Diversionary Theatre, a theatre company dedicated to doing plays and musicals with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender themes, will hold an audition workshop for young people on Sunday, Aug. 26 from 2-6 p.m. in preparation for auditions for “The Daddy Machine” on Sept. 17. Commissioned by Diversionary Theatre, “The Daddy Machine” will hold its world premiere in January 2008. Local playwright Patricia Loughrey is writing the book and local composer Rayme Sciaroni is writing music and lyrics. This family-friendly show will be co-directed by Siobhan Sullivan and Sciaroni.

This free workshop, led by Sciaroni and Sullivan, will focus on the audition process, using the script and songs from “The Daddy Machine” as tools for the participants. The workshop is open to boys ages 8-12 (or who can play this age) and girls ages 10-16 (who can play 10-14). Parents are invited to attend the first 15 minutes of the audition for an orientation, but will be asked to leave the audition workshop once it begins. Scripts of “The Daddy Machine” will be available for parents to read that afternoon. The two children in the show (one boy and one girl) are the children of two lesbian moms. Parents and children attending the workshop and auditions should be comfortable with Diversionary’s mission. The theater company will be double casting the two children for the production.

For the audition workshop, young people should bring a picture and resume. If participants do not have these items, the instructors will be providing instruction on how to put these items together. Participants should also bring a cassette recorder and blank tape which will be valuable tools to learn the music for the September audition. Finally, children should dress comfortably for a dance audition.

For more information call 619-220-0097 or e-mail tguss@diversionary.org.

Family Matters, San Diego’s GLBT parenting group, will hold its annual summer barbecue on Sunday, Sept. 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will be held at the Trolley Barn Park in University Heights.

The event will include unlimited playtime on jumps and slides, kids karaoke and face painting as well as social time for adults. Musical entertainment, along with the karaoke, will be provided by Laura Jane. Everyone is encouraged to bring their extended families and friends – gay, straight, young, or old.

Lunch is $10 per person, and kids under the age of five are free. The lunch menu will include hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, chips, salad, desert, and drinks.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.thecentersd.org/familyBBQ or by contacting Marci Bair at mbair@thecentersd.org.

The next “Guys, Games & Grub” event will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 5 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at The Center. This free event is open to all men ages 21 and older and is presented by The Center’s Men’s Advisory Committee. For more information, contact Ken St. Pierre at 619-692-2077, ext. 104 or via e-mail at ken@thecentersd.org. The Center is located at 3909 Centre St in Hillcrest.

The San Diego Human Dignity Foundation, whose mission is to improve the quality of life within San Diego’s GLBT community by promoting responsible philanthropy to enact positive social change, has started selling tickets for its annual boat cruise Sunday, Sept. 23.

The cruise will sail through San Diego Bay while guests enjoy a brunch buffet and mingle aboard San Diego Harbor Excursion’s newest and most deluxe ship, the “California Spirit.”

The boat cruise honors the individuals and organizations that have set up funds with the foundation to benefit the GLBT community, those who have joined the Foundation’s Legacy Society by including the foundation in their estate plans, and those who have joined the Foundation Club, which underwrites the group’s operations.

The cruise will board from 11:30 a.m. to noon from the South Broadway Pier at 1050 N. Harbor Dr., and will cruise the bay from noon to 2 p.m. Through Sept. 16, tickets are $95, and last-minute tickets are $105. Tickets may be purchased by calling 619-291-3383, or purchased online at www.sdhdf.org/annualboatcruise. Also, several boat cruise sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information call 619-291-3383.

The Stonewall Young Democrats of San Diego, a group of gay-friendly young people under age 36 dedicated to progressive liberal values, advocacy of political candidates and issues, and inspiring political action in people of all ages, will hold its September monthly meeting on Thurs., Sept. 13. The meeting will run from 6:30-8:30 p.m., and will be held at The Bamboo Lounge at 1475 University Ave. in Hillcrest.

Those who want to the join the fight for equality or learn more about the group are highly encouraged to attend the meeting. Membership information will be available. The meeting will also include free appetizers, guest speakers and a chance to meet other GLBT youth.

For more information contact the group’s president, Brandon Tate, at 619-840-5613 or via e-mail at brandonsttate@gmail.com.

The University of California San Diego LGBT Resource Center presents its annual Q-Camp, an orientation to the UCSD GLBT community for incoming students. This year’s event will take place on Sept. 26, 2007 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the school’s Cross Cultural Center.

Q-Camp will acquaint incoming students with the organizations that are LGBTQI specific on campus; help students make connections with their fellow students who may be experiencing similar situations as LGBTQI incoming students; allow students to get connected with the resources on campus (including the LGBT Resource Center) as well as off campus; orient students to the local area in LGBTQI terms; introduce students to the academic LGBTQI life at UCSD; and give students an opportunity to ask questions about UCSD LGBTQI life.

For more information or to register for the event, visit lgbt.ucsd.edu/qcamp.

The San Diego LGBT Community Center (The Center) has announced that the September LGBT Community Coalition Breakfast will feature U.S. Representative Susan Davis. The LGBT Community Coalition Breakfast will take place on Friday, Sept. 21 from 7:30-9 a.m. at The Center, 3909 Centre St.

Congressmember Davis will provide an “Update from Washington,” including information on Congressional efforts on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the federal hate crimes bill.

Davis represents California’s 53rd Congressional District, and has earned a reputation as a bipartisan consensus builder. She serves on the House Armed Services Committee and is chair of its Subcommittee on Military Personnel. Davis also sits on the House Education and Labor Committee and the House Administration Committee. She has spent her time in Congress focusing on issues of defense, education, election reform, the environment, health care and veteran’s affairs.

Davis has a 100 percent lifetime voting record with the Human Rights Campaign. She is a co-sponsor of legislation to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” end workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, allow Americans to sponsor their domestic partner for immigration purposes and create federal protections for victims of hate crimes based on sexual orientation. For many years, she has participated in numerous San Diego LGBT community events, including Pride, The Center’s Gala and AIDS Walk San Diego.

She obtained her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California at Berkley and her master’s degree in social work from the University of North Carolina. San Diego residents since 1972, Davis and her husband, Steve, are the parents of two sons and have two grandchildren.

The Community Coalition Breakfast takes place the third Friday of each month. Its mission is to bring together fair-minded individuals to network, educate and discuss diverse issues of concern to LGBT and allied neighbors and citizens of San Diego. A full breakfast is available for a $10 donation; coffee and tea are complimentary. RSVPs are not required. ASL interpretation will be provided upon request, and must be sent to Jenn Jones at jjones@thecentersd.org at least seven working days before the event.

The LGBT Community Coalition Breakfast is sponsored by Wells Fargo, the Gay & Lesbian Times and San Diego LGBT Pride.

San Diego County’s largest volunteer event will return on Saturday, Sept. 15, from 9 a.m. to noon.

San Diego Coastkeeper and I Love A Clean San Diego are hosting the 23rd Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. Participants will get to play a role in keeping the ocean, coastlines and waterways clean and free of debris.

California Coastal Cleanup Day is a major part of an international cleanup program that includes all 50 states and almost 100 countries, making it one of the world’s largest volunteer events.

Last year, 5,850 volunteers participated in the cleanup at 63 coastal and inland sites, removing 196,966 pounds of trash and recyclables from San Diego County and Baja California beaches. This event is a great way for the community to help restore our beaches and waterways, and learn how individual action can make a tremendous difference to our natural resources.

There are more than 60 sites throughout the county that will be cleaned and need volunteers. Site captain positions are also available. Visit www.cleanupday.org for more information and to register to volunteer.

Volunteer San Diego, along with thousands of fellow volunteers, is gearing up for the annual Hands On San Diego event. The purpose of the weeklong community service event, held Sept. 22-30, is to empower individuals to make their communities stronger. Participants are encouraged to select from one of the more than 100 community service projects identified on Volunteer San Diego’s Web site. The types of projects available include helping children learn to read, meal delivery to homebound senior citizens, planting a community garden, food/clothing collection drives, and community beautification projects such as mural painting and beach cleanups. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome.

Interested volunteers should visit www.volunteersandiego.org to register and select a project. Questions may be directed to hosd@volunteersandiego.org or 858-636-4131.