This weekend is Valentine’s Day and I want to wish a special day to many of our community members who are in long-term relationships – many for five, 10, 20, yes, 30 years and more! You are all role models for our community and youth. Happy Valentine’s Day!

The struggle for equality for all minorities, be they Latin, GLBT, Asian, etc., have learned from the black civil rights movement. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his civil rights movement is what we base our fight for equality on. The GLBT community has much to learn from the black civil rights movement and, finally, more and more African-American leaders are speaking out for GLBT equality.

Here in San Diego with the reorganizing of Ebony Pride, who now have a new direction and more black GLBT activists involved, I and many others have hope that more African Americans will come forward and take much-needed visible and, yes, leadership roles in our community. Yes, racism still exists and at times it seems that people-of-color activists are used for tokenism and lip service. But change will only come when we all step up and take our rightful roles in our community. As for me, I am proud and owe much to the African-American community and it’s paving the way for all minorities to fight for their civil rights and equality. I salute Black History Month and say thank you to those who went before us and were trail blazers and pioneers in the struggle for all Americans to be treated equally and have the same rights as the citizens of this great nation of ours.

Famous photographer/activist Joan E. Biren will be in San Diego this Saturday to present her film No Secret Anymore: The Times of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, two icons of our GLBT movement. This great film is the true story of love so strong it helped spark a revolution. It is only $10 this Saturday, 8:00 p.m., at The Center, followed by a Valentine’s social mixer with food, drinks and music. Trust me, this is a must-see film!

Get your tickets today for our community’s premiere Oscar party coming up on Sunday, Feb. 29, at our Center. This fun annual event includes a catered buffet dinner, full no-host bar, giant projector screens with surround sound and really fabulous door prizes donated by the major movie studios of Hollywood. It’s all only $35, and this event is limited to only 250 guests. For tickets or more information, phone (619) 692-2077 ext. 811.

Yes, coming up this Saturday night, Feb. 14, San Diego’s hottest couple will be announced and win $1,000 in cold hard cash. Voting for your favorite couple is now going on online at Club Montage’s Website. Then on Saturday night the couples will appear at this “Red Theme” event, with half of the voting taken from online responses and the other half on Saturday night at Club Montage. So, see you all at Club Montage this Saturday night for the announcement of San Diego’s hottest couple. Call (619) 294-9590 for more information.

Bourbon Street celebrates “7 Days of Decadence”, Feb. 18-24, with every night being wild, erotic and outrageous, New Orleans Style. Major video stars from Falcon Studios and Colt Studios are flying into town for their first San Diego appearances at Bourbon Street. And their King and Queen of Mardi Gras Costume Contest will get the winners $2,000!!! Half will be in cash and half in super prizes. It’s a San Diego tradition for well over a decade, and the party will be going on every night ‘til 2:00 a.m. Congratulations to Bourbon Street, which has been chosen to host the Fox/Channel 6 morning show’s Mardi Gras Party on Friday, Feb. 20. The party will be hosted by the entertaining Fox/Channel 6 reporter Ruben Galvan. Everyone’s invited to join the party at Bourbon Street, from 6:00 - 9:00 a.m., or tune into the morning show. Bourbon Street managed to get this gig through the efforts of PR firm Alternative Strategies, who have been hired by Bourbon Street to manage the company’s “7 Days of Decadence” celebrations. That’s what I call a result.

San Diego always celebrates Mardi Gras in a big way with a big blow-out street party in the Gaslamp for straights, but everyone is welcome to our biggie street party in the neighborhood of Hillcrest on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 24, from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. With two stages, top female impersonators including those wild LIPS Girls and those hot All Worlds Video go-go boys. This is a benefit for the GSDBA Charitable Foundation and the Hillcrest Association.

I’ve always loved Laguna Trends Gift Store, at 1080 University Ave., in the Uptown Center. It’s a fabulous store with extra special gifts, cards, oils, etc. I could spend hours there just looking. Laguna Trends is the store for our special valentine and always at great prices!