The 2005 Premios Latinos de San Diego, the GLBT Latin awards, was held at Rich’s on June 4. The second annual event honored outstanding Latino individuals, businesses and organizations in San Diego who have made a significant difference in the GLBT community.

Premios Latinos was founded last year by Rafael Holguin, executive producer of Premios Latinos and a former emperor of the Imperial Court de San Diego.

“I always wanted to do a Latino awards, because I’ve been involved in the community for a long time through independent work,” said Holguin. “When I came up with the idea, we put it all together in one event.”

Holguin said he wanted to create an awards show that acknowledged the efforts of GLBT Latino/as who make a difference in San Diego’s GLBT community but are seldom acknowledged for their contributions.

About 300 people attended the awards ceremony, which featured a performance by rising Latino recording artist Jorge Alejandro.

“I like to introduce new people to the community. Jorge Alejandro is a great talent,” Holguin said. “This is for a good cause, people will appreciate that.”

Through his associations with the Imperial Court, the Greater San Diego Business Association, All Worlds Video and other GLBT organizations, Holguin found many community volunteers to help organize the event.

The executive committee who planned and organized the event included Azteca Project founder John Acosta, The Center’s Latino Services Program Coordinator Carolina Ramos, Bienestar’s Antonio Munoz and Holguin.

The awards show was a fund-raising event benefiting three non-profit organizations within San Diego. One of those organizations, the Azteca Project, provides bilingual information regarding social services available for the senior gay community in the greater San Diego area. It provides vital support and referral services for GLBT adult Latinos/as 50 years of age and older. Some of the services provided include discounts for medications, living assistance, housing, legal assistance, income tax assistance, transportation, employment, meal delivery and home repairs.

Another beneficiary, Bienestar, is an organization committed to enhancing the health and well-being of the Latino community and other underserved communities. They provide a variety of services, including prevention and education surrounding alcohol, drugs and STDs, as well as HIV/AIDS counseling, training and referral services. Their outreach teams specifically target hard-to-reach populations in order to make information more accessible.

The final beneficiary is The Center’s Latino Services Program, which provides referrals, advocacy, home visits, court accompaniment, family intervention, translation of material, case management and other needed services to the Latino/a community.

Voting took place on site earlier in the evening, and the winners were tallied as the awards for 12 categories were handed out between musical performances.

Guests voted during intermission for Entertainer of the Year after the performances finished. Several local drag performers, dancers and singers competed for the award.

Local dance group Latin Rhythm Creations won the title for the second year in a row.

Award winners included: Outstanding Community Volunteer, Miguel Criado; Outstanding Community Service Agency, The Center’s Latino/a Services Program; Outstanding Community Event, Latin Pride; Outstanding Community Service Person, Roger Sanchez; Outstanding Businessperson in the Community, Alex Marin of Exotic Bamboo; Outstanding Latino Night Bar, Musica Pasion y Latina at Bacchus House; Outstanding Latino Night DJ, Ruben Casas of Bacchus House; Outstanding Emcee Personality, Franceska; Outstanding Bartender, David Flores of Bacchus House; and Outstanding Latin Restaurant, Baja Betty’s.