Pride Story Time

Happy Pride from the San Diego Public Library!

Join the San Diego Public Library in celebrating San Diego Pride 2023. PRIDE Storytime is a family-friendly way of recognizing and celebrating our diversity and individuality through age-appropriate stories and songs.This is a safe space; all are welcome!

On July 8 at the Kensington-Normal Heights Library, 4121 Adams Avenue, Kensington from 10:30-11:30 am featuring Raquel Ito and Barbie Q

On July 12 at the Oak Park Library, 2802 54^th Street, San Diego from 10:30-11:30 am featuring Beans.

️‍PFLAG SDC Marchers Bobbi Harwood and Dana Harwood from 2019 San Diego Pride parade.

️‍Join Us For The Pride Parade And Festival! ️‍⚧️

The theme for Pride this year is aptly named: THRIVE!  PFLAG SDC will, as always, have a contingent marching in the Pride Parade on Saturday, July 15.  Of course, we can’t do this without you!

The parade begins at the Hillcrest Pride Flag at University Ave. and Normal St., proceeds west on University Ave., turns south on 6th Ave., turns left onto Balboa Dr. and ends at Quince Dr. The route is 1.5 miles. If you cannot walk that distance and want to ride, please contact Pride coordinator Mike Minnick: mminnick@pflag.com. As of press time we do not have our contingent line up number or where we line up. You can email admin@pflag.com  if you would like the info emailed to you. It will also be posted on Facebook, Instagram, and the PFLAG SDC website PFLAG.com.

If you’ve never walked in the Pride Parade with PFLAG SDC, you are in for a treat. Besides all the excitement of the event, the crowd goes crazy when PFLAG passes by. Here comes the lecture part – READ THIS BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME! These are suggestions that have stood the test of time:

Get to the shuttle buses early; there are free shuttles from the old Balboa Naval Hospital located on Park Blvd., across from President’s Way. If you are a procrastinator, now isn’t the time, as the buses back up and you’ll be waiting in line so long that you may miss part of the parade. Also:

• Wear comfortable shoes
• Put on lots of sunscreen
• Wear hat/sunglasses
• Bring cell phone to take pix
• Make PFLAG signs and bring them
• Wear as much PFLAG/rainbow clothing and paraphernalia as you own!

Hope to see your decorated selves and signs at the Parade.

We also need volunteers to staff our booth at the Pride Festival (July 15 from noon-8:00 pm and July 16 from noon-8:00 pm pm). To volunteer, please contact Mike Minnick: mminnick@pflag.com. Volunteers receive free entry on the day of volunteering. The Festival is located at Balboa Park’s Marston Point, 6th & Laurel in Hillcrest.

To purchase tickets for the Festival if you are not volunteering, go to www.sdpride.org/events: If purchased before July 7, tickets are: $30.50 1-Day or $36.50 2-Day (Online only: Pre-Event), High-school aged youth and younger are FREE at the Box Office, Seniors (65+) discounted tickets at the Box Office.

Order Your PFLAG SDC T-shirt Now!

Just in time for the Pride parade, new design PFLAG San Diego County t-shirts are $10 and there are a limited quantity. To reserve a PFLAG SDC t-shirt, please email your name and size to:  admin@pflag.com.

Thrive With The SD Women’s Chorus

Please join the San Diego Women’s Chorus for an uplifting evening of music on July 13 at 7:00 pm. SDWC’s Pride Concert features new songs to inspire social action, plus crowd favorites that will have you tapping your toes and singing along. Together, we THRIVE. The concert will be performed at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 298 W. Arbor Drive in Hillcrest.

Tickets start at $25 for general admission, $20 for youth, senior, disabled patrons, and military. Same-day tickets will be available at the door, starting at $30 for general admission and $25 for youth/senior/disabled/military.

️‍ July Pride Events ️‍⚧️ ️‍

The annual San Diego Pride Parade is the largest single-day civic event in the region and is among the largest Prides in the United States, attracting over 300,000 people. PFLAG SDC will have a contingent at the Pride Parade (July 15), as always. We’d love everyone to participate. We will have a table at the Pride Festival on July 15 and 16. If you are interested in taking a shift, please contact Mike Minnick: mminnick@pflag.com. Below are more Pride week events.

July 8: She Fest, noon-6:00 pm at the Hillcrest Pride Flag, 1500 University Ave., Hillcrest.  She Fest is a woman-centered event that celebrates and supports the talents and contributions of women while fostering meaningful connections within the LGBTQ+ and larger San Diego community.

July 12:  Light up the Cathedral, 7:00-9:00 pm at St Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, 2728 Sixth Ave., Hillcrest. This is an event to bring LGBTQ+ Faith Leaders and Faithful together to celebrate faith and resilience. After the service, the Cathedral will be lit in rainbow colors.

July 14:  Spirit of Stonewall Rally, 6:00-7:00 pm at the Hillcrest Pride Flag, 1500 University Ave., Hillcrest. The awards recognize individuals who contribute significantly to the LGBTQ+ community through their leadership, activism, and fundraising efforts. These individuals are working hard to preserve our gains and meet the many challenges still facing our community.

July 15: San Diego Front Runners Pride 5K Run & Walk, 8:00 am beginning at the corner of Centre Street and University Ave., Hillcrest. Every year, funds raised at the San Diego Pride 5K generate significant donations for charity partners – San Diego Pride and The LGBT Center’s Youth Housing Project. To register: https://sdpride.org/5k/.

July 15: San Diego Pride Parade, begins at 10:00 am at the Hillcrest Pride Flag, 1500 University Ave., Hillcrest. The route is 1.5 miles. This year’s theme is THRIVE! and the Community Grand Marshal is the Drag Community. The annual San Diego Pride Parade, with all the floats and contingents, is the largest single-day civic event in the region and is among the largest Prides in the United States, attracting over 300,000 cheering supporters of the LGBTQ+ community (see article above)

July 15: Beginning at 11:00am until 10 pm and July 16 from 11:00am-9:00 pm, Pride Festival at Balboa Park’s Marston Point, 6th & Laurel in Hillcrest. It’s a great time to be OUT and PROUD, San Diego style! This is the city’s biggest celebration with thousands attending. There will be food, community resources, cultural presentations, interactive exhibits, and vendor booths. You can dance to live entertainment from over 100 entertainers at 4 stages. Go to www.sdpride.org/events to purchase tickets and for more Pride events.

PFLAG SDC East County Meets On Third Tuesdays 3️⃣

Our newest support group meets Tuesday, July 18 from 7:00-8:30 pm in East County (Santee). It will meet on the third Tuesday of each month going forward. Please contact eastcountysdc@pflag.com for location or more info.

The support group is a confidential, non-judgmental opportunity to share your experiences or thoughts if you wish, or you can just listen and observe. Everyone is made to feel comfortable.

This is one of two PFLAG SDC in-person support groups. You don’t just need to be from East County. All are welcome.

PFLAG SDC Book Club

The next selection for the PFLAG SDC Book Club will be Less, by Andrew Sean Greer. We’ll meet Tuesday, July 25, 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.

Less is the Pulitzer Prize-winning fish-out-of-water love story of Arthur Less, a failed novelist trying to avoid going to his ex-boyfriend’s wedding. What could go wrong?

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 their in-person location or buy the book through their Bookshop.org store. If audiobooks are more your thing, check out the indie-supporting Libro.fm.

Stronger Together / Mas Fuertes Juntos

San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus wraps up its 38th season by teaming up on July 29 at 8:00 pm and July 30 at 3:00 pm with not one but two other choruses for a spectacular international celebration of Pride. They will be joined by the biggest and most fabulous queer chorus in Mexico, Coro Gai Ciudad de México from Mexico City, and our neighbor and new kid on the block, Coro Gai de Tijuana. Expect a powerful wave of choral sound and an emotional rollercoaster as these three queer choruses from the US and Mexico come together in solidarity and friendship, to tell their stories, fight for their rights and celebrate their common humanity: 3 Choruses, 2 countries, 1 united message, and not a wall in sight.

The concerts will be held at the Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Avenue, downtown. Tickets start at $30 and may be purchased at https://sdgmc.org/.

Diversonary’s Art Education & Outreach Programs

Diversionary Theatre is proud to host a wide variety of LGBTQ+ Arts Education programs designed to offer a safe space for our younger queer community, nurture an appetite for the arts in our youth, provide access to live entertainment to our entire community, and support blossoming talent in people of all ages. Go to https://www.diversionary.org/education. For Youth:  Kid-Versionary, Teen-Versionary, LGBTQIA+ Teen Playwriting Lab, D-Tours, Queer Youth Karaoke.  For adults:  The Stonewall Salon and The Silver Squad

We Were Busy In June!!

Congrats To The 2023 PFLAG SDC Scholarship Recipients

We are proud to present the 2023 PFLAG SDC Scholarship Recipents! Here are photos from the awards banquet held on June 3.

Row 1: Danica Keepper, Bill Hanson Community College Scholarship; Lynna Thai, Qualcomm STEM Scholarship; Jade MacEoghain, John Bessemer Memorial Scholarship; Leslie Pagel, Gary A. Marcus Scholarship for the Fine & Applied Arts; Buu Phuong Duong, Personal Achievement Scholarship; Diana Salazar, Jeffrey Shorn & Charles Kaminski Scholarship-Architecture; Reese Cormier, Qualcomm STEM Scholarship; Mace Viemeister, M. Lynne Austin Memorial Scholarship.

Row 2: Junye Ma, Kendall Family Memorial Scholarship; Anthony Wilson, Raytheon STEM Scholarship; Austin Carter, Raytheon STEM Scholarship; Homero Vazquez, Bill Hanson Community College Scholarship; Julio Quinones, We Believe in You Award; Zoe Geller-Alford, Stephen G. Bowersox Memorial Scholarship; Diego Paz, Daniel J. Ferbal Memorial Scholarship; Alexis Lopez-Rodriquez, Rob Benzon Memorial Scholarship; Alejandro Sanchez Flores, Jeffrey Shorn & Charles Kaminski Scholarship; Derrick Herrera, Mary Wagner Memorial Scholarship. Not pictured: Shelby Warren, Sycuan Merit Scholarship; Charlie Sikchi, Sue Osborne Memorial Scholarship; Ed Urgiles, Personal Achievement Scholarship.

The 2023 Scholarship Committee: Lonnie Brunini; Theresa Burke; Ina Price; Jackie Trischman; Co-chair, Sherry Cohen-Richards; Terrie Vorono; Co-chair, Donna Gray-Bowersox; Jim Bowersox; Christian Mauricio; Joe Wahl.

From the Rob Benzon/Dan Ferbal Foundation: Steve Hawley, Diego Paz, Alexis Lopez-Rodriquez, Madeleine Ferbal, John Dillon.

Shelby Warren accepting her award via Zoom. Shelby is in Baltimore finishing up her Master of Science degree in Health Care Management before returning to UCSD to begin her 4^th year of medical school.

And Where Would We Be Without Our Scholarship Donors?

There aren’t enough words of appreciation to thank our 2023 scholarship donors:

Rob Benzon/Dan Ferbal Foundation
Qualcomm
Raytheon Technologies
Sycuan
Donna & Jim Bowersox
Marilyn & Art Carpenter
Ray & Jan Aller
Bill Hanson
Gary Marcus
Charles S. Kaminski
Terrie Vorono & Lonnie Brunini
PFLAG San Diego County

AND OUR TABLE SPONSORS…

With gratitude to those groups and individuals who sponsored tables for the Launching Leaders Luncheon:

Thank You To Our Donors!

Thanks to the following individuals who donated to PFLAG SDC this past month:

Kelley Alexander
Michael Archer
Marci Bair
Bryant Braley
Lonnie Brunini
Theresa Burke
Nancy Colbert
Anna Covici
Lisa Davey
Gail Folkman
Elayne Fowler
Kenneth Fuller
Jan Garbosky
Robert Gleason
Donna Gray-Bowersox
William Hanson
Charles Kaminski
Linda Kent
Pat Libby
Davi Milroy
Elizabeth Papineau
Scott Peters
E Irene Segade
Frank Stefano
Maureen Steiner
Lena Rus
Catherine Thiemann
Jay & Jackie Trischman
Terrie Voroono
Michael Wasilewski
Christine Welsch
Christynne Wood

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
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+.