Two years ago, City Commissioner Nicole Murray-Ramirez made history with his election as the first openly gay man to be elected chair of the City of San Diego’s Human Relations Commission (HRC). Last week, Murray-Ramirez again made history, elected to an unprecedented third term as the HRC chair.

Murray-Ramirez, a GLBT and Latino rights activist for more than 40 years, has served and advised San Diego’s last five mayors. Murray-Ramirez was elected chair of the first GLBT advisory board to the mayor, and chair of the first GLBT advisory board to the police chief. He was also the first, and remains the only, GLBT San Diegan elected twice as state chair of Equality California.

“In these days of lynching and nooses appearing in our high schools, attacks on our immigrants and rises in hate crimes against the GLBT community, as well as prejudice against Muslims, Arabs and Asians and religious prejudice, the work of the city’s Human Relations Commission is more important than ever,” Murray-Ramirez said. “I am honored to chair a commission of such outstanding and diverse citizens and civic leaders of San Diego.”

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors appointed Murray-Ramirez to its regional task force on AIDS, and he was elected to its AIDS Minority Task Force. He has been elected to numerous national, state and local boards for Latino and GLBT civil rights organizations, including the HRC, the National Latino/Latina Gay Lesbian Organization and The National AIDS Trust, all headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Murray-Ramirez was also a recipient of the Cesar Chavez Humanitarian Award (presented by Cesar’s widow Helen Chavez), a lifetime achievement award presented by the Latino Unity Coalition, and a lifetime achievement award by the Asian Pacific Islander Community. Also, as a co-founder of San Diego LGBT Pride, the LGBT Pride board of directors presented Murray-Ramirez with a lifetime achievement award and named him grand marshal of the 30th anniversary Pride Parade. Murray-Ramirez also has GLBT student scholarship programs in San Diego (established in 1979) and Los Angeles (established in 1999).

Murray-Ramirez is the only gay activist in the nation to be elected to the national executive boards of the four national GLBT marches on Washington, and was the national co-chair of the 2000 march on Washington. He was also elected a national co-chair of the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, “Stonewall 25.” The event drew nearly one million people to Central Park in New York City.

The San Diego LGBT Community Center’s Marriage Equality and Education Project will hold a Freedom to Marry Engagement at San Diego State University. This event is part of the “Get Engaged by Valentine’s Day!” campaign, designed to open hearts and minds of San Diegans to support the freedom to marry. The SDSU engagement will be held on Thursday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. in the Aztec Center’s Presidential Suite. This engagement is sponsored by the school’s LGBT Resource Center.

The engagements will promote “Let California Ring,” a public education campaign working to create a California where two people in a committed, trusting and loving relationship deserve the recognition and respect that only comes with marriage.

The event is free and open to the public. The Aztec Center is located off Interstate 8 at the College Avenue exit on the San Diego State University campus. Directions will be posted online at www.PrideAtState.org.

For more information, contact Kristi Shaw, Marriage Equality and Education Project coordinator at 619-692-2077, ext. 206 or kshaw@thecentersd.org.

The San Diego Men’s Chorus, the region’s oldest GLBT arts organization, announced its first performance of the 2008 season will feature Tony-nominated actress and singer Sharon McNight, who appeared as Diva Mother in the 1989 run of Starmites on Broadway. She was nominated that year for Best Actress in a Musical, and won the Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut.

This year’s second annual Valentine cabaret show, entitled “Somebody to Love,” will feature the individual chorus members, as well as a finale by the entire 55-member chorus. McNight will perform several of her signature pieces.

In addition to her role on Broadway, McNight has also performed regionally and nationally in productions of Nunsense, Hello, Dolly and Betty, Betty, Bette, which celebrates the lives of Betty Grable, Betty Hutton, and Bette Davis. McNight is popular on the cabaret scene in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and has won six San Francisco Cabaret Gold Awards. She has released six solo albums, including Songs to Offend Almost Everyone, and Offensive, Too – Volume Two.

McNight was featured in Randy Shilts’ book And the Band Played On for her work as a pioneer in the AIDS crisis, and was the second straight woman ever chosen as Grand Marshal of the San Francisco Pride Parade.

“Somebody to Love” will take place on Sunday, Feb. 10 at the Park Manor Suites rooftop lounge located at Fifth Avenue and Spruce Street in Hillcrest. There will be two performances of the show–one at 6 p.m., followed by another at 8:15 p.m. A cash bar will be available, and complimentary hors d’oeuvres are included.

Tickets are available now on the Chorus Web site at www.sdmc.org or by calling 619-296-SONG. There is a discount available for couples.

The Public Policy Department of The San Diego LGBT Community Center will host a special dinner and discussion on hate incidents and hate crimes on Tuesday, Jan. 29. This free event, which includes dinner, will take place from 6-7:30 p.m. at The Center.

According to Caroline Dessert, coordinator of The Center’s Public Policy Department, this will be an opportunity to discuss the difference between hate crimes and hate incidents, and encourage community safety and reporting practices. Lt. Carolyn Kendrick, the San Diego Police Department’s LGBT community liaison, will also speak. Other topics will include the federal Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, the FBI’s hate crimes reports and local hate incidents and crimes.

The Center is located at 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest.

RSVPs are encouraged but not required. For more information about this event, contact Dessert at 619-692-2077, ext. 111 or cdessert@thecentersd.org.

The Center will again organize Dining Out For Life, a fund-raiser for The Center’s HIV/AIDS services and programs. The one-night dining event is scheduled for Thursday, April 24.

“Last year’s event was so successful because of the incredible generosity of our local businesses and all those people who made a commitment to dine out in support of this important fund-raiser,” said Donnie Luehring, The Center’s Dining Out For Life event manager. “This year, we already have a record number of businesses signed up to participate. We believe this event will grow and further strengthen The Center’s critical HIV/AIDS services and prevention programs. With more and more people living with HIV, this event will make a difference in the lives of many San Diegans.”

Restaurants that have already committed to serve as Dining Out For Life participants include Baja Betty’s, Bamboo Lounge, Bambu Bistro, Bite Modern California Bistro, Boathouse Restaurant, The Brass Rail Nightclub & Lounge, Brian’s American Eatery, Cafe 2121, Cafe Eleven, Cafe on Park, California Cuisine, The Caliph Piano Lounge, Crest Cafe, DiMille’s Italian Restaurant, Dish, Gulf Coast Grill, Hawthorn’s Restaurant Lounge, Kemo Sabe, Lei Back Cafe, Lei Lounge, Lucky Buck’s Patio Bar & Grill, Martinis Above Fourth, The Mission East Village, The Mission Mission Beach, The Mission North Park, Ole Madrid, Parkhouse Eatery, Pecs, Ponce’s Mexican Restaurant, Redwing Bar, Santos Coffee House, Taste of Italy Hillcrest, TDeli and Urban Mo’s. Additional participants will be announced in the coming weeks.

The community can participate by dining out for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner at select local restaurants on Thursday, Apr. 24. Local businesses will donate a minimum of 25 percent of their food and liquor sales that day to benefit HIV/AIDS services and prevention programs. All funds raised locally will stay in San Diego, benefiting The Center’s HIV/AIDS services and prevention programs.

Each year, more than 2,500 restaurants in more than 40 cities throughout the United States and Canada donate a portion of their proceeds from this one designated day to the licensed agencies in their respective cities. More than $3 million dollars are raised each year through Dining Out For Life internationally. This year marks the second time San Diego has participated in this event.

Dining Out for Life will rely on the generous participation of San Diego County restaurants.

Restaurateurs interested in participating should contact Donnie Luehring at 619-692-2077, ext. 246 or dluehring@thecentersd.org by Friday, Feb. 15.

San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride is accepting nominations from the community for its annual Spirit of Stonewall awards, which honors individuals and organizations that have made significant, positive impacts on San Diego’s GLBT community. The awards will be presented at a reception at the W Hotel Downtown on July 14 as part of this year’s Pride celebration, scheduled for July 18-20.

“Those submitting nominations are encouraged to consider volunteers, employees, donors or organizations that support the LGBT community through their tireless work or actions,” said Ron deHarte, executive director of San Diego Pride. “During this Pride season, we are striving to recognize those unsung heroes who may not necessarily be well-known, but who have touched the lives of many.”

The Pride organization has presented 175 awards over the last 17 years. Each year, the community is asked to participate in the awards process by submitting nominations. This year, in addition to a hard copy form, nominations will be accepted online at www.SanDiegoPride.org by clicking on “Stonewall Nominations” from the home page.

The award categories are: Champion(s) of Pride, an individual or couple who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the GLBT community over an extended period of years, or who have made an exceptional contribution over the past year; Friend(s) of the Year, an individual or couple who does not identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, but who has stalwartly supported the GLBT community over an extended period of years or the past year; Stonewall Service Award, a group or organization that may or may not identify as specifically GLBT but that has greatly supported the community over an extended period of years and/or has made an exceptional contribution in the past year; Community Service, an individual (or couple) recognized as an “up-and-coming” leader within the community, or whose contributions to the community over the past year carried significant impact.

Nomination forms are available on the Pride Web site at www.SanDiegoPride.org and at the Pride office, located at 1807 Robinson Ave., Suite 106 in Hillcrest. The deadline for turning in nominations is February 11. For more information call 619-297-7683.