Friend, can you believe fall is almost here? (I know, I know, we are in the middle of a heatwave.) But September means back to school, the annual San Diego AIDS Walk and Run, another meeting of the PFLAG SDC Book Club, and now, FilmOUT is back! Check out these and the other local offerings below. We also hope to see you drawing your heart out at Tiger’s Pictionary this month as a FUNraiser for PFLAG SDC. Your donations and memberships help keep us running and serving the LGBTQIA+ community.
(Spot lights vector created by pikisuperstar)
Are You Ready to Extend Your Leadership Skills and Expand Your Volunteerism in the LGBTQ+ Community?
PFLAG San Diego County is seeking a president to join our executive team of 3 and 7 members-at-large to create a positive thriving culture as we further our mission of Support, Education, & Advocacy.
Interested Parties may contact Admin@pflag.com
🎞 Don’t Miss FilmOUT! 🎬
San Diego FilmOut 2022 will be bringing the best in LGBTQ+ and cult genre films to San Diego September 8-11.
The mission of FilmOut San Diego is to enlighten, educate, and entertain the communities of San Diego County and beyond through the exhibition of LGBTQ themed films which recognizes, promotes, celebrates, and supports the important diverse artistic contributions LGBTQ filmmakers and others make to our community.
View lineup and buy tickets at https://filmoutsandiego.com
Come Walk with Us
Please join PFLAG San Diego County, San Diego Pride, TransFamily Support Services and other LGBTQ+ groups as we march in the Poway Rotary Parade on September 10. The time is 8:30-noon, meeting place TBD. The info will be on PFLAG SDC’s Facebook page when available. Poway is a conservative city; our presence and numbers are important. For updates, please contact admin@pflag.com.
Back-to-School Survival Guide 🚌
Pride Youth Collective will meet IN-PERSON on Saturday, September 10 from 11:00 am-2:00 pm at the San Diego Pride office, 3630 30th Street in North Park. Joining the Collective will be folks from San Diego Unified School District’s Youth Advocacy Department. They will be sharing strategies to navigate school and administration for LGBTQ+ youth. One of their Youth Ambassadors will be sharing from their experiences, as well.
Refreshments will be provided. There will also be chill time for general hanging out/kicking it.
Please RSVP: https://form.jotform.com/222295902293963
🙋 USD School of Law is Here to Help
The Law School at USD has a Name and Gender-Marker Change Clinic that is virtual and free. They help transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming adults and minors legally change their name and/or gender in California. Upcoming clinic dates are September 13, October 11, and November 15 and appointments can be scheduled at 6:30 pm, 7:00 pm, or 7:30 pm. Email: transclinic.sandiego@gmail.com to schedule an appointment or for more information.
Tiger’s Pictionary Benefit Fundraiser For PFLAG SDC
Join us Tuesday, September 20, 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 11 years, Tiger’s Pictionary has raised over $100,000, and September 20th is PFLAG San Diego County’s night!
Can you 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 any questions, please email admin@pflag.com. We hope to see you there!
👟 It’s Yellow Sneaker Time! Sign Up for AIDS Walk San Diego
Put on your sneakers and get geared up to walk with PFLAG SDC on Saturday, September 24 for the 33rd annual AIDS Walk San Diego. This event, sponsored by the LGBT Center, is San Diego’s largest one-day HIV/AIDS fundraiser and the biggest non-governmental financial provider for HIV/AIDS in San Diego County. Dozens of agencies, serving thousands of clients, rely on funds raised at the annual Walk to help provide essential prevention and care programs to thousands of men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS.
The festivities begin at 8:00 am, which includes opening ceremony, live musical performances, recognition of top teams and fundraisers, T-shirt distribution, a remembrance altar, and remarks from our most committed community leaders. The Walk begins at Normal Street and University Avenue at approximately 8:30 a.m. Look for us at the PFLAG SDC table.
PFLAG San Diego County is registered; we just need you to sign up. As of the end of August, there are only two (dos, deux, zwei, צוויי, dýo) people signed up. Register at www.aidswalksd.org (or the button below), click on Register, Join a Team, fill in PFLAG San Diego County, and you are ready to register! Registration fees have been reduced. Youth, seniors, and virtual walkers are $30 and adults are $40. There is also a place to make a donation if you wish and fundraising ideas. Any participant who raises $100+, which includes the registration fee, will receive an AIDS Walk and Run t-shirt.
Our goal is $1,000 or 10 registered participants which will enable us, again, to walk with our prestigious yellow sneaker.
For questions, please contact admin@pflag.com.
📚 PFLAG SDC Book Club
The next selection for the PFLAG SDC Book Club will be ACE: What Asexuality Reveals about Desire, Sexuality, and the Meaning of Sex. We’ll meet Tuesday, September 27, 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.
Asexuality is a less-represented and often misunderstood aspect of the sexuality spectrum, so we’re excited to offer this opportunity to understand more about our asexual community members. You can find a half-hour interview with author Angela Chen from PFLAG National’s Something to Talk About..Live series at https://youtu.be/S8jdqBjz-HM
If you buy the book on Amazon, be sure to sign up for Amazon Smile first (see how at the end of the newsletter) so your purchase benefits PFLAG SDC. If you’re more of an indie bookstore person, you can find it on Louise’s Bookshop.org shop (proceeds will benefit Strong-Hearted Native Women’s Coalition as well as indie bookstores) or you can request it at any local bookstore or library. If audiobooks are more your thing, check out the indie-supporting Libro.com.
Get Jazzy With The North County LGBT Center 🎷
Support the North County LGBT Center 15th Annual Gala. It will be held on Saturday, October 8 from 5:00-9:00 pm. The event is outdoors at the El Corazon Senior Center, 3302 Senior Center Drive in Oceanside.
The Center really showed up for our community before and during this pandemic. The weight of this year’s gala is more solemn because we reflect on The Center’s first decade of impact in North County where our services and capacity have increased exponentially.
They have been there not only to support youth, seniors, the unhoused, and those that survived violence, abuse and crimes, but to hold space for our community and begin a journey, together, of recovery, healing but also empowerment and advocacy to protect and extend our Civil Rights.
Food and the main stage performances are included in the ticket price. Wine and beer are for purchase. Early bird ticket prices are $125 until September 10. After the 10th, tickets are $175. To purchase: https://www.ncresourcecenter.org/
🏳️⚧️ Transgender Health And Wellness News
The Transgender Health and Wellness Center- San Diego would like to invite you all to its weekly and recurring Trans and Nonbinary Tuesday evening social. They meet from 6-7:30 pm at Fair@44: 4350 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego. They are partnering with The Boulevard Business Improvement Association in City Heights. This is an intentionally cultivated safe space for the gender diverse and intersex community and would like to center their stories and successes. This event is open to trusted stakeholders, partner(s), chosen family, youth, and kin.
If you would like more information about this recurring event, or would like to become a monthly sponsor, please contact Naya Marie Velazco (she/her), Director of Programs at naya@trans.org.
We hope this graphic guide to using they/them pronouns is helpful. For a fun way to practice using different pronouns, try the interactive Pronouns Practice Game at https://www.minus18.org.au/pronouns/
South Bay Showed Its Pride 🌈
PFLAG SDC was happy to participate in this year’s South Bay Pride. It was great being by the Bay, listening to lively music, and seeing many familiar faces. Vendors were selling their creative wares and there was lots of dancing goin’ on! Thank you to booth volunteers Terrie Vorono, Bill Luna, Vicki Luna, Elizabeth Santillanez, Fernan Balsalubre, Simone Scano, and Sherry Cohen-Richards. Not pictured is 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.
Your membership is important to us – it allows us to offer monthly support group meetings at multiple locations across the county, to provide complimentary educational brochures, to participate in fairs, parades, tabling events throughout the county to spread our message, to have a website, information phone line, newsletter, and to attend LGBTQ+ conferences and conventions to strengthen our presence in the community at resource fairs, Pride events, and community fairs and festivals and to have our voices heard. If you’re not a member yet, please join using the button below! 👍
😍 Thank You To Our Donors! 😍
Thanks to the following individuals who donated to PFLAG SDC this past month:
Kathy Cien-Mayer
Marc Harden
Carole Manges
Susan Randerson
And 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!
Anna Covici
Lonnie Brunini
Maureen Steiner
Michael Wasilewski
Support Groups
❗️Note: some support group information has changed since last month
Support groups will continue to meet virtually until further notice. 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.
Do You Shop On Amazon?
If you have an account with Amazon, you can help our chapter every time you shop. Go to smile.Amazon.com and search for PFLAG San Diego County. For every purchase, our chapter will receive .05% of the dollar amount of the order. This may not sound like a lot, but it adds up. So turn your Amazon habit into support for PFLAG!
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+.
