Supporters of same-sex marriage will gather Saturday, Nov. 1, at 8:45 p.m. for a candlelight vigil to voice opposition to Proposition 8, the Nov. 4 ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage in California. Signs and candles will be distributed at The San Diego LGBT Community Center and at 9 p.m. “No on 8” supporters will line up on University Avenue through Hillcrest.

“We want to appeal to San Diegans to reject this unfair and unnecessary constitutional amendment,” said event organizer Meaghan Yaple. “This Saturday night, hundreds of No on 8’ supporters are going to line University Avenue in Hillcrest, with a candle in one hand and a ‘No on 8’ sign in the other, to let our voices be heard that we do not want our rights taken away. With only a few days left before Election Day, we invite all of our supporters to come and stand united in this historic moment.”

If passed, Proposition 8 would amend California’s constitution to define marriage as being only between a man and a woman. For more information, visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com/links/1088.

Lambda Archives of San Diego, the GLBT community’s primary keeper of historical records, announced its 21st anniversary gala celebration “Heroes, Pioneers and Trailblazers” will be held on Saturday, Dec. 13, at The San Diego LGBT Community Center. Doors open at 5 p.m. The program begins at 6 p.m. Lambda Archives’ purpose is to collect, preserve and teach the San Diego community and region’s GLBT History.

The12 heroes, trailblazers and pioneers in the GLBT community who will be honored at the gala are Superior Court Judge Ted Weathers, the first openly gay Superior Court Justice appointed by then-Gov. Gray Davis; Steve Padilla, former mayor of Chula Vista and the first Latino and gay man elected mayor of a major city in the San Diego area; Ben F. Dillingham III, the first openly gay man to serve as chief of staff to a San Diego mayor (Mayor Maureen O’Connor); Sen. Chris Kehoe, the first openly lesbian San Diego City Councilmember; Mattheus Stephens, Esq., an orator and GLBT activist; Robert Lynn, Esq., a founder and the first president of the San Diego Democratic Club; Teresa Oyos, a Latino and feminist activist for more than three decades; Stan Lewis, an activist in the gay and black communities for more than two decades; Regina Reinhardt, long-time scholar and activist of bisexuality, coordinator of the Bisexual Forum and an editor of the “Journal of Bisexuality”; Delores Jacobs, executive director of The San Diego LGBT Community Center, who is accredited with much of The Center’s growth and success; Kevin Tilden, Esq., civil rights, political and community activist; and Bridget Wilson, Esq., nationally known activist for the rights of GLBT military personnel for more than three decades.

The President’s Award will go to Doug Moore, one of the founders of San Diego Pride and a founder and one-time president of Lambda Archives of San Diego, formerly the Lesbian and Gay Archives of San Diego.

Lambda Archives’ first Lifetime Family Membership Award will be given to Tom Reise, and posthumously to his partner, Fritz Klein, in appreciation of their contributions to the community, especially the bisexual community and Lambda Archives. Fritz Klein was a scholar of bisexuality and doctor of psychiatry. Both Tom Reise and Fritz Klein are and were activists and patrons of the GLBT community and the San Diego arts through their various foundations.

The Board of Directors of Lambda Archives is also pleased to announce it has named its new Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of San Diego’s Nicole Murray-Ramirez. The annual Lifetime Achievement Awards will go to an individual who has made important contributions nationally or internationally, as well as to San Diego. The 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award will go to the founder of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, GLBT civil rights icon Cleve Jones, who will be in attendance at the Gala to receive the award.

The event will include entertainment, hors d’ouevres and a silent auction. General tickets are $50 and VIP tickets are $80. Major sponsorships are also available. For more information, including a link to purchase tickets or make table reservations, visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com/link/1088.

The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) at The San Diego LGBT Community Center will present Rethinking Gender: A Four-Part Series, with workshop facilitator Erin Burgoon. This dynamic and discussion-based workshop series will encourage participants to challenge common notions about gender and to explore the many issues surrounding gender on a personal, community and cultural level. Dates and topics for the series are as follows:

The first session, “What’s my gender? What’s your gender? What is gender anyway?” will be held on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m., in the Community Resource Room at The Center. This version of “Gender 101” will allow participants to learn the terminology, discuss the gender spectrum and explore their gender identity.

The second session, “Gender Crossroads,” will be held on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m., in the Community Resource Room at The Center. In this workshop participants will analyze the concept of gender in relation to race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, religion/spirituality, age, ability status and other forms of identity.

The third session, “Love, Sex, Desire and Gender,” will be held on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m., in the Community Resource Room at The Center. Explore everyone’s favorite topics – love and sex – and how they relate to gender identity, desire and society’s notions of masculine and feminine roles.

The fourth session, “Gender Oppression, Privilege and Strategies for Liberation,” will be held on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m., in the Community Resource Room at The Center and conclude the workshop with a discussion of the privileges and struggles that are directly related to gender; then celebrate creative expression and gender freedom with a live performance by the SD Kings Club, San Diego’s premier drag king troupe.

All workshops are free and open to all. Attendance of all four sessions of the series is not mandatory in order to participate but it is suggested. Participants will also be encouraged to attend the 7th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance program on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m. at The Center. For more information on the Rethinking Gender Series, visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com/links/1088.

District 3 Councilmember Toni asked for reconsideration of the Navy’s plan to redevelop the Navy Broadway Complex on Oct. 7.

The project puts 15 acres of waterfront property into the hands of San Diego developer Doug Manchester. In exchange for building a new hotel and some commercial and retail space, Manchester has agreed to build the Navy a one-million-square-foot administrative building on the site.

Plans for redevelopment of the Navy’s aged regional headquarters have been in the works for more than two decades. After repeated hurdles, the Navy would like to move forward ahead, but resistance from residents is slowing progress.

“It may be the perfect time to reconsider the development agreement for the Navy Broadway Complex,” Atkins stated in a press release. “Downtown land use, homeland-security concerns, and local economic circumstances have changed since this agreement was approved 18 years ago; however, San Diego’s desire for an iconic waterfront remains the same.”

Atkins statement came in response to a request from Congresswoman Susan Davis for a similar reevaluation of the project.

“In light of the Congresswoman’s statement, I reiterate my steadfast opposition to the project as presented. I am hopeful that the U.S. Navy, the City of San Diego and the Centre City Development Corporation will all come to the table and reopen discussions, review the Navy’s requirements and incorporate those needs into a new development agreement,” Atkins stated.

In February when the City Council voted on whether the Navy should submit a new environmental impact report on the issue, the only other dissenting voice on the council came from Councilmember Donna Frye. But with Atkins leaving office in November concerned citizens will look toward District 3 candidates to follow up on Atkins’s efforts.

Both Stephen Whitburn and Todd Gloria have spoken out against the project as it is currently proposed.

The 2008 San Diego Pride parade, which originally aired in July, will be rebroadcast on Cox Channel 23 public access television on Monday, Nov. 3, at 9 p.m. and again on Monday, Dec. 8, at 9 p.m. Check local listings to find your provider’s public access television channel.