Family Health Centers of San Diego’s Transgender Health Project is researching the needs of the San Diego County transgender community. Funded by The California Endowment, the project is currently conducting a comprehensive needs assessment to document the specific needs of this community. The results of the project will culminate in the San Diego Transgender Healthcare Needs Report.

Many transgender people live below poverty level, with annual incomes less than $10,000. Additionally, many health and social service agencies lack the training and experience to meet the specific needs of this population. The needs assessment acts as a blueprint for developing much-needed services. All individuals who identity on the transgender continuum are asked to participate in the needs assessment by contacting Tracie Jada O’Brien at (619) 515-2411. There is an incentive for all who participate.

Fraternity House, Inc., invites the community to dine in style while simultaneously making a difference in the lives of men and women living with HIV/AIDS. As San Diego County’s only nonprofit organization licensed to provide residential care facilities for the chronically ill, Fraternity House presents its fifth annual Fraternity Feasts series, a sequence of elegant dining experiences designed to raise funds in support of the vital services Fraternity House provides. Guests enjoy sumptuous meals, beautiful homes and gardens and inspiring people. Each host has agreed to underwrite the cost of the evening so that the full proceeds from the dinner ticket sales go straight to the support of Fraternity House residents.

The next dinner in the series is “Hacienda in the Sky”, taking place at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11. Sponsored by the Soroptimist North County Inland Chapter, Kathy and Gary Pendergraph will host the dinner at their home overlooking San Pasqual Valley. A Mexican meal will be served, including margaritas, and vocalist Linda Maag will entertain the group. Space is limited to 10 guests and tickets are $70 per person. To make reservations for the feast, contact Abby Schwartz at (760) 736-0292, ext.103.

Stepping Stone of San Diego’s Positive Support Services and The Center’s Positive Action program announce the formation of a new group for HIV-positive men. The “HIV and Spirituality” group offers participants a chance to explore their own spirituality by learning about many different belief systems and types of spiritual practices. Group meetings will take place at The Center, 3909 Centre St., every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

The “HIV and Spirituality” group will be facilitated by Thomas, X-Ray Robinson and Dr. Gabriel S. Estrada. Thomas, a certified addiction specialist, is a member at Midtown Church of Religious Science, a tradition that nurtures individuality and a global commitment to the oneness of all life. Robinson is an ordained minister with expertise in African-American and African spiritual traditions.

The group will operate on a drop-in basis, so pre-registration is not necessary. Interested individuals are encouraged to attend a meeting, or to call for more information. For more information call Carolyn Hunt at The Center at (619) 692-2077, ext. 133, or Chris Thomas at Stepping Stone at (619) 521-1356, ext. 100.

The Greater San Diego & Desert Area chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) has elected Monique DeChaine, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Priority Pharmacy, to its board of trustees. DeChaine will serve a three-year term for the organization. Additionally, at the same annual board meeting, Stepher Potter, Priority Pharmacy’s market development manager, was presented with the Galaxy Volunteer Leadership Award 2004.

CCFA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to cure and prevent Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis through research, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases through education and support. For more information about CCFA, call (619) 574-8900.

The San Diego LGBT Community Center will host an evening with Kate Kendell, the executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) on Friday, Sept. 17, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

In her conversation, “Breaking Ground: The New Legal Landscape in America and California for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Folks,” Kendell will discuss marriage, the exciting and groundbreaking work of the NCLR and the overall movement for LGBT equality. Kendell and NCLR have notably been at the forefront of working on legal protections for same-sex couples and their families. This year, NCLR, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU have jointly filed a lawsuit seeking a declaration that excluding same-sex couples from the right to marry violates the California Constitution.

For more information, contact AJ Davis, The Center’s director of public policy, at (619) 692-2077, ext. 212.

During the fall scholarship cycle, from Aug. 16 to Oct. 18, San Diego State Univeristy will be accepting applications for the Cotton-Metzger Gay and Lesbian Scholarship and the Tobias “Toby” Edgmon Memorial Scholarship. Through the generosity of their donors, these scholarships are made available to gay and lesbian students, from all class levels. SDSU would like to encourage all gay and lesbian students in need of financial support for their SDSU education to go to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship website to review additional information on these scholarships and apply online.

For more information, contact Patti Scott, the associate development director for scholarships at SDSU, at (619) 594-0279.

Due to several major events occurring in the month of September for the San Diego LGBT community, and in an effort to enhance participation at the San Diego County LGBT Latin Pride festival, the Bienestar organization has postponed the 2004 San Diego County LGBT Latin Pride festival to Oct. 16, 2004.

The 2004 San Diego County LGBT Latin Pride Festival is now scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 16, at Balboa Park (at President’s Way and Park Boulevard) from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Pre-sale tickets for $10 are available at the Bienestar office (3020 North Park Way).

Vendors and sponsors of this event who have conflicting schedules or concerns due to the change of date will be fully refunded for their fees and sponsorship contributions. For details regarding refunds, please call (619) 295-2192.

Anyone interested in the progress of the festival, the Latin Pride Steering Committee would like to invite the general public to attend the development meetings at the Bienestar office every Thursday at 7:00 p.m. For more information, please contact Executive Director Ben Gomez at (619) 459-1019.

The Center will host a Community Coalition Breakfast focusing on home ownership, investing and wealth management, on Friday, Sept. 17, from 7:30-9:00 a.m. at The Center. The Community Coalition Breakfast panel will include Norma Nelson-Wiberg, vice president of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Diana Blair, private client advisor for Wells Fargo Private Client Services, Valerie Gardner, a realtor with REMAX Associates, and Jamie Fleming, a financial planner at Fleming & Associates.

The Center’s Community Coalition Breakfast occurs on the third Friday of each month. The mission of The LGBT Community Coalition Breakfast is to bring together fair-minded individuals to network, educate and discuss the diverse issues that concern us as LGBT and allied neighbors and citizens of San Diego. Each attendee is asked for a $6 donation to cover the cost of the full breakfast provided. RSVPs are not required. ASL interpretation will be provided upon request. Requests must be sent to AJ Davis at adavis@thecentersd.org at least seven working days before the event.