp like no other — a safe haven for LGBTQ+ teens to explore their authentic selves while building community and making memories that will last a lifetime.
We have been invited to attend this film at no charge. There is a reception at 6:00 pm with the film starting at 7:00 pm, followed by a Q&A. The Museum of Photographic Arts is located at 1649 El Prado in Balboa Park. The film team and special guests will be there for the reception and Q&A.
For free tickets, please contact admin@pflagsdc.org.
️Tiger’s Pictionary Benefit Fundraiser for PFLAG SDC
Please join us Tuesday, February 6, 7:30-10:30 pm, for Tiger’s Pictionary at Number One Fifth Avenue, 3845 Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest, for a FUNraiser hosted by Sister Ida Know.
Tiger’s Pictionary is a fun Pictionary game with a few twists and is hosted every Tuesday night. Players may purchase raffle tickets that give you a chance to win prizes donated by local businesses and organizations that are raffled off by Sister Ida Know every 15 minutes. Part of the fun is that there are no teams, and when someone correctly guesses a clue, they also receive a free ticket for the raffle. The funds raised go to support a different nonprofit in the San Diego LGBTQ+ community every week. Over the past 12 years, Tiger’s Pictionary has raised over $100,000, and February 6 is PFLAG San Diego County’s night!
Please donate a prize for the raffle and/or come down to play Tiger’s Pictionary with us. Suggestions for raffle prizes include gift certificates for restaurants, hair salons, movies, as well as board games or other fun Pride prizes. For questions, please contact admin@pflagsdc.org. We hope to see you there!
Lunar New Year Community Celebration
The San Diego LGBT Community Center cordially invites you to celebrate the Lunar New Year on Wednesday, February 7 from 6 pm to 8 pm at The Center’s Auditorium. Come and enjoy delicious food, watch exciting performances, and meet community members. Everyone is welcome to attend this event. RSVP: bit.ly/lunar-celebration
Support Group Schedule Changes
North County Coastal Support Group is now meeting in person on the first Wednesday of the month from 6 – 7:30 pm starting February 7. Please contact Heidi Meyer, nccoastal@pflagsdc.org for the location.
The East County Support Group changed its meeting day from the third Tuesday of the month to the third Wednesday from 7 – 8:30 pm, beginning February 21. This group also meets in person. For info, contact Emily Okerlund at eastcounty@pflagsdc.org.
Red Hot Dance
The LGBT Community Center invites you to the Red Hot Dance on Saturday, February 10 from 6-9 pm. They are excited to welcome DJ Laura Jane and highlight women-owned businesses this year. The dance floor will be accessible, and there’s plenty of seating, as well. The event is a $10 suggested donation at the door and includes one drink ticket and snacks.
As this dance is for all queer women, they want to use the most inclusive language possible, and the team landed on “queer women.” “We are reclaiming ‘queer’ for the entire LGBTQ+ community and when we say ‘women’ we mean all women! Red Hot is open to all lesbians, transgender women, cisgender women, nonbinary folks, womxn, womyn, queer women, dykes, bisexual women, pansexual women, or any combination. Language is never perfect, but if you feel that you might belong at Red Hot, you do! We can’t wait to see you there!”
For more information about this event, please reach out to women@thecentersd.org.
Queering Valentines With Lambda Archives
Lambda Archives Ultreya Pop-Up market is on Sunday, February 11 from 9:30 am – 2 pm at Ultreya Coffee & Tea and will include collaging Valentine’s cards, a mini LGBTQ+ Love & Joy exhibit, and from 11 am – 2 pm the Love oral history project. Ultreya is located at 4653 College Avenue.
The mission of the Lambda Archives of San Diego is to collect, preserve, and share the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in San Diego, Northern Baja California, and Imperial County region.
For more info contact: mhernandez@lambdaarchives.org
Join the Community for Family Art Day
San Diego Pride is once again hosting Family Art Day on Saturday, February 24th, from 11 am – 2 pm. LGBTQ+ families with youth of all ages are invited to get together for arts, crafts, and connection. Food and refreshments will be provided at the San Diego Pride location at 3620 30th St. RSVP today! bit.ly/SDPfamday24
San Diego Pride Art Show
Speaking of art, San Diego Pride is extending an invitation to celebrate LGBTQIA+ artists for its first Art Show of 2024! All work is showcased by an amazing and talented group of artists. The art show will continue through March 1, 2024 during business hours from 9 am-4 pm at the San Diego Pride Offices, 3620 30th Street, San Diego (North Park).
Time To Apply For PFLAG SDC 2024 Scholarships
Once again (our 26th year!), PFLAG San Diego County is offering scholarships to LGBTQ+ students who reside in San Diego County. The application, requirements, and other scholarship-related info can be found on our web site at https://pflagsdc.org/scholarships. The deadline to apply is March 15, 2024.
Help us spread the word to LGBTQ+ high school seniors and full-time undergraduate/graduate students to apply for PFLAG SDC scholarships. In addition, we are offering scholarships specifically for community colleges and certified technical/vocational schools. Half-time applicants will be considered with an explanation of the circumstances that prevents them from attending full-time. A minimum of 18 scholarships will be awarded in the range of $2000-3500.
Our goal is to maximize the amounts of scholarships and to award more scholarships this year. You may donate any time: pflagsdc.org/support-our-students/ either to the General Scholarship Fund or a specific scholarship. We maintain our commitment that 100% of funds donated for scholarships goes to students. We also offer a recurring monthly donation option. All donations are 100% tax deductible (tax ID# 33-0512868).
Our motto is “Change a life, change the world.” In 2023, we awarded a record 21 scholarships, totaling $56,000. Please help us continue to change lives.
For questions, please contact scholarships@pflagsdc.org.
️ PFLAG SDC March Book Club
The next selection for the PFLAG SDC Book Club will be Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, in honor of Black History Month. We’ll meet Tuesday, March 26, 7-8:15 p.m. on Zoom for a discussion moderated by newsletter editor Louise Julig. You must register separately for each book club meeting. Use the link below to register.
Giovanni’s Room is the second novel by acclaimed Black queer author James Baldwin. Published in 1956, it was written well before the gay rights era, and caused controversy at the time due to its homoerotic content.
We are proud to partner with Libélula Books and Co., a local queer-owned, Latinx-owned, Indigenous-owned independent bookstore at 950 South 26th Street in Barrio Logan. Check out the in-person location or buy the book through Libelula’s Bookshop.org store. If audiobooks are more your thing, check out the indie-supporting Libro.fm.
Click here for a complete list of previous PFLAG SDC Book Club selections.
PFLAG SDC Continues Advocacy in Lakeside
Thank you to PFLAG SDC members Terrie Vorono, Ryn Corbeil, and David Milroy for representing PFLAG SDC at the Lakeside Union School District Board Meeting. The board is trying to implement a Parents Bill of Rights, which is over-the-top anti-LGBTQ+. We appreciate Terrie and Ryn speaking on behalf of PFLAG SDC and LGBTQIA+ students.
And a big thank you to Emily Okerlund for volunteering to be on the San Diego Unified School District LGBTQ+ Advisory Council Office of Education – very much appreciated.
Love is Equality in Action
PFLAG SDC was well represented at the San Diego County Office of Education’s Love is Equality in Action Conference. Emily Okerlund, PFLAG SDC East County facilitator, moderated the panel: Rebekah Ninteman, Leslie Hardiman, Hannah Street, and Felicia Tisnado. It was a full house!
Awaken Church Plans Expansion in Coronado
(and What You Can Do About It!)
On January 28, PFLAG SDC joined other LGBTQ+ community groups and residents of Coronado in protesting anti-LGBTQ Awaken Church having a service at the Hotel Del Coronado, in the city where it has set its eyes on expansion.
The Hotel Del is a property of Hilton Hotels, which allegedly is a pro-LGBTQ business and has a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign. LGBTQ+ communities are outraged that the hotel would give this hate group a platform. Other venues have turned them down. No doubt they are using the Hotel Del to seek credibility. When challenged, hotel management stated that the property is open to all.
Awaken church openly defied COVID lockdown orders in the early days of the pandemic, as well as spread anti-vaccine misinformation, and has actively allied itself with right-wing political groups and candidates for office despite this being in violation of its tax-exempt status. Awaken church has been called a radical cult by its most serious detractors. Even without that label, it has strained the definitions of what would be called a church.
This organization spreads hate speech and intolerance. It has actively facilitated the disruption of school board meetings throughout the county, sought to infiltrate school boards, supported the January 6, 2020 insurrection, denounced democracy, and vilified and dehumanized those with whom it disagrees.
Now, it is seeking to have a full-time presence in Coronado. If it succeeds, this will make the seventh Awaken campus in San Diego County. Church leader Jurgen Matthesius has said, “Our vision is 16 campuses around San Diego – literally, surround the city and then we can say, ‘Come out with your hands up, we have you surrounded.’”
The city of Coronado feels its presence will lead to more disruptions and attacks directed at Coronado’s school board and elected officials, disparagement of their local churches and faith leaders, and active recruitment in the community for Awaken’s militia-style camps.
Pictured in the protest photos above are PFLAG members Sherry Cohen-Richards, Terrie Vorono, Nancy Colbert, David Milroy, and Eddie Estrada.
HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO
Let Hilton’s ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) arm know you disapprove of the Hotel Del Coronado, a Hilton Property, hosting Awaken Church due to the church’s anti-LGBTQ+ stance by emailing esg@hilton.com. A few points you can include are:
- Hilton currently has a 100 score from the Human Rights Campaign, which includes a section for Corporate Social Responsibility.
- Hilton hosted the PFLAG National Convention in Virginia last year, showing PFLAG National trusts Hilton to be a good ally to the community.
- Citizens of Coronado alerted Hilton of the church’s anti-LGBTQ+ stance in advance and asked the hotel not to allow the Awaken rally on the property.
- Hosting Awaken church is incompatible with claiming to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community and a socially responsible corporation.
Your letters count! Tell Hilton to issue an apology to the Coronado and LGBTQIA+ communities and not allow Awaken church to host any more events at its properties.
Don’t Miss Out On A PFLAG T-shirt!
Order your PFLAG SDC t-shirt now. They are $10, and there are a limited quantity. To reserve a PFLAG SDC t-shirt, please email your name and size to admin@pflagsdc.org.
Thank You To Our Donors!
Thanks to the following individuals who donated to the PFLAG SDC General and Scholarship Funds this past month:
Ray and Jan Aller
Rhonda Bennett
Theresa Burke
Charities Aid Foundation
Julianna Goodman
Sherrill Joseph
Charles Kaminski
Jim and Melanie Kilgore
L&S Rosenberg Family Foundation
Gary Marcus
Metropolitan Community Church of San Diego
Bill Patten
Scott Peters
Kristen Reid
Sanford & Barbara Rosenthal Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation
Frank Stefano
Catherine Thiemann
Phyllis van Wanseele
David Wertlieb
Thanks to our regular monthly donors to PFLAG San Diego County. A monthly donation helps provide predictable sources of funding for our programs and scholarships and we appreciate it very much!
Donna and Jim Bowersox
Lonnie Brunini
B Fit by Bryann
Nancy Colbert
Anna Covici
Charles Kaminski
Jesse Muñoz
Stephen Miller and Michael Wasilewski
Maureen Steiner
Terrie Vorono
☎️ 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline Now In Place
The nonprofit that operates the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline launched a pilot program for LGBTQ individuals, veterans, and anyone who feels they may be experiencing a mental health crisis; you may call or text 988.
One of the goals is to dramatically decrease the number of calls made to 911 in the time of crisis, as 911 wasn’t set up to address mental health needs. Please note, this new program does not track your location.
Support Groups
❗️Note: some support group information has changed since last month
Most support groups will continue to meet virtually, but some groups are returning to in-person meetings. Check individual group for details. We encourage you to contact your support group facilitator at any time, as they will remain excellent resources for information. The support group locations, dates, and times will continue to be posted on the PFLAG San Diego County Facebook page. You can join in any of the digital meetings. For Zoom links, contact each support group.
Our Vision
PFLAG envisions a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed inclusive of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
Our Mission
By meeting people where they are and collaborating with others, PFLAG realizes its vision through: Support for families, allies and people who are LGBTQ+; Education for ourselves and others about the unique issues and challenges facing people who are LGBTQ+; Advocacy in our communities to change attitudes and create policies and laws that achieve full equality for people who are LGBTQ+.
