Equality California’s San Diego’s Equality Awards will be held at the Museum of Man in Balboa Park on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. This year’s honorees are Stuart Milk, Attorney General Jerry Brown and transgender activist Diane Schroer. Tickets start at $100 and can be purchased online at www.eqca.org/sandiego. For more information, contact Albert Ogle at 619-847-3531.

Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD) has launched a program called Adopt-A-Family, which provides gifts to disadvantaged families during the holiday.

Patient families whose circumstances would prevent them from celebrating the holiday season have been referred through Family Health Centers of San Diego’s staff to its Adopt-A-Family program. Sponsors can sign up and be matched with a family. The program then provides the sponsor with a family’s wish list including clothing and shoe size. Sponsors will have one month to shop for gifts and deliver them to FHCSD offices by Dec. 10. To participate or for more information, call 619-906-4502 or e-mail vivianl@fhcsd.org.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore will speak at a reception for the newly formed women’s political group 51% - A Woman’s Place is in Politics at Universal Hillcrest on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.

Bringing 40 years experience in law enforcement, Sheriff Gore now oversees 4,000 employees while managing the department’s annual budget of about $600 million. Participants will learn how the County addresses the needs of local women, why the job of Sheriff is an elected position and how to work with officials to ensure women are protected from crime.

Lisa N. Sanders, daughter of Mayor Jerry Sanders, and Tryce Czyczynska, writer and host of Coffee & Conversation With Cool Women founded 51% last Spring. Females comprise 51% of the global population and as such, deserve a prominent voice in politics and policies affecting women, men and youth, Czyczynska said.

As co-founder Sanders explains, “Growing up with law enforcement in my family, I learned the importance of being involved. As a woman safety is especially important. That is why I am excited to have Sheriff Bill Gore as our next guest. Our members will be able to ask important questions of our Sheriff involving women’s safety and more.”

The event features the inviting, lounge-like setting of Universal Hillcrests’ Garden Patio with light food and drinks available. The event opens with a half hour social including informal introductions by both Sanders and Czyczynska, followed by a half hour live interview of Sheriff Gore by host Czyczynska. The event closes with an additional hour mixer. Participants are encouraged to speak with and ask Sheriff Gore questions both one-on-one and through the hosted interview.

The event is a free public forum for women to get involved in politics, to talk directly with politicians and policy makers and to connect with other women interested in bettering women’s lives. Universal Hillcrest is located at 1202 University Ave. in Hillcrest. For more information, call 619-269-6116 or e-mail 51percentSD@gmail.com.

A rare opportunity to meet and hear from one of America’s premier leaders in the modern GLBT civil rights movement, Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) will speak at a special reception presented by the San Diego Democratic Club.

The NCLR is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of GLBT people and their families through litigation, public policy advocacy and public education. Through direct litigation and advocacy, the NCLR works to change discriminatory laws and to create new laws and policies benefiting the GLBT community.

Kate grew up Mormon in Utah and received her juris doctorate from the University of Utah College of Law in 1988.

After a few years as a corporate attorney she pursued her real love – civil rights advocacy – and became the first staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Utah. In this capacity, she oversaw the legal department of the ACLU and directly litigated many high-profile cases focusing on all aspects of civil liberties, including reproductive rights, prisoners’ rights, church/state conflicts, free speech and the rights of GLBT people. In 1994 she accepted the position as legal director with the NCLR and made the move to San Francisco. Then in 1996 she became NCLR’s executive director, responsible for day-to-day operations and oversight of all aspects of agency operation, including coordination of all litigation and litigation strategy and development of strategy with regard to policy and program initiatives.

SDDC’s reception featuring Kate Kendall will take place Saturday, Nov. 7 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Noel-Baza Fine Arts Gallery 2165 India St. (at Ivy), Little Italy. A donation of $15 is suggested.

For more information, call Joann Mockbee at 619-200-8194 or e-mail jmockbee@san.rr.com. For more information about the San Diego Democratic Club, visit www.SDDemoClub.org.

The San Diego Men’s Chorus (SDMC) and the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego (GMCSD) recently announced their joint holiday concert “Cool Yule” at Balboa Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m.

More than 120 singers from SDMC and GMCSD will perform together in this special one-night-only concert featuring jazz arrangements of holiday favorites. Accompanied by a 10-piece swing band, “Cool Yule” includes seasonal selections like Irving Berlin’s “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” the Andrews Sisters’ “Jing-a-Ling,” Bing Crosby’s “Little Jack Frost,” Patti Page’s “Boogie Woogie Santa Claus,” as well as novelty numbers like Pearl Bailey’s “Five Pound Box of Money” and the kid-inspired “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”

Both choruses are proud to share the musical excellence and highest-quality performances that local audiences have come to appreciate during SDMC’s 25-year and GMCSD’s 17-year rich histories. Singing under the baton of Artistic Director Gary Holt, the two choruses will unite to fill downtown’s historically-restored and acoustically-stunning Balboa Theatre with song. Members of Caballeros, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Palm Springs, will also join in the fun onstage. And no SDMC or GMCSD holiday concert would be complete without colorful costumes, dazzling choreography, and even a special seasonal surprise or two. Don’t miss out!

SDMC and GMCSD will officially merge in January 2010 and become the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus, one of San Diego’s largest singing groups. SDGMC’s newly-appointed Artistic Director Holt explains, “Creating a unified chorus will have exciting impact for the people already a part of our two choruses, new members looking for a fulfilling artistic and social experience, the LGBT community, and San Diego audiences as a whole. Our raised voices will reach a broader audience, with a richer and more diverse palette of choral artistry. An important part of our vision for the new chorus is to entertain our audiences at the highest level, while at the same time solidifying our commitment to community outreach and the creation of new music.”

Tickets for “Cool Yule” will start at $24 with discounts available for students, seniors, military and groups. All seats are reserved and are already selling briskly. Everyone is encouraged to go online to view a seating chart of the Balboa Theatre, select their preferred seats and then make their purchases. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 619-570-1100 or go online to either www.SDMC.org or www.GMCSD.com.