Walden Family Services invites community members to its LGBTQ Foster Parenting Awareness event on Wednesday, Sept. 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Diversionary Theatre in the University Heights.

Supported by the Pride Fund at the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation (SDHDF), the event will educate those in attendance about rights and expanded foster parenting opportunities.

KGTV 10 News correspondent Michael Chen will host a short program starting at 6:00 p.m. where Assemblymember Mark Leno and San Diego City Councilmember Toni Atkins will speak. Also featured on the program is an acknowledgement by SDHDF executive director David Pierce, as well as a youth troupe trained by Eveoke Dance Theatre, spoken word by Dahveed and a short theatrical piece.

Leno, whose home district encompasses the eastern portion of San Francisco, is one of the first openly gay men ever elected to the Assembly. In 2005, he authored the first marriage equality bill in U.S. history to be approved by both houses of a state Legislature, though the bill was then vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Atkins was first elected to San Diego City Council in 2000, was re-elected in 2004 and was chosen by council colleagues to serve as San Diego’s deputy mayor in 2005.

Founded in 1976, Walden Family Services is a licensed private foster family agency providing homes, caregivers and environments to foster children with autism, cerebral palsy, physical disabilities and other special needs.

For more information on the Sept. 20 event, contact Walden Family Services at (619) 584-5777.

The Rev. Dr. Mel White will discuss and sign his new book, Religion Gone Bad: The Hidden Dangers of the Christian Right, on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 7:00 p.m. at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St.

Religion Gone Bad documents the 30-year war that fundamentalist Christians have waged against homosexuality and gays and lesbians.

A former ghostwriter, consultant and confidant to figures such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Oliver North, White broke with the Christian right in the 1990s, came out as a gay man and wrote his memoir, entitled Stranger at the Gate. He lives with his partner in Lynchburg, Va., across the street from Falwell’s church.

For more information, call (619) 692-2077 or (619) 459-3247, or visit www.authorsontour.net.

The Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego will hold an open rehearsal for new members on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Interested singers as well as non-singers are welcome to attend.

GMCSD rehearses every Wednesday night and holds occasional sectionals as well as a monthly weekend rehearsal. The Gay Men’s Chorus has also planned its annual fall retreat for Oct. 13-15 at The Villa Resort in Palm Springs.

GMCSD’s holiday season features two all-new productions of “Nutcracker – Men in Tights!” These concerts will take place at the Sherwood Auditorium in La Jolla on Dec. 16 and 17, and the show will complete GMCSD’s 14th season.

Rehearsals will take place at the University Christian Church, located at 3900 Cleveland Ave. in Hillcrest. For more information, e-mail info@gmcsd.com, call (619) 57-GMCSD or visit www.gmcsd.com.

Lavender Lens celebrates its fifth anniversary with a celebration on Saturday, Sept. 16, at The Flame, located at 3780 Park Blvd.

A community reception with a complimentary buffet will begin at 8:30 p.m. The night commences with Lavender Lens’ women’s party Ultra Lounge.

Since 2001, Lavender Lens has presented news, features, health and lifestyle articles that directly deal with issues essential to GLBT individuals, in particular women. The entertainment section – featuring film, music, theater and arts – has expanded this year.

Lavender Lens is distributed to a readership of more than 150,000, with a monthly average reach of 22,000, comprising a majority of gay female youth, adults and seniors, but also transgender and heterosexual readers.

For more information, call (619) 291-8223.

The University Heights Arts Open takes place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16-17, at which more than 120 San Diego artists of all disciplines – visual and performing artists, musicians and writers – will present or perform their work in area businesses, community centers and private studios for approximately 10,000 visitors. The free event takes place from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m.

Park Boulevard will be the hub of the Arts Open and the launching point for the tours. A complimentary map of the Arts Open sites will be available to visitors on this self-guided tour exploring the almost 30 open artist studios throughout the University Heights area, as well as the 30-plus venues hosting artists. The map will include a schedule of times and locations of the performances and readings by musicians, performers and writers.

Businesses, restaurants, the Swedenborgian Church of San Diego, Diversionary Theatre and the San Diego Public Library will be among the venues hosting San Diego artists, musicians, poets, performance artists and playwrights.

A free trolley will assist the visitors on their tour throughout the day. For more information, call Judy Riffle at (619) 296-0712 or e-mail judy@uharts.org.

The San Diego Democratic Women’s Club will devote its Sept. 23 meeting to Democratic candidate endorsements, with any remaining endorsement decisions to take place at the October meeting. The meeting will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon in the Community Room of the Weingart City Heights Library, located at 3795 Fairmount Ave.

All Club meetings are open to the public, although only eligible club members may vote on candidate endorsements. For more information, call Pat Washington at (619) 582-5383 or e-mail themorgangirl@aol.com.

The Center’s Women’s Resource Center kicks off its new Women’s Empowerment Series with a four-part “Women Building Wealth” workshop on Thursdays, Oct. 5, 19, 26 and Nov. 2, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at The Center, located at 3909 Centre St.

Jamie Fleming, a certified financial planner and certified retirement financial advisor, will be the presenter for the workshop series.

“Participants will learn about the psychology of money, how to prepare an action plan and the pitfalls to avoid on the road to building wealth,” said Claudia Lucero, coordinator of The Center’s Women’s Resource Center. “This multi-session format will also allow for the opportunity to begin implementing what they learn, as well as seek feedback in subsequent workshops.

The four-part workshop series is usually presented for $500. However, this series will be presented for a donation of $10 to $50, based on a self-reported sliding scale. All donations will benefit women’s programs at The Center. The donation includes all four workshops and materials. Refreshments will also be provided. In addition, child care will be provided for attendees, with seven-day advance notice.

There is limited space for these workshops, and reservations will be considered final when payment is received.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Lucero at (619) 692-2077 ext. 206 or clucero@thecentersd.org.

San Diego Family Matters will hold their annual barbecue at Trolley Barn Park on Sunday, Sept. 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Trolley Bark Park is located on Adams Avenue, two blocks east of Park Boulevard in University Heights.

Tickets are $10 per person, but children under 5 will be admitted free. The barbecue includes lunch, jumps for the kids, a climbing wall, kids karaoke provided by Laura Jane and a parachute toss.

Volunteers and sponsors are still needed.

For more information, call Marci Bair at (619) 298-5431, e-mail marci@sdfamilymatters.org or visit www.sdfamilymatters.org.

UCSD was recognized as one of the 100 best campuses for GLBT students in the nation by the new The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students, the first comprehensive GLBT campus guide.

“UCSD’s positive environment, programs and services, and LGBT student coalitions were cause for the distinction among 680 campuses surveyed,” said Shaun Travers, director of UCSD’s LGBT Resource Center. “Our campus leaders have worked tirelessly to create a positive environment for all of our students, staff and faculty. This distinction emphasizes the importance of providing necessary support to meet all of UCSD’s community’s needs, including our LGBT community.”

The book, released last month, profiles 100 colleges and universities from across the country that offer resources and create a positive living and learning environment for GLBT students.

For more information, call the UCSD LGBT Resource Center at (858) 822-3493, e-mail rainbow@ucsd.edu or visit http://lgbt.ucsd.edu.

To order a copy of The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students, visit www.campuspride.net.