I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My mom and brother came down and we had a great dinner at the U.S. Grant Hotel, then I was off to the Scott Carlson Dinner, for people living with AIDS. I ended my full day at the beautiful loft of Fernando Lara (manager of Ono Sushi), where this chef of chefs cooked one hell of a great meal.

The return of the Scott Carlson Thanksgiving Dinner (co-sponsored by the AIDS Task Force of the First Unitarian Universalist Church and the Imperial Court), which was founded in the 1980s, drew a good attendance and was a wonderful event full of warmth for people living with AIDS. It had a lot of volunteers… cooking, serving, etc., some since 5:00 a.m. I stopped by and spent about two hours there, and truly could appreciate everyone involved. Special thanks to everyone; all the volunteers and Ben Dillingham, Todd Gloria, Dr. Phil Diamond, Kevin Tilden, Robert Gleason, Milo Angel, Gloria Johnson, Jackie O’s Flower Shop, UCSD Medical Center Food Services, Noel, John Keasler, Chris, Lala Too, Julia Legaspi and just everyone involved… God Bless you.

Many of us were disappointed with San Diego Democratic Club President Stephen Whitburn’s comments in the club’s recent newsletter. This was Dwayne Crenshaw’s third election loss… Crenshaw lost again in this district because he didn’t walk it and doesn’t know the local issues as much as Tony Young does. Whitburn seems to be advocating that people stay in the closet by stating, “If Crenshaw had not come out within our community over the past couple of years, he might have done better in this election. This is precisely why people stay in the closet.”

Crenshaw was reluctant to discuss being gay with the Gay & Lesbian Times, and even refused to endorse same-sex marriage. Young was supported by almost 100 percent of the GLBT community people of color activists because this city council district’s issues and concerns are more about poverty, crime, education, etc. In all due respect, Stephen, your comments did not give encouragement to our GLBT youth on “coming out” and having role models like Christine Kehoe, Toni Atkins, Frank Tierney and Bonnie Dumanis.

Last Friday night’s “20/20” news show on ABC gave so-called new information on the murder of Matthew Shepard…. It was like, “Now let’s kill Matthew’s reputation.” After six years, the murderers finally talk and so do drug addicts, girlfriends, and to put it bluntly, a lot of trailer park trash that would fit it in nicely in a “Jerry Springer Show”… Now they all change their minds and testimonies, accusing Matthew of being a drug addict and even taking heroin! No matter what personal problems Matthew had – and yes, he was only human and had some – the facts are that this was anti-gay rage and a hate crime, period. Don’t forget Matthew and other GLBTs who grew up in a state that still does not have one single gay bar.

I’ve recently heard that contrary to rumors, County Supervisor Ron Roberts has decided to seek re-election to the County Board of Supervisors after all. Many Democratic leaders are urging Deputy Mayor Toni Atkins to seek the county seat, and while Toni is concentrating on her upcoming swearing-in for her second term at City Hall, she is not ruling anything out in the future…. So yes, it could be Ron Roberts vs. Toni Atkins in 2006. As for Atkins’ chief of staff, Jeff Gattas… those rumors concerning him leaving her office are all false, and Gattas has definitely not ruled out running for city council.

Our new State Senator Christine Kehoe will be the guest of honor at the annual posh holiday party at the home of Dr. Greg Scott and Robi Cox (in lieu of gifts, donations this year are requested for the Ben F. Dillingham Community Grant). By the way, Ben Dillingham has been appointed to the County Veterans Advisory Board by Supervisor Ron Roberts. “Mr. Gay Republican” of the 1980s, Alan Giesen recently died of a heart attack…. Sadly, the San Diego Union-Tribune had to print a clarification of Alan’s obituary because of misinformation given: Alan Giesen was not a deacon in the Catholic church nor did post-graduate work at St. John’s University in Minnesota… nevertheless, Alan Giesan’s colorful personality will be missed by many.

Governor Linta Lingle of Hawaii will be in San Diego this weekend, and I’ve been invited to a brunch in her honor. Council member and future Assembly member Anthony J. Portantino (yes you all know his brother Michael) was in town this past week… nice guy, smart and a great personality – not like his brother at all (just kidding). Handsome and openly gay Ric Grenell (former aide to ex-Congress speaker Newt Gingrich, former PR man for San Diego’s then-mayor Susan Golding, and top PR man for our country’s United Nations ambassador) is back in San Diego and working for the giant defense contractor, Titan Corp…. Welcome back, Ric.

An interesting sidebar: Attorney John Howard, who filed the suit trying to stop the counting of Donna Frye’s ballots, was a former Dick Murphy backer four years ago until Murphy supported Proposition 22. Howard stated that Proposition 22 offended his belief in personal liberty, including same-sex couples that want to marry. Robert Young, popular top aide to Mayor Murphy, is moving to Texas. He will be greatly missed by our community and many communities… we wish him the very best. I will be off to our state capital for the official swearing-in of State Senator Christine Kehoe, and for the LGBT official Legislative Caucus Reception; California has the largest GLBT election delegation in the nation.

Two of our country’s most famous, outrageous and popular drag entertainers will be hitting San Diego for their “Holiday Show” tours…. Yes, comedians Lady Bunny and Jackie Beat are not your ordinary drag performers, but critically-acclaimed entertainers who have been in movies, TV and nightclubs across the country, and you don’t want to miss these two and their outrageously funny shows (both at times XXX-rated). Catch Jackie Beat at Bourbon Street next Thursday, Dec. 9, at 9:00 p.m., and Lady Bunny at Rich’s on Saturday, Dec. 11.

Additionally, mark your calendars Thursday, Dec. 23, for a fun “Dreamgirls Holiday Reunion Show” at Bourbon Street to benefit Grocery Hearts (Mama’s Kitchen’s AIDS food bank).

San Diego’s newest steam and sauna, yes, the 2200 Club (2200 University Ave.) for men is now open at the old Mustang Spa site, and the great news is it has been greatly cleaned up, including everything from new mattresses and pillows to new videos… 80 lockers, almost 40 private rooms, an 18-person Jacuzzi, the largest steam room and sauna in the city, and let’s talk about one of the largest indoor pools in San Diego – yes, an Olympic pool which is now heated. The 2200 Club is under new ownership and management, with a strict “no drugs” policy… Changes and remodeling will be continuing these coming months, so check it out. The 2200 Club is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week… For more information, call (619) 297-1661.

Sales are underway for the 2005-2006 edition of HillQuest, the essential hip-pocket guide to 92103 and beyond. The publishers, Ann Garwood and Nancy Moors, are planning on holding HQ3 to the same 160-page book size, which will again feature oodles of helpful information for everyone who loves Hillcrest. The annual urban almanac is Hillcrest’s most complete one-stop information source, with colorful foldout maps of the Hillcrest Business Improvement District (HBID) and Balboa Park, featuring hiking trails and self-guided neighborhood walks. The website for the guide (visit this column online at www.gaylesbiantimes.com for link) has even more features, photos, trivia and history of Hillcrest. HQ3 is a great marketing tool to reach both tourists and local residents. Advertisers can contact Nancy Moors at (619) 260-1929 for more information.