The San Diego LGBT Community Center has announced that Mattheus E. Stephens, Esq., will join its board of directors. Stephens is a partner in the San Diego law firm Stock Stephens, LLP.

Specializing in general civil litigation, Stephens focuses on employment issues, civil rights claims and domestic partner dissolutions. He also serves as a lecturer at the University Of California, San Diego (UCSD), where he teaches three different law-based courses on equality, sexuality and reproductive rights.

Stephens is a former co-president for the Tom Homann Law Association, former chair of the city of San Diego’s Human Relations Commission, and a former member of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties’ board of directors. He has also been a panelist on transgender issues at the San Diego County Bar Association, UCSD and Scripps Mercy Hospital.

“We are thrilled to have the knowledge, commitment and expertise of Matt Stephens as part of The Center’s board of directors,” said Richard Valdez, chair of the board. “Matt brings incredible energy and passion to the fight for full equality and to The Center’s mission to serve our entire San Diego LGBT community in all its diversity.”

Stephens has received numerous awards, including recognition for outstanding service from the San Diego County Bar Association, the distinguished pro bono service award from the San Diego Volunteer Lawyers Program and Champion of San Diego LGBT Pride for working to defeat the Knight Initiative in 2000. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law in 1990.

The San Diego Human Dignity Foundation is pleased to request proposals for its inaugural grants cycle of funds from the foundation’s general endowment. In this inaugural cycle, the foundation will grant up to $38,000 to local non-profit organizations that serve San Diego’s GLBT community.

The foundation was established in 1996 with a mission to improve the quality of life within San Diego’s GLBT community by promoting responsible philanthropy to enact positive social change. The foundation addresses such issues as aging, arts and culture, civil rights, education, and health and human services for the GLBT community.

The purpose of the 2007-2008 grant cycle is to strengthen the capacity of organizations that serve San Diego’s GLBT communities by providing: general operating grants for organizations whose primary mission is to serve and/or promote GLBT communities; project grants for organizations with broader missions but with projects that specifically benefit GLBT communities; and capacity-building grants for organizations whose primary mission is to serve and/or promote GLBT communities.

The foundation will host a workshop for prospective grant applicants on Tuesday, July 17, 2007, from 10 a.m. to noon at the San Diego LGBT Community Center. The foundation will review the request for proposals and answer questions from prospective applicants at the workshop. Individuals interested in attending the workshop should RSVP by e-mail to info@sdhdf.org or by calling 619-291-3383.

The deadline for submitting grant applications is Aug. 31, 2007. For more information and to download the 2007-2008 grant cycle RFP, please visit http://www.sdhdf.org/grantsapplicat/index.html

Andrew Printer, a local photographer and artist, will be conducting an interactive photo event at the San Diego Pride festival on Saturday, July 21, and Sunday, July 22. The event will take place on the lower loop of Balboa Park’s Marston Point during Pride weekend from approximately noon to 6 p.m.

Anyone who identifies as gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, queer, questioning or other is encouraged to seek out the lights and camera beside a seven-foot, carnival-like structure that will be used for the free project. No prior modeling experience is required.

The theme of Printer’s project, “Pride, USA,” is to compare and contrast the evolving variations of the “all-American LGBT Family” using festival attendees as models. Singles, couples, groups and families are encouraged to take part in the project.

“If you have ever wanted to have your face exhibited in a gallery, then this is your time to shine,” Printer said.

Although the project is in its early stages, it has been designed for public exhibition at local, national and international galleries. Participants will be required to sign model release forms, and an authorized guardian must accompany those under the age of 18.

“With our concentrated effort to promote arts and culture programs in our community during Pride month, we are especially pleased to have Andrew participating in and capturing our community through his lens. Providing this interactive project is a creative and fun method of documenting the Pride experience,” said Ron deHarte, executive director of San Diego Pride.

Printer is an artist living in San Diego. His work has appeared locally at venues including Limbo Gallery in Hillcrest and the San Diego Art Institute. His recent works draw upon the traditions of still and moving imagery to comment on current GLBT identity and popular representations of gay men. His “Tomorrowland” installation has won awards in Europe, been profiled in Czech publications and has been showcased at galleries in Glasgow, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco.

Calif. Senator Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, honored California cable and telecommunication companies June 28 for their work to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS through a program called “Cable Positive.”

“Television is a powerful medium for spreading a message of support and awareness, and through the generosity of cable and telecommunication companies, millions of Californians have educated themselves about HIV/AIDS prevention,” Kehoe said.

During a capitol ceremony, Kehoe, along with Assemblymember Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, presented a resolution honoring Cable Positive to Dennis Mangers, the president of the California Cable and Telecommunications Association. Mangers raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Center for AIDS Research, Education and Service in Sacramento, and served as board president of Cable Positive in 2001.

Since its founding in 1992, Cable Positive has contributed nearly $18 million to HIV/AIDS prevention, education and care programs, and donated more than $1 billion in airtime for public service announcements. Partner companies include Charter, Comcast, Cox and Time Warner.

An estimated 151,000 Californians are living with HIV/AIDS, and more than 82,000 Californians have died from AIDS since 1981.

The Greater San Diego Business Association will hold its annual Pride mixer from 5:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 19, at Bourbon Street, located at 4612 Park Blvd. The event will feature cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, door prizes and raffles, plus a live performance by Ashley Matte.

“This is one of our biggest mixers of the year because everyone is already in Pride mode,” said Joyce Marieb, executive director of the GSDBA.

The organization will then take part in the Pride parade on July 21 with a double-decker, British-style bus and an informational booth at the two-day festival.

The mixer is sponsored by Michael Mack of Bourbon Street. Admission is $10 for GSDBA members and $15 for guests, which includes food and the first drink free. For more information about GSDBA events and memberships, call 619-296-4543 or visit the Web site at www.gsdba.org.

As part of their monthly presentation series, San Diego’s chapter of PFLAG will host members of the Clairemont High School Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at the July 23 meeting. This high school organization was created on the Clairemont campus by students who saw a need for a group of this type. The club’s faculty advisors, Simone Taylor and Bobby Caughey, along with the student board members, will speak to the group about the projects and activities they have done on the campus. A student member of the club will also read a letter he wrote to school staff emphasizing the importance of faculty/staff involvement in maintaining a safe learning environment.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and will be held at the First Unitarian Universalist Church located at 4190 Front St. in Hillcrest. A cookie social and support groups will follow the presentation.

PFLAG San Diego also hosts monthly meetings in Carlsbad and in Lakeside. For more information, check out PFLAG San Diego’s web site at www.pflag.com.

Don’t miss the most exclusive event of San Diego Pride! MyPartnerPerfect.com and BuzzClothing.com present “Pride with a Purpose,” an official San Diego Pride event benefiting the Youth Housing Project on Friday, July 20, from 4-7 p.m. at the Beach Bar of the W Hotel San Diego. The event includes a hosted bar and raffle with items provided by BuzzClothing.com, Design Within Reach, the W Hotel, MyPartnerPerfect.com, Tag, San Diego Pride and more.

Tickets are limited and available for presale only at www.mypartnerperfect.com/pride.html.