Great news San Diego, the Metropolitan Community Church has a new home. Hallelujah!

It seems our community has been on a roller-coaster ride of emotions when it comes to the murder of Seaman August Provost, and now his killer has committed suicide. I want to recognize and commend some outstanding organizations and activists who dealt with this case professionally and with dignity and intelligence: Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) (Attorneys Emily Hech, Aaron Tax and Mike Magee), American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) Ben Gomez, Human Relations Commission (Commissioners Bruce Abrams and Shonne Henry), San Diego Democratic Club (former Deputy City Attorney Alex Sachs and Larry Baza), the San Diego LGBT Community Center (Dr. Delores Jacobs, Robert Gleason, Attorney Bridgette Wilson), North County LGBT Coalition’s Max Disposti and many others. Also, credit must be given to Congressmembers Bob Filner, Susan Davis, Shelia Jackson Lee and Brian Bilbray, along with congressional aides Humberto Peraza and Steve Danon.

Our hearts go out to both families, and while our GLBT community’s concern about this case will continue until we receive complete and full disclosure, I believe our concerns are now in the hands of the SLDN and those four members of Congress.

After many discussions with community leaders, The Center’s board members and staff, elected officials, Los Angeles Center Housing program staff, and concerned citizens, I am happy to say that we all agree that changes need to be made at The Center’s Youth Housing Project. No matter many of our different opinions, we all agree that we want this housing complex to work and the residents helped and assisted, and that working together we all can accomplish this and make this project work. We will be meeting within a week and making a complete report to the community.

Since last week’s column, I’ve received countless calls and e-mails from concerned community members about The Center’s Youth Housing Complex. One stood out, and that was from George Biaggi (City Clerk’s office) who offered to do anything he could, even staying over at the complex to help in any way. What George and I came up with was establishing a big brother, big sister mentoring program for each resident of the housing complex. Agreeing to join George Biaggi in establishing this mentoring program are Rev. Dan Koeshail (MCC), City Commissioner Stampp Corbin and Lisa Sanders (president and vice-president of the Greater San Diego Business Association Foundation), Ben Gomez (AVER and Stonewall Citizen’s Patrol) and Carolina Ramos.

I want to thank these outstanding citizens for stepping forward. Dr. Delores Jacobs of The Center has long wished for such a mentoring program and will work with this committee to establish one. Now is the time for everyone to move forward and work together. Thank you all for your concern and support.

The changing face of California and San Diego County is the growing population of Latinos and the Asian Pacific Islander community. As the GLBT community continues to take its rightful place, we must continue to build stronger ties with other communities. Our future depends on this.

Humberto Peraza is in many ways the future of our state and county when it comes to the Latino community. Young, smart and married with two children, he is a leading candidate for the Chula Vista City Council. He just stepped down after many years of being Congressmember Bob Filner’s district director and now is a senior policy advisor for City Council President Ben Hueso, our next State Assemblymember and another rising star. Humberto also served on the Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast Committee and worked hard on Seaman Provost’s case. Peraza and Hueso believe we are all God’s children and have always stood for equality of all people. They both make me proud to be Latino.

Role models and heroes are very important to minorities and for youth. The African Americans have Martin Luther King Jr., we have César Chávez, and, finally, we the GLBT community and America have Harvey Milk. The recent announcement from the White House that Harvey Milk will be receiving the highest civilian honor in America: the Presidential Medal of Freedom (Billie King will also be honored). It is important that our GLBT youth have role models and heroes like Milk and King. Ten thousand people have sent letters to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger telling him to not make Milk’s birthday (May 22) a state holiday. Please write to the governor today.

Last week, internationally acclaimed heavy metal icon Rob Halford, lead singer of Judas Priest, packed the San Diego State University Open Air Theatre, as he does other venues around the world. The truth is San Diego has had a living mental God walking among us since Priest moved to Hillcrest almost 10 years ago. On stage, Rob Halford is bigger than life and is the king of any stage he performs on. Off stage, Halford is almost shy and goes about San Diego virtually unnoticed and that’s the way he likes it (he loves to eat at Ichiban), because anywhere else, especially in Europe, he would be mobbed! Rob Halford is the true father of heavy metal music and rules from his throne since his first album in 1974. Rob Halford has millions and millions of fan and in this very straight and heavy metal movement, he, unlike most artists, came out as gay. Screw those who don’t like it. Rob does not hide who he is when questioned in any interview. I have seen them on VH1 and MTV. And any time he has been asked to support charity and AIDS events, he has. I’ve met many celebrities who are gay, and this world-wide icon is one of the most down to earth. Rob Halford, another reason for San Diego to be proud. Long may he reign!

It’s been said that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And it looks like America never learned a thing from the Vietnam War. Last month was the deadliest period of the eight-year Afghanistan war for our American soldiers. We continue to throw billions of dollars to Iraq and Afghanistan, and the truth is we cannot force democracy on any nation. Their people must want it. These two nations are ruled by Muslim fanatics (homosexuality results in stoning, hanging and death). When we finally leave Iraq and Afghanistan, as we did in Vietnam, a militant anti-USA government will take over, period.