Charger fever has hit San Diego! While I always try to get excited, they have always let us down at the end. But what the hell, I guess it’s about loyalty … So go Chargers!

“God hates fags,” “fudge-pounder,” “homo,” “fag,” etc. are just a few of the homophobic slurs and terms Councilman Todd Gloria has been subjected to. He has received an outpouring of negative, ugly and hateful calls, e-mails and more, with some referring to his “brown skin,” another so low as to state, he should “crawl back into [his] mother’s asshole.” All this because an online campaign started in San Francisco called Blue4Equality is trying to get city halls across the country to be lit up blue in support of marriage equality this weekend Jan. 9-10. The effort has been met with little success and only a handful of cities have agreed to do so.

Here in San Diego, Nancy Moors and Ann Garwood of the Hillcrest Town Council got Gloria to try to get our City Hall to join in. Gloria received resistance, along with some support, from city officials. The Union Tribune’s headline read “Councilman backs group’s Prop. 8 protest.” Even this article received more than 300 blog responses in one day. Almost 100 percent of them were very negative and attacked Gloria’s stand.

While I support the Blue4Equality campaign, I also feel our City Hall should be lit pink in October for breast cancer or red, white and blue for Veteran’s Day, etc. But what is bothering many of us is the question of why the San Diego organizers of this effort didn’t back Gloria up with their own e-mails and letters of support?

Gloria and other City Hall supporters have been left standing with no visible support. Many have also let Gloria know they will work for his defeat when he runs for re-election. When Gloria, Sen. Chris Kehoe, and all other elected officials take a stand in support of our community and equality, we must make sure we back them up.

Gloria has been in office for only a month and already has been the target of hate. Let’s give him a roar of our support when he speaks at the March for Marriage Equality and the Unite to Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) Rally, taking place in front of the County Administration Building this Saturday, Jan. 10, at 10 a.m.

The recent holidays opened my eyes to the fact that some families and children within our own community are going without meals. This includes man of our seniors as economic times get harder for countless Americans. Because many in our community cared, the Imperial Court de San Diego, The San Diego LGBT Community Center and Family Matters, were able to provide nearly 40 GLBT families with groceries. Because of Dr. Dennis Mayer, we were also able to provide some GLBT families with food through January.

I have had discussions with Delores Jacobs, Bob Nelson, Carolina Ramos, Robert Gleason and Councilman Gloria, about establishing a food bank at The Center for GLBT families and seniors in need. I have also talked to the Greater San Diego Business Association, along with other organizations, businesses, restaurants and bars about holding monthly canned food drives. I’m happy to report The Center is now looking into establishing a permanent GLBT food bank during this difficult time, which has been forecasted to last a few years, but will hopefully be less. I know the heart and soul of the GLBT community, and it is a very compassionate and caring one. I know you will never allow this food banks shelves to get empty.

Law and courts, politics and government, grassroots efforts, we need presence in all three areas for equality to succeed in 2009. The three areas are where GLBT Americans and our friends can get involved in our fight for GLBT equality. Many of you have asked what good continued marches do? Well as an activist since the 1960s and 70s, I believe we must be both “in the streets and in the suites of power. We should all encourage and support the new energy, blood, leadership and activism our local equality campaigns, San Diego Equality Campaign (SDEC) and San Diego Alliance for Marriage Equality (SAME), have been responsible for. I attended this past Tuesday’s meeting for equality at The Center, which nearly 100 activists turned out for. There were probably only two African Americans and about a dozen Latinos present. It was good to see that a co-chair of SAME is African American, but there must be more outreach to our own GLBT communities of color and people of color must get more involved.

I urge you to join the efforts of SAME and SDEC, The Center, Equality California, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Human Rights Campaign, Stonewall Young Democrats, Republicans for Equality, the San Diego Democratic Club and the soon to be established Harvey Milk Democratic Club. Let us all, every one of us, get involved in someway in our fight for GLBT equality in 2009!

Many of us were shocked when a gay activist and co-chair of a GLBT organization sent an e-mail calling for the GLBT community’s “support of Gaza to end the Israeli siege and occupation of Palestine.”

Additionally, this Saturday’s march for equality welcoming the official endorsement of the Free Palestine Alliance organization has raised many concerns. While GLBT citizens live openly in Israel and are welcomed, the fact is that most Muslim countries execute GLBT citizens because it is against the law in almost every Arab nation. More than 5,000 rockets have been blasted into Israel by Gaza terrorists over the past few years and the Israel government has provided political asylum to openly GLBT Palestinians seeking refuge from the anti-gay Hamas regime in Gaza.

For years the Hamas government in Gaza has vowed to destroy Israel. This great nation is only defending itself against terrorists. The fact that any gay activist or leader would call upon us to attend a rally in support of the Hamas regime in Gaza is outrageous and unbelievable. I do not like that children, women and innocent citizens are being killed in any country, but sad to say this happens in all wars. We should support Israel… Period!

Former-Deputy Mayor and Councilwoman Toni Atkins supporters will be formally establishing the Atkins for State Assembly Committee by the end of this month. Atkins has locked up almost every top lawmaker’s endorsement during her many trips to the state capitol. Major local endorsements and fund-raising efforts will also begin this month. Go Toni go!

Thank you for your interest and checking out my blog, which is posted almost every day. I’m getting hits from all over North and South America. Be sure to check it out yourself by clicking the Nicole link at www.mosuniverse.com.

It’s no secret most of us have been affected by the current state of the economy. Crest Café has decided to celebrate the upcoming inauguration by offering 20 percent off your entire check! Clip out the coupon on the inside front cover (pg. 2) of this week’s Gay & Lesbian Times and start saving. Also, you can visit the GLT’s Web site, www.gaylesbiantimes.com, and check out the coupons listed there that you can print off from the comfort of your home!