San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride has announced this year’s “inspirational couples,” an annual tradition that pays tribute to longtime partnered members of the LGBT community. The 2009 honorees, a female couple and a male couple, each became legally married last year during the short period of time when same-sex marriage was permitted in the state of California. San Diego Pride will honor them in its mile-long parade, scheduled for 11 a.m., July 18, through the heart of Hillcrest.

Pride’s inspirational couples reflect the many fulfilling partnerships that exist throughout the LGBT community and they cast a human light on achieving full equality for all people. The honor is an inspirational show of support for the scores of committed and dedicated couples within the LGBT community.

Kensington residents Linda Smith and Niki Morehead met 35 years ago as staff members for the Girl Scouts while at a camp in Wisconsin. They began dating a year later while living in Chicago, where in 1975 they took part in their first Pride parade at a time when the social climate was far less accepting of that LGBT community than it is today.

“The parade was small and there was a lot of hostility in the crowd,” Smith recalls.

At the time, Smith worked in the admissions department for the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, while Morehead completed her undergraduate studies in recreation. The couple then moved to San Diego in 1977, when Smith began working as a realtor until retiring. Morehead became a teacher after earning her master’s degree in education for San Diego State University.

The women are members of Front Runners and San Diego Dignity, and say the secret to their longtime relationship is believing that “bad times always get better, and the good times get even better.”

When Vern Miller and Ray Wooding met at a San Diego house party 50 years ago, they recall that words like “gay” and “homosexual” were never used to describe same-sex relationships. “It was just kind of assumed that we were a couple,” says Miller, who was working for San Diego Office Supply at the time. He later enrolled in Southwestern Beauty College and went on to work for three different salons in La Jolla over a span of 35 years.

Wooding attended a mortuary college in Los Angeles during the first year of their relationship and worked locally as a mortician afterwards. Three decades later, when the AIDS epidemic struck, he became one of the first morticians in San Diego to handle funeral arrangements for AIDS victims when many other funeral directors avoided such cases.

San Diego Pride weekend will be held July 18 and 19. This year’s theme is: Stonewall 2.0 – Activism for Equality.” For information about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities, call 619-297-7683 or visit www.sandiegopride.org.

Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) reminds registered domestic partners of the June 30 deadline to apply for a property-tax reassessment if property changed hands because a partner died or the relationship ended.

“Domestic partners who built a home together should not be squeezed by property taxes any more than other loving families,” said Kehoe. “These committed couples should not be penalized simply because one of them dies or the relationship ends.”

The Tuesday, June 30, deadline is part of a law Kehoe introduced (Senate Bill 559) that allows a registered domestic partner whose property taxes were increased between Jan. 1, 2000 and Jan. 1, 2006 to apply for an exemption. If the person qualifies, his or her property taxes will be rolled back to what he or she paid before the increase (plus an annual two percent inflation adjustment).

Under this law, property transfers between registered domestic partners will be treated the same as those between spouses or close family members.

Registered domestic partners who qualify must present a copy of the Certificate of Registered Domestic Partnership to their local county assessor’s office. To reach the San Diego County Assessor, call 619-236-3771 or visit www.sdarcc.com.

San Diego Day of Decision organizers need volunteers to set up and tear down march and rally sites, pass out flyers, canvas and gather signatures, fundraise, lead chants and songs and make posters and signs. In addition, organizers need people to sign up to become a peace monitor. Training is required to volunteer as a peace monitor but encouraged for all other volunteers.

Peace-monitor training will be held at First Unitarian Universal Church on Wednesday, May 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. Peace monitor volunteers will be trained in the practices of the Quakers, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Organizers advise those who attend the training to arrive on time, wear comfortable clothing and to bring water and a snack. First Unitarian Universal Church is located at 4190 Front St., in Hillcrest. For more information, call 619-563-1086 or e-mail wsueb@aol.com.

San Diego Pozabilities will host its annual Gayraaage and Bake Sale on Saturday, May 9, and Sunday, May 10, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is a major fund-raiser for San Diego Pozabilities and helps fund its programs throughout the year. Donations, household items or baked goods are still being accepted. The event will be located at 3436 29th St. in North Park. For more information or to donate, call 619-544-0119 or visit www.sandiegopozabilities.net.

The San Diego Chapter of Marriage Equality USA is seeking volunteers for a project called Project OUT-Reach at Lips Restaurant this Saturday, May 9, at 10 a.m. Volunteers will visit areas around San Diego County that voted yes on Proposition 8 to have conversations with people both at their doors and in busy public spaces to raise consciousness about the issue of marriage equality, as well as raise funds for the cause. Lips Restaurant is located at 3036 El Cajon Blvd. in North Park. For more information, visit www.marriageequalitysd.org or e-mail fernando@marriageequality.org.

The Saturday after the California Supreme Court renders its decision on the Proposition 8 cases, marriage-equality activists and supporters will meet in front of City Hall in Fresno, California at 1 p.m. Why Fresno? Marriage equality has to be fought, not only in gay friendly cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles but, in towns like Fresno, California where the population is far more reflective of national attitudes toward GLBT equality. Buses and caravans will be offered but those with transportation are encouraged to carpool. Fresno City Hall is located at 2600 Fresno St. in Fresno, Calif. For more information or to contact the event’s organizers, visit www.meetinthemiddle4equality.com.

Christian Delp knows how to throw a party. Last Sunday evening under his direction, San Diego Rustic Furniture hosted its first annual GLBT Mercantile Circus. The event was held to provide a networking opportunity for businesses in a circus-like environment.

Nearly 200 individuals attended the free event, which included vendor tables inside San Diego Rustic Furniture and in their parking lot. There was an outdoor barbeque, DJ Marcel Hetu spinning dance music on the loading dock, a wine bar, tequila tasting, drag show and other entertainment. House Boi models, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Leather Guys helped keep the mood fun and festive, while raffles and prize giveaways took place.

Many of the participants gathered at Redwing Bar and Grill for an afterparty to continue the festivities.

For those who missed the GLBT Mercantile Circus but still want to take advantage of the great deals, visit the location located at 9570 Distribution Ave., off Miramar Rd., in San Diego.