¡La fiesta de Frida Kahlo que se llevo acabo en el Centro fue un gran éxito! Asistieron mas de 300 personas y nos la pasamos bailando al sonido del conjunto Trece De La Suerte y música de DJ Klaus. También escuchamos Mariachi de Jaime Limón y comimos ricos tacos de Baja Betty’s. Gracias a todos que nos acompañaron y a los patrocinadores Wells Fargo, Imperial Court de San Diego, Bacchus House, Gay & Lesbian Times, San Diego LGBT Pride, Park Boulevard Pharmacy, Pioneer Pharmacy, y también, Andrea Villa, Benjamin F. Dillingham, Tom Faulkner, Bob Lehman, Gracia Molina de Pick, Larry Baza and Tom Noel. Gracias a todos los que cooperaron y asistieron a esta gran pachanga.

The birthday celebration for Frida Kahlo recently held at The Center was a great success. More than 300 people attended and wished Frida a happy 100th birthday. We celebrated by dancing to music played by the 13-piece salsa band Trece De La Suerte and spun by DJ Klaus. We also enjoyed mariachi music by Jaime Limon, as well as tasty tacos from Baja Betty’s. Thank you to everyone who joined us and those who volunteered. A big thank you goes out to the sponsors who made this very special event possible, including Wells Fargo, the Imperial Court de San Diego, Bacchus House, Gay & Lesbian Times, San Diego LGBT Pride, Park Boulevard Pharmacy, Pioneer Pharmacy, along with Andrea Villa, Benjamin F. Dillingham, Tom Faulkner, Bob Lehman, Gracia Molina de Pick, Larry Baza and Tom Noel.

La reunión de la comunidad sobre inmigración que se llevo acabo el 27 de Junio fue un gran excito e informativo. Varios presentadores nos educaron sobre diferentes aspectos de la inmigración y nos dieron información sobre lo que esta pasando con inmigración aquí en San Diego. La licenciada Lilia Velásquez nos hablo sobre las leyes, lo que esta pasando en Washington, D.C. El Señor Enrique Morones el fundador de Border Angels nos hablo sobre sus esfuerzos para salvar las vidas de los que cruzan la frontera, especialmente por el desierto y la reverenda canon Mary Moreno Richardson de la Iglesia Episcopal nos hablo sobre los aspectos humanitarios de este tema complicado. ¡Mil gracias a todos que participaron!

The town hall meeting on immigration issues that took place on June 27 was very informative and a great success. Various presenters educated those in attendance on the many aspects surrounding immigration issues. They also gave specific updates on what is happening here in San Diego. Lilia Velasquez, an immigration attorney and professor of law, spoke about the current laws and gave an update about what is happening in Washington, D.C. Enriques Morones, founder of Border Angels, spoke about his continuing efforts to save the lives of those people crossing the border, especially in the desert areas. Rev. Canon Mary Moreno Richardson from St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral spoke about the humanitarian aspects of this very complicated issue. Thank you to all who participated.

Es importante apoyar los negocios de nuestra comunidad GLBT y los de nuestra gente Latina .En North Park hay un lugarcito que se llama The Rubber Rose que esta ubicada en Ray Street en North Park. Son el único negocio en San Diego de juguetes de placer sexuales que tiene una dueña que se identifica como GLBT/mujer-/feminista. También ofrecen un espacio comunitario para aprender, crecer y celebrar. Desean en algún día, ofrecer talleres, presentaciones, y grupos de apoyo para diferentes comunidades. Tratan solamente ofrecer juguetes sexuales que son buenos para nuestros cuerpos, y de buena calidad. No hay nada peor que un juguete quebrado!

It’s very important to support Latino-owned businesses, especially GLBT Latino-owned businesses. The Rubber Rose, a cool little shop located on Ray Street in North Park, is the only queer/woman/feminist-owned sex-toy shop in town. It also offers a community space for people to learn, grow and celebrate together. The owners hope to some day offer workshops, presentations and support groups for a variety of communities. They do their best to only carry toys that are made out of the healthiest materials for our bodies and those that are the highest quality. After all, there’s nothing worse than having your toys break while on the job!

Este mes San Diego cumple 33 de celebrando Pride, o sea la celebración del orgullo GLBT. No te pierdas esta oportunidad para festejar con mas de 150, 000 personas y no te olvides por que es que celebramos. Sabias que los festejos del orgullo GLBT pasaron por las manifestaciones de Stonewall en Nueva York durantes los fines años 60? La comunidad GLBT de esa época se había cansado de la discriminación que sufrían a las manos de la policía y de otros, y decidió manifestarse. Una de las principales manifestantes (y quizás la que comenzó todo) era una joven transgenera Latina llamada Sylvia Rivera. Es importante saber porque celebramos y también saber que los Latinos tienen un lugar muy importante en la historia GLBT. Que tengan un feliz Pride!

This month, San Diego will host the 33rd annual Pride celebration. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to party with more than 150,000 people, but also remember why we are celebrating. Did you know that Pride festivities came about because of the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York? The riots took place because the GLBT community was fed up with the constant homophobia and transphobia they encountered with police and others. One of the main protesters, and possibly the one who started the riot, was a young transgender woman named Sylvia Rivera, who later became an activist because of this event. It’s important to know why we celebrate, and to know that Latinos have a very prominent place in GLBT history. Happy Pride!

Andrea Villa

Andrea Villa pertenece a la mesa directiva del Center y es la presidenta del San Diego Democratic Club y en los anos anteriores era parte de la mesa directiva de San Diego LGBT Pride. Andrea también forma parte del Comité de Los Servicios Latinos. Gracias Andrea por todo lo que haces por nuestra comunidad!

Andrea Villa

Andrea Villa sits on The Center’s board of directors and is also the president of the San Diego Democratic Club. She has also served as a board member for San Diego LGBT Pride in past years. Additionally, Andrea serves on the board for the Latino Services Program at The Center. Thank you, Andrea, for all that you do for our community!