Joe Solmonese, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, will meet with the San Diego community on Thursday, July 24, from 7-8 p.m. at The San Diego LGBT Community Center. As a member of the executive committee of Equality for All, Solmonese is visiting San Diego to help energize the community around the historic battle for marriage equality. This will be Solomonese’s first visit to San Diego.

Everyone is welcome to attend the event. The Center is located at 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest. For more information, call 619-692-2077.

The Balboa Park Committee is inviting the community to attend the next Balboa Park Study workshop on Thursday, July 24, from 5:30-8 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Balboa Park Palisades Building.

The meeting is part of a series of public gatherings hosted by the committee to discuss the future of San Diego’s cultural gem, Balboa Park. Discussion will focus on Balboa Park leases, contracts and permits. Members of the public will be allowed to testify before the committee during the public comment section of the meeting, limited to three minutes per speaker.

The report, titled “The Soul of San Diego: Keeping Balboa Park Magnificent in its Second Century,” was released in January 2008 and has prompted these public meetings. The full report is available online at www.sandiego.gov/mayor/pdf/080130balboa.pdf.

More information is available by contacting Vicki Granowitz, chair of the Balboa Park Committee, at 619-584-1203.

The Recital Hall is located in Balboa Park west of Park Boulevard and Presidents Way.

The Center’s Behavioral Health Services is offering a new men’s group focusing on health and sexuality. The free group will meet on Mondays from 7-8:30 p.m. at The Center’s Health Services Center.

The group will provide men a venue to openly talk with other men about their experiences, and teach men how to talk about safety, sex, and building relationships. All men are welcome to attend.

For more information about the group, contact 619-260-6380, ext. 105.

The Center’s Health Services is located at 2313 El Cajon Blvd. in North Park.

The Center is organizing a men’s camping trip as a benefit for the organization. The trip, being called “The Grand Escape,” will take place along the Havasu River in the Grand Canyon.

Participants will have the opportunity to visit breathtaking waterfalls, swim in natural travertine pools, explore the canyon, and enjoy the camaraderie of men from San Diego. The trip will be a primitive camping experience, as participants will camp under the stars and not stay in hotels or luxury resorts.

Only 25 spots are available for the trip. Interested men are encouraged to sign up immediately. More information about the trip and registration information is available online at www.sd6ta.com/SD6/HavasuFalls.html.

For more information, contact Ken St. Pierre at 619-692-2077, ext. 104.

The newly formed North County LGBT Coalition Force is working to organize the first annual Coming Out Day Pride @ the Beach event. The event is being organized for National Coming Out Day, Saturday, Oct. 11, from 3-7 p.m. at the Oceanside Beach Recreation Center.

The aim of the event is to increase visibility of GLBT people in San Diego’s North County communities and to celebrate the diversity of the area. Organizers are inviting participants to come out to the event to celebrate their pride and stand up against all forms of discrimination, while enjoying a family-friendly event with games, music, food and vendors on the beach.

The North County LGBT Coalition Force meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Hill Street Café, located at 524 S. Coast Hwy. Those interested in getting involved with the coalition or wanting to help organize the event are encouraged to attend.

For more information, visit www.northcountylgbtcoalitionforce.org or call 760-672-1848.

The Oceanside Beach Recreation Center is located at 300 North Strand in Oceanside.

The South Bay Alliance will present South Bay Pride on Sunday, Aug. 24, from 1-5 p.m. in Chula Vista’s Memorial Park. The purpose of the event is to provide visibility to the GLBT community living in San Diego’s South Bay communities and to provide residents an opportunity to spend a day together celebrating their pride.

According to the South Bay Alliance’s Web site, a 2005 American Community Survey conducted for the San Diego metropolitan area found that at least 17,000 GLBT residents reside in the South Bay area.

The day will include vendors, information tables, food, and live entertainment by Latin Rhythm Creations, Roxy Blue and Rhythm and the Method.

Sponsor, exhibitor and vendor opportunities are still available. More information and applications are available online at www.southbayalliance.net.

For more information about the event, contact Marci Bair at 619-851-3468 or marci@bairfinancial.com.

Memorial Park is located along Park Way at Fourth Avenue in Chula Vista.

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. 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 California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) will host its second annual Street Smart San Diego event on Sunday, July 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will showcase green transportation strategies that can be utilized by consumers.

A variety of alternative fuel vehicles will be on display at the event, and representatives will be on hand to answer questions about the vehicles. A number of informative workshops will be presented, including a keynote presentation by Chris Paine, director of the film “Who Killed the Electric Car?” Experts will also provide strategies alternative fuel vehicle technologies.

Participants will also learn how to get cash back for the purchase of a new alternative fuel vehicle through CCSE’s Fueling Alternatives Rebate Program, funded by the California Air Resources Board. The goal of the program is to reduce vehicle emissions and dependence on petroleum-based fuels in California by encouraging the use of alternative fuel vehicles.

The event is free and will be held at CCSE’s showroom at 8690 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100. For more information or to register, visit www.streetsmartsandiego.org.