Thank you for all the great Christmas cards and holiday messages. This year sadly I could not send out my usual religious holiday cards. It has just gotten too expensive, but I wish you all a very merry and blessed Christmas.

In 1975, then Emperor Craig Morgan and I started the now GLBT community’s annual Toys for Kids drive after the Marine Corps refused to accept toys from “homosexuals.” Their Toys for Tots now does. The GLBT community, friends, bars and businesses have for more than three decades made this Imperial Court toy drive a success and this year is no exception. 2009 was a difficult year for many of our GLBT family and children’s agencies. This year, because of your generosity, we were able to not only provide toys but food, clothing and diapers. Among those who benefited because of so many of you were: Home Start (abused and lower income families), Barrio Station (low income families), Christie’s Place (women and children living with HIV/AIDS), Family Matters (GLBT families), North County Medical Center (low income families and immigrant children), Temple Emanu-El’s family homeless program and many more. So many of you gave and this included the Greater San Diego Business Association, San Diego LGBT Pride, Rich’s, Ben F. Dillingham, City Commissioner Robert Gleason, Universal Hillcrest, Sarah and Redwing Bar & Grill, Councilmember Carl DeMaio, True North Tavern, Bill Beck and David Huskey, the San Diego Tennis Federation, San Diego American Flag Football League, Al Killen, Doug Braun, the Human Rights Campaign and Stampp Corbin, Fernando Brendia Laysa, Ivan Solis, Rob Simmons, Ricco Espinoza, James Phirman, Jay Irby, Jason, Chris, Hefley, Jeff Hammond and so many more on behalf of countless children and families. God bless you.

Six years ago, the handsome owners of Martini’s Above Fourth (Dale Dubach, Chaz Weathers and John Osgood) started an annual Christmas wreath auction and wanted to raise money in memory of their good friend Queen Eddie (the Queen Eddie Colon Youth Fund). This year’s auction raised $20,000. Now more than $100,000 has been raised since its inception. The money goes to assist GLBT youth and students in need of food, clothing, books and shelter. This is only one way out of many that Martini’s gives back to our community all year long. Thank you to everyone who supported this wonderful holiday event.

This month marks the one-year anniversary of the swearing in of city councilmembers Todd Gloria and Carl DeMaio. Councilmember Gloria has earned the respect and support of many of those who supported his opponent including Stephen Whitburn himself. Gloria has become known as a hard working public servant and word around City Hall is that he has the support to be elected the next council president. With Toni Atkins looking at the state Assembly in 2010 and state Senate in 2012, many talk about Gloria possibly running for Assembly in 2012, but Gloria seems to be committed to seeking a second term. Councilmember DeMaio has certainly shook up City Hall as promised and has become an independent voice and a media favorite. The California Grand Old Party chairman has stated that DeMaio is the future of the Republican Party. DeMaio is indeed a moderate/conservative but is becoming more progressive on some social issues. He has a lot of riding on some ballot initiatives in next year’s election. Many of us are concerned that one of the measures would eliminate our city’s living wage ordinance. And if voters support DeMaio’s ballot measures, he could very well become one of the top frontrunners for mayor in 2012.

The year 2009 should go down as the year of Harvey Milk. The movie Milk won two Oscars, Harvey was honored with our nation’s highest civilian honor at the White House: The Medal of Freedom and in California the Gov. Schwarzenegger inducted him in to the prestigious California Hall of Fame. And now we have Harvey Milk Day (May 22), a special day of recognition in California. The Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast of San Diego County drew more than 1,000 people. Harvey Milk’s nephew Stuart Milk has established a national foundation in his name. There is a campaign to get the US Postal Service to issue a Harvey Milk stamp in 2012. Locally, the Diversionary Theatre world premiered the play, Dear Harvey. The play has a shot at going to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Yes, 2009 truly saw the rediscovery of Harvey Milk.

2009 was also the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the first Woodstock festival. It is also the 30th anniversary of the first gay march on Washington, D.C. in 1979. We returned last October for our 5th national GLBT march on Washington. 2009 saw the election of lesbian Annise Parker as mayor of the fourth largest city in the United States (Houston, Texas) and the election of a gay/Latino Assemblymember John Perez to the second most powerful office in the State of California (speaker of the Assembly). 2009 was a good solid year for our community in many ways, except, of course, when it came to same-sex marriages. But we still have much to be proud of and still more to do in 2010.

I need your assistance. It’s time I get a computer/laptop and printer. If you have any of these items and you no longer need them, please contact me. I need to start 2010 with them. As for my elected, national, state and local positions on national boards, they are not paid positions and never have been. Only staff gets paid. I have to pay for about 75 percent of my travel as the other 25 percent is paid for by the hosting organization when I’m booked as a speaker. I badly need frequent flyer miles for upcoming national board meetings. You can contact me at 619-692-1967 or nicolemrsd@aol.com. Thank you.

For more exciting, breaking news, gossip, politics and all the gay news that’s fit to print including Editor at Large Nicole Murray-Ramirez’s People Opinions & Politics, Associate Editor Aaron Heier’s Two Cents, Stephen Whitburn’s Politics Tracker, Stampp Corbin’s The Oracle and much more daily news and happenings, visit www.GLTNewsNow.com. Mark us in your favorites and stay informed daily!