The Center, Momentum San Diego and the San Diego LGBT Community Leadership Council will present a town hall meeting focused on military issues on Wednesday, June 28, at 6:00 p.m. This meeting will take place at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St.

A focus of the town hall will be the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, HR 1059. Introduced by Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., this legislation would repeal the U.S. military’s current “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy so that lesbian, gay and bisexual service members would be able to serve openly.

The featured speakers will be local attorney Bridget Wilson, an advocate for LGB service members, and retired Colonel Stewart Bornhoft.

“This issue has particular significance here in San Diego since so many individuals from our community have been directly impacted by ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and the previous ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual people serving in the military,” said AJ Davis, director of public policy for The Center. “This town hall meeting is especially relevant given the current needs of the U.S. armed forces. Today, more people are becoming aware that it makes no sense to continue to uphold a discriminatory policy that keeps willing and able Americans from serving.”

The town hall event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact AJ Davis at (619) 692-2077 ext. 212 or e-mail adavis@thecentersd.org.

On June 1, the California Assembly passed the Older Californians Equality and Protection Act (AB 2920), a bill to ensure that the California Department of Aging accounts for the needs of GLBT seniors in its programs and services. The measure passed by a 48-32 vote, garnering support from the entire Democratic caucus.

“LGBT seniors should be able to take advantage of any government service that is available to all older Californians,” said Seth Kilbourn, Equality California political director. “The elder LGBT community has unique needs that should be considered in current and future state programs administered through the Department of Aging.”

Assemblymember Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, said California’s GLBT seniors deserve to live their lives with dignity and stability.

“AB 2920 will require the state to survey their unique needs so we can better address them with culturally competent and appropriate services,” he said.

Recent studies have called attention to the lack of culturally competent services for GLBT seniors. In areas ranging from housing to health care to relationship and asset protection, these individuals are vulnerable to multiple forms of discrimination and often have limited legal, medical and social resources.

San Diego LGBT Pride has elected Connor Maddocks to its board of directors.

Maddocks is the facilities manager at The Center and currently serves as chair of the board for the San Diego Transgender Community Coalition. He is also president of the San Diego chapter of FTM International, one of the longest running global organizations serving the female-to-male community.

“Connor has served in numerous leadership roles within the LGBT community and is knowledgeable about San Diego Pride, having served as a volunteer for the organization. We’re delighted to have him join the Pride board,” said Ron deHarte, executive director of San Diego LGBT Pride.

Maddocks is also an active member of The Center’s Transgender Advisory Committee and the San Diego LGBT Community Leadership Council.

The 2006 San Diego Pride celebration is scheduled for July 28-30, under the title “Equality! No Turning Back!” The festivities include art shows, concerts and theater productions, along with a kick-off rally on July 28, a mile-long parade with giant balloons on July 29 and a two-day festival on July 29 and 30 featuring 10 entertainment stages, more than 70 live performances, special attractions, and food and beer gardens.

San Diego LGBT Pride produces an annual, all-inclusive public celebration that provides a safe environment for the communities of San Diego. Since 1996, it has donated more than $1 million to various organizations within the GLBT community.

For more information about upcoming Pride events or to inquire about volunteer opportunities, call (619) 297-7683 or visit www.sdpride.org.

A special event for cancer patients, their families, the health care community and the general public will take place on Sunday, June 11, at Bloch Cancer Survivors Park at Spanish Landing from 11:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

The ninth annual Celebration of Life event features a large health fair, lectures in English and Spanish by leading medical experts, free melanoma and oral cancer screening, entertainment, refreshments, a fashion show featuring cancer survivor models, and a special tribute to individual cancer survivors who have inspired and assisted others.

The event is provided by Cancer Survivorship San Diego, a nonprofit 501c3 organization comprised of cancer patients, cancer support organizations, health care providers, treatment and research centers throughout San Diego County.

For more information, call Cancer Survivorship San Diego executive director Nicki Hobson at (760) 598-8289. The Bloch Cancer Survivors Park at Spanish Landing is located at 4100 N. Harbor Dr.

AIDS Walk San Diego has announced the first-ever AIDS Walk San Diego Cyber Nights. The evenings are designed to help participants build their individual and team Web pages and enhance their fund-raising efforts.

The AIDS Walk San Diego Cyber Nights will take place at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St. AIDS Walk San Diego is a program of The Center.

The 17th annual AIDS Walk San Diego will take place Sunday, Oct. 1, in Balboa Park. It is the largest one-day HIV/AIDS fund-raising event for San Diego County HIV/AIDS service organizations.

“We encourage individuals and teams to register early, so they have more time to raise the critically-needed funds for AIDS Walk,” said Jennifer Jones, development director for The Center. “As part of our efforts, we want to provide registrants with an opportunity to utilize the AIDS Walk Web site to build their own pages. We understand that not everyone knows how to build a Web page, and we want to help.”

At the AIDS Walk San Diego Cyber Nights, experienced staff members will be available to help design and personalize individual or team Web pages. Participants can bring a picture, or staff will take a digital photo and help post it. AIDS Walk staffers will also help craft and distribute a message asking others to join a team or sponsor a walker. Each evening will take place from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. and refreshments will be provided.

The upcoming AIDS Walk San Diego Cyber Nights are scheduled for: June 14, June 28, July 10, Aug. 2, Aug. 23 and Sept. 6

To RSVP for an AIDS Walk Night in the Cyber Center, contact Zac Mikles, program manager for AIDS Walk, at (619) 291-9255 or e-mail info@aidswalksd.org.

Established in 1989, AIDS Walk San Diego is San Diego’s largest one-day HIV/AIDS fund-raiser and the biggest non-governmental financial provider for HIV/AIDS in San Diego County. Dozens of agencies serving thousands of clients utilize funds raised at the annual AIDS Walk to help provide essential prevention and care programs to thousands of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS.

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and City Councilmember Toni Atkins will speak at this month’s LGBT Community Coalition Breakfast, which takes place on Friday, June 16, from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St. Both Sanders and Atkins will be providing an update on city affairs.

“We are honored to host Mayor Sanders and Councilmember Atkins at our June Community Coalition Breakfast,” said Delores A. Jacobs, chief executive officer for The Center. “Their appearance at this event will provide LGBT San Diegans with an opportunity to hear them speak about some of the key issues facing our city.”

The Community Coalition Breakfast takes place on the third Friday of each month. Its mission is to bring together fair-minded individuals to network, educate and discuss the diverse issues of concern to LGBT and allied neighbors and citizens of San Diego. A full breakfast is available for a $10 donation; coffee and tea are complimentary. RSVPs are not required. Call (619) 692-2077 for further information.

The Center and The Center’s Transgender Community Advisory Committee will present the Transgender Family Law workshop on Friday, June 16, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St. The event is part of a series of workshops designed to offer information and support to members of San Diego’s transgender community.

The Transgender Family Law workshop will feature Shane Caya as its guest speaker. Caya currently works with the Transgender Law Center as its transgender family law project manager.

There is no cost to attend. Note that while previous Transgender Community Workshops have taken place on Thursday evenings, this event is scheduled for Friday, June 16. For more information on this workshop series, contact AJ Davis at (619) 692-2077 ext. 212 or e-mail adavis@thecentersd.org.