Mr. San Diego Leather 2008, Sidney McFadden, presents Tom Felkner and members of the Stonewall Citizens’ Patrol with a check for more than $1,200 on behalf of the San Diego leather community. The Stonewall Citizens’ Patrol is just one of many organizations that the leather community supports throughout the year.

Pictured above (l-r): Graylin Thornton, Adam Latham, Sidney McFadden (Mr. San Diego Leather 2008), Nicole Murray-Ramirez, Tom Felkner, Ben Gomez and Jim Ginelli.

San Diego’s GLBT senior community will have a number of special options available for them at this weekend’s San Diego LGBT Pride festivities. Seniors will have access to a shaded seating area at the parade and festival, a complimentary continental breakfast and discounted festival tickets.

Aging As Ourselves, a community-wide collaborative that provides a safe and comfortable environment for GLBT seniors to tap into culturally responsive legal, social and health-related services, will sponsor the “Cool Zone” at the San Diego LGBT Pride parade on Saturday, July 19. Seniors will be able to relax and enjoy the parade from this restricted- access area and avoid the potentially harmful effects of exposure to the heat and sun. Access to this area is available by RSVP only. Contact Tom Kirkman at 619-298-9900 to reserve a spot.

Prior to the parade, a complimentary continental breakfast will be provided for seniors at the S.A.G.E. Center in Hillcrest. The breakfast will be served from 9-10:30 a.m. RSVPs to Tom Kirkman at 619-298-9900 are required for this breakfast.

Discounted tickets to the Pride festival are available for seniors 60 years and older for $10. Tickets may be purchased at the Pride office or at the main gate to the festival. The festival will take place from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 19 and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 20 at Marston Point in Balboa Park. Marston Point is located on Juniper Street and Sixth Avenue. A shaded cool zone will be available from noon to 6 p.m. at the festival for seniors.

For more information visit www.agingasourselves.org.

The 34th annual San Diego LGBT Pride parade will, for the first time, start the parade with a solemn march recognizing the fact that in many parts of the world, a Pride parade is not legal. The opening contingent of the July 19 parade will be a “march for those who can’t.” The parade kicks off at 11 a.m.

According to a statement issued by San Diego LGBT Pride, in 2008, 86 member states of the United Nations still criminalize consensual same-sex acts among adults. Among those, seven have legal provisions with death penalty as punishment. Additionally, six provinces or territorial units also punish homosexuality with imprisonment.

San Diego Pride hopes to raise awareness about this with the opening contingent. According to Pride, “The march is a tribute to the people around the world who are forced into invisibility or into denying who they truly are because they live in a culture where hatred and violence are justified by the state.”

San Diego Pride has invited members of San Diego’s diverse ethnic and cultural GLBT communities to march with banners and flags of their mother countries where gays and lesbians are persecuted, such as Poland, Russia, Zimbabwe and Iran.

Each person will march for a country in which same-sex rights are particularly endangered. Cloth covering the mouths of marchers will symbolize the fact that gays have to be quiet and can’t speak out for fear of being killed or beaten.

The parade will follow University Avenue starting at Normal Street to Sixth Avenue and end in Balboa Park. A two-day festival will follow.

For more information, visit www.sdpride.org.

One of the San Diego GLBT community’s oldest charitable organizations, the Imperial Court de San Diego (ICDSD), will host the 37th annual coronation, “A Military Ball,” on Saturday, Aug. 2. Coronation is the organization’s annual gala, during which the court elects and crowns the emperor and empress.

The ICDSD is a private, nonprofit California Public Benefit Corporation established more than 30 years ago, and is the oldest GLBT social service organization in San Diego. The primary goals of the ICDSD are to raise money for charitable organizations; to raise awareness and educate the public about the GLBT community; to further relationships with organizations and businesses within the community; and to help those in need, in the spirit of camp and philanthropy.

The ICDSD is a member of the International Court System, with chapters in more than 70 cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The system is more than 42 years old.

The weekend will include a number of events, culminating with the Saturday evening ball at the Westin Horton Plaza Hotel. The formal dinner and coronation runs from 7 p.m. to midnight, with doors opening at 6 p.m. Tickets purchased before July 20 are $75 for general admission, and $130 for VIP admission. After July 20, ticket prices raise to $80 for general admission, and $140 for VIP. Guests of honor include Judy Shepard of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.

For tickets or more information contact Milo Angel at miloangel2006@yahoo.com or visit www.imperialcourtsandiego.com.

The Westin Horton Plaza Hotel is located at 910 Broadway Circle in Downtown San Diego.

The San Diego Democratic Club has announced the new California Assembly Speaker, Karen Bass, will be one of the featured speakers at the group’s annual Freedom Banquet on Saturday, Sept. 27. The California Assembly elected the Los Angeles Democrat to the post last March, making history as Bass is the first Democratic woman to hold the post in California, and the first African-American woman to hold such a seat in the nation.

The San Diego Democratic Club is one of the largest chartered Democratic clubs in San Diego County and has advocated for the GLBT community since 1975. The Freedom Banquet is the organization’s annual gala and awards event.

More information about the event, including ticket prices, location and time will be announced in August.

For more information about the San Diego Democratic Club, visit www.sddemoclub.org.

The newly formed GLBT chapter of the San Diego State University Alumni Association, the Aztec LGBT Alumni, will host a planning meeting on Wednesday, July 23 at 7 p.m. The group is currently seeking GLBT and GLBT-friendly alumni of San Diego State University who are interested in helping to build the chapter, which is in its first year of operation.

The mission of the chapter is to promote and support the development of relationships between SDSU’s GLBT alumni community, current students, administration and community supporters. The group plans to do this through events that allow for social and professional networking.

The Aztec LGBT Alumni chapter was chartered in February 2008 by the SDSU Alumni Association.

Input is being sought from alumni on the future direction of the chapter. The chapter leaders are encouraging all interested SDSU alumni to attend the meeting and get involved. Official chapter membership is open to all paid members of the SDSU Alumni Association, but anyone is welcome to attend events.

For more information, or to RSVP for the meeting and receive directions, contact President Rob Rankin at sdsu.lgbt.alumni@gmail.com.

Diversionary Theatre is inviting openly gay and lesbian San Diegans who served in the military to participate in an art exhibition titled “At Your Service,” running in conjunction with the production of the new musical Yank!.

Veterans are invited to drop off, mail or e-mail a picture of themselves in uniform to be added to the exhibit which is on display through Aug. 17.

Yank! is a love song to Hollywood’s “it takes one of every kind” platoon flicks and to 1940s Broadway. Suffused with period songs, the show explores what stories get told in wartime, and how WWII became the great catalyst in bringing gay men and women together.

Those submitting photos should include their name, rank, branch and division of service, theatre of operations (if applicable), honors, awards, commendations, year of the picture, age in the picture and any other information that would like to be shared. Diversionary has noted that pictures will not be returned to their owners, so copies should be sent, or Diversionary can copy the photos if dropped off during business hours.

The exhibition will be shown in the theater’s lobby from July 10 to August 17. Diversionary Theatre is located at 4545 Park Blvd. #101 in University Heights.

For more information, contact Diversionary at 619-220-0097 or e-mail boxoffice@diversionary.org.