The San Diego City Council adjourned this past week in honor of the late legendary businessman Lou Arko, a well deserved recognition for a very giving man. Thank you, Councilmember Gloria.

In the early 1970s, ‘homosexual acts’ were against the law, the three gay bars in San Diego had to be owned by heterosexuals, the police and sheriff departments were homophobic, racist and sexist, and most gays understandably were in the closet. But there were some courageous and brave homosexuals who were organizing. The Metropolitan Community Church was established, San Diego Pride became visible in 1974, then the Imperial Court held its first coronation ball in 1973. The San Diego LGBT Community Center was being organized and Dignity was holding meetings. Yes, our community’s first GLBT organizations were on their way and already making a difference and now, the MCC, The Center and San Diego Pride own their own buildings, something we never ever thought could or would happen.

Our community will be rightfully rejoicing this weekend with the official dedication of the Metropolitan Community Church’s new beautiful house of worship, which has always welcomed everyone as God’s children. San Diego GLBT Pride now has a great new building it owns and is even renting office space to others. It is one of the only GLBT pride organizations in the nation to own its building. Our Center, which serves thousands a month with dozens of different programs, is one of the most beautiful GLBT centers in the nation. GLBT San Diegans stand up. Hold your heads up high. We have so much to be very proud of. But never forget those whose shoulders we stand on, those activist/leaders of the 1970s. Many of these early pioneers and organizations are no longer with us.

A few months ago, I called The Center to launch a GLBT mentoring program for those youths at the Hillcrest Youth Center and the Sunburst Youth Housing Project in Downtown. The Center’s Executive Director Delores Jacobs responded to my recommendations as chair of its advisory council. With the leadership and hard work of Jacobs and George Biaggi and his committee members, The Center will soon launch a GLBT youth mentoring program, a big brother/sister-like program. This is what our community should be all about, to reach out and help in problem areas, not just criticize but offer solutions. Thank you, Delores and George. And, yes, their have been some major changes made at the Sunburst Youth Housing Project for those 18 and above.

Our community is indeed lucky we have FilmOut San Diego. These good people make sure there is a continued presence and focus on the arts within the GLBT community, especially in film and GLBT filmmakers. Every month, FilmOut San Diego holds special movies on the big screen at the Birch North Park Theatre. Last month, it was Mommie Dearest. I loved it. Check out their monthly film schedule and, to purchase tickets, at www.FilmOutSanDiego.com.

2012 is the best movie ever! Alright, maybe not the best but one of the best movies ever made. Run and see this movie. It’s so exciting and real that you might just find yourself running out of the theatres! Big Mike and I were actually, at times, holding onto our seats. It was better than an E ticket to Disneyland. The only bad thing about the movie is it will remind you that California is still suppose to have a big major earthquake anytime, according to the experts.

After more than 50 years, next Wednesday, Disney Studios will premier their first black princess in the world premier of the movie The Princess and the Frog, finally and long overdue. This beautiful new African American princess name is Tina. I am sure millions of black little girls around the world will be smiling when they see princess Tina. While there have been some multicultural princesses in some Disney films in the past including Pocahontas, Jasmine and Mulan (Native American, Saudi Arabian and Chinese), I hope that their soon will be a Latina princess!

The late Gov. Pat Brown was a man I met several times. I supported him once and also his challenger Richard Nixon. This past weekend his son, also a former California governor and now our state attorney general, yes, Jerry Brown was in San Diego for the Equality California’s San Diego Equality Awards event at the Museum of Man in Balboa Park. It sold out with more than 350 in attendance. I had a nice talk with Jerry Brown and gave him an old 1966 political button that he recognized. It said, “Viva Pat Brown.” He smiled and said it brought back memories. I had to leave after Stuart Milk received his well deserved award. There seems to be a lot of interesting and puzzling comments concerning Brown’s speech, but I wasn’t there!

There are two outstanding candidates for office that are not your usual politicians but are true public servants. I urge you to get to know them. First, the popular former Mayor of Solana Beach and recent appointee by President Obama to the National Advisory Panel on Medicare Education, nationally recognized health policy advisor and proud father of three children, Dave Roberts is running in the Democratic primary for Congress. Second, San Diego’s “Math Teacher of the Year,” a committed and much respected community activist, named the “most inspirational and most caring teacher” by his junior high school students, Kevin Beiser is running for school board.

Is Hillcrest community activist Ann Garwood flipping out again? Recently, in front of the CVS Pharmacy in Hillcrest, Ann ended up screaming at me over her new moral crusade against cuss words being spoken at the annual Nightmare on Normal Street event. Trust me, I screamed back at her!

Now it seems Ann flipped out again, this time at Bamboo Lounge where business owner Michael Portantino was having lunch and celebrating his birthday with his daughter. Ann went right up to their table and cussed and yelled at Portantino in front of his daughter. When Portantino informed Garwood that it was his birthday and asked if Ann could call him, Ann didn’t care less and continued screaming her head off.

Hey Ann, you need to take a lesson from your partner Nancy Moors, who everyone agrees is a sweet, wonderful, intelligent woman with manners. Nancy has been with you at both of these loud and ugly incidents and never raised her voice and acted like the respectful and nice business owner that she is. But Ann you are just becoming more “Looney Tunes”!

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