Family Matters produced the first official GLBT event ever held in South Bay on Sunday, Aug. 24. Over 150 people attended Gay Day in the South Bay, many from the South Bay area. The event was held to bring together the residents and business owners of the South Bay area. Chula Vista is one of the fastest growing cities in the country and is becoming a popular city for members of the GLBT community seeking more suburban living.

For more information on the upcoming all community Family BBQ, to be hosted by Family Matters on Sept. 21, call (619) 298-kid1 (5431) or log on to www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to their web site.

Born on August 27, 1961 and raised in California, MO, Perry Wayne Morris passed suddenly and unexpectedly on Aug. 1, 2003, at his home in San Diego, CA. He attended college in Springfield, MO with a major in Theatrical Arts, after which he moved to Dallas, TX, in 1983 beginning a successful 20 year career in the software industry. Perry moved to San Diego, CA in January 1998. In July 2001 he realized his dream of working with and educating the kink/fetish community by opening the retail business, Ringold Alley, with his partner Brian. His success within the community was due largely to his outstanding knowledge of his business and those who sought out his guidance. Those who had the opportunity to meet him will sorely miss his outgoing and charming personality. This month marks the second anniversary of Ringold Alley and would have been his 42nd birthday.

Morris is survived by his partner Brian and their dog Dirk, his parents, Sue and Wally, his sisters, Sherri and Cindy, his brothers, Brian and Dan, and his beloved great aunt Georgia, who taught him to enjoy life growing up in California, MO. His ashes were scattered at his favorite beach in Dana Point, CA.

A final “Party for Perry” will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Wolfs, 3404 30th St., from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Those wishing to make donations to Perry’s favorite charity can send them to: amfAR, 120 Wall St, NY, NY 10005-3902.

Asian Pacific Islander Community AIDS Project (APICAP) marks its tenth anniversary in a celebration of hope, service and compassion. The gala will take place on Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Wyndham Emerald Plaza Hotel’s Emerald Ballroom (400 West Broadway, downtown). A silent auction begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. The formal event includes a night of entertainment by the nationally acclaimed performer, Jocelyn Enriquez and local talent Armi Guzman. Co-hosting the night of festivities will be Maria Arcega-Dunn, of Fox News and Noel Guanzon. Complementing the evening’s theme, APICAP will be honoring Dr. Sana Loue, Jeffery Tom and Dr. Linda Lloyd for demonstrating tireless community contributions of hope, service and compassion respectively. Tax-deductible tickets are $150 per person, and proceeds will benefit APICAP. For more information, call Jess San Roque at (619) 229-2822. RSVP by Sunday, Aug. 31.

APICAP is a non-profit organization dedicated to securing justice for and protection of rights of Asian/Pacific Islanders living with HIV. The organization provides services to those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, including outreach, paraprofessional counseling and support, health education, prevention and risk-reduction.

Family Health Centers of San Diego’s Gay Men’s Health Program has been successfully providing a fun and entertaining way to meet other guys since March of this year. Now they have been forced to change the time to accommodate the number of people interested. Starting with their next event on Sunday, Sept.7, they will begin at 7:00 p.m. instead of 8:00 p.m. Also, on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 7:00 p.m., they will team up with GAMNET once again for a special event geared towards Asian men (though all are welcome). Events will continue to be held at the Joyce Beers Community Center in the heart of Hillcrest at the Uptown Shopping Center. For more information, contact Bailey Mitchell at (619) 515-2424, ext. 2913, or baileym@fhcsd.org.

Noted speaker and recent Los Angeles transplant Scott Patrick Wagner is providing weekly lectures in Hillcrest titled “Spirituality For Gay Guys.” These frank, inspiring, and frequently irreverent talks incorporate the principles of A Course in Miracles and several other nondenominational sources to address issues of concern to gay men, all framed from a queer perspective. Lectures will be held every Tuesday evening, 7:30 p.m., at the Midtown Church of Religious Science, located in the Hillcrest Masonic Lodge at the corner of Front Street and University Ave. For more information, call (619) 897-0037.

The Center will host a panel discussion regarding Proposition 54, Ward Connerly’s dangerous attempt to impede public agencies’ collection of data regarding race, ethnicity, color or national origin at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3 at The Center, 3909 Centre Street. This bill, if passed, will hinder the ability to find and correct disparities based on race or ethnicity in education, healthcare, housing, employment and law enforcement. Learn more about this initiative and what you can do to help the campaign to oppose Proposition 54. For more information, contact AJ Davis-DeFeo at (619) 692-2077, ext. 212, or adavisdefeo@thecentersd.org.

North County Pride In The Park IV is scheduled for Saturday, October 4, 2003. The event will be held at Brengle Terrace Park, 1200 Vale Terrace Dr., in Vista, CA 92084. The theme for the Festival this year is “Expanding Community Through Awareness.” The event will be open noon until 5:00 p.m. and remains free. North County Pride in the Park IV will offer a Resource and Health Fair, live entertainment and a Children’s Area. Refreshments, food, beer, and wine will be available for purchase. Visual artists will be able to display their work in a special exhibit space being sponsored by Real Individuals Seeking Expression (R.I.S.E.). Contact R.I.S.E. directly at RiseArtSD@yahoo.com for details on how to participate.

A complete entertainment lineup including comedy, drag, and local musicians is being planned.

The Butch Revue — two-time nominee for Pantheon of Leather Small Event of the Year — is coming back for its sixth fabulous year, Saturday, Sept. 13. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., show starts at 8:00 p.m. at The Hole on Lytton, right across from the Marine Corps Depot. Proceeds go to produce the Ms. San Diego Leather contest in November. You will see singers, comics, gorgeous butch and femme erotic dancers, muscle-bound leather men strutting their stuff, and maybe even an edgy belly dancer or two.

Take your dog with you — anywhere, any time. Learn the skills needed to take your dog out and about to restaurants, shops, parks and all kinds of public places. Participants will learn what supplies are needed for a doggie excursion, where the coolest dog-friendly locations are, what to do if an unwanted person or dog approaches, how to help dogs stay calm in busy settings and more. All training is accomplished through kind, effective positive reinforcement techniques. The class is three sessions long and is held on Sundays from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Class time is divided between the San Diego Humane Society and Balboa Park. Cost is $95 for six hours of instruction and includes materials and handouts. Call (619) 299-7012, ext. 273, for more information or to pre-register.

Lesbian moms and their female partners are needed to take part in an anonymous research study to discover if there are health care needs specific to the Latina lesbian and their female partners during conception, pregnancy, labor and the postpartum period.

If you or your female partner gave birth or plan to give birth while you were/are in relationship with each other, please take the time to fill out a questionnaire regarding your experience during the childbearing year. You do not need to currently be in relationship with that partner nor do you have to be Latina to fill out the anonymous questionnaire. Go to http://hometown.aol.com/bonniedoula/myhomepage/business.html to download the questionnaire and consent form in either Spanish or English. You can also request a copy of the questionnaire be sent to you along with a stamped return envelope by e-mailing bonnie.forbis@yale.edu or calling (203) 215-0278.

In addition to cash prizes totaling $1,000, four artists will be selected from the 2003 William D. Cannon Art Gallery’s Biennial Juried Exhibition to be showcased in the 2004 Cannon Art Gallery Invitational. The Juried Biennial is open to artists 18 years of age and older, who live, work, or have a studio in San Diego County. All work must be original and completed within the last two years. All media except performance, film and video are eligible for exhibition. A $20 non-refundable entry fee is required from each artist. All application materials must be received by 5:00 p.m. Oct. 17. For more information, call (760) 602-2021.

The David Bohnett Cyber Center at The Center is a free computer lab available to all members of the community. The Cyber Center provides free classes, mentoring, Internet access and use of the Microsoft Office Suite. Current hours of operation are Tuesday through Friday 1:30-4:30 p.m., and Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Special hours are available for youth and seniors, with specialized classes and instruction. Every Wednesday night free classes are taught, including Introduction to the Personal Computer, Internet Basics, Resume Building and more. To sign up for a class, call The Center and speak with the front desk, or stop in during Cyber Center open hours and sign up with the lab monitor on duty. For more information, call the Cyber Center at (619) 692-2077, ext. 106.