Family Matters recently announced the 12th annual parenting conference and resource fair, “Creating Your Family,” will take place at The Center on Saturday, June 2, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The day will include presentations on a range of issues of interest to those considering parenthood, as well as GLBT parents. Workshop topics include single parenting, domestic adoption and foster care, international adoption, surrogacy, IVF and other biological options, legal issues, blended families, and school and child care issues.

“Our annual parenting conference is a unique opportunity for GLBT parents to become even better informed parents,” said Marci Bair, coordinator for Family Matters. “For those considering parenthood, this day gives them access to a full range of information and resources to help them on their journey to parenthood.”

Registration is $20 per person by Saturday, May 26, or $25 at the door. Registration forms are available at http://thecentersd.org.kintera.org/creatingfamily.

The Center is located at 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest.

For more information, contact Bair at 619-692-2077, ext. 121, or via e-mail at mbair@thecentersd.org.

The San Diego Women’s Chorus recently announced the first concert of its 20th Anniversary Season called “Cause They Were Here: 20 Years of Harmony.” The one-night-only performance will take place inside the First Unitarian Universalist Church on Saturday, June 2, at 6:30 p.m.

The gala evening will celebrate SDWC’s 20 years of making music with songs, stories, fun prizes and plenty of surprises. The concert will feature a retrospective of women’s music including songs written and made famous by Carole King, Indigo Girls, Holly Near, Margie Adam, Joan Baez, the Dixie Chicks and more.

This event will also include a live auction, a silent auction and an opportunity drawing that will begin the evening’s festivities.

The silent auction will include an unrestricted pair of tickets on Southwest Airlines, a weekend stay at a secluded cabin in the Berkshires, a family four pack to LEGOLAND California; dinner and overnight accommodations at both Pala Casino Resort & Spa and Harrah’s Rincon Casino, and other health, beauty and music-themed packages.

The live auction will feature a luxurious one-week stay for two at the beautiful Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico, valued at approximately $6,700.

An opportunity drawing will offer chances at an amazing seven-night cruise for two, donated by Olivia Cruises and Resorts, valued at $4,600. The winners will join Lily Tomlin and Sheryl Swoopes to celebrate Olivia’s 100th trip and visit some of the most amazing destinations along the Mexican Riviera.

Tickets to “Cause They Were Here: 20 Years of Harmony” are $15, with discounts available for seniors, students and military. Special prices are also available for groups. Opportunity drawing tickets for the Olivia Cruise are $10 a piece, six tickets for just $50 or 13 tickets for $100.

Concert and opportunity drawing tickets are now available from San Diego Women’s Chorus members; at Kindred Journeys, 510 N. Coast Highway, Suite A, in Oceanside; at Rubber Rose, 3812 Ray Street in North Park; and at Obelisk the Bookstore, 1029 University Ave. in Hillcrest. Tickets can also be purchased by visiting www.sdwc.org.

The First Unitarian Universalist Church is located at 4190 Front St. in Hillcrest.

For more information, call 619-291-3366 or visit www.sdwc.org.

Join local hair stylist, Jack Martinez, as he single handedly participates in “Cut for a Cause” on Friday, May 25, and Saturday, May 26.

Martinez, who works at One Dot Salon, promised himself when he got his license as a hair stylist that he would donate back to the community a portion of the proceeds he makes from his work. He is now making good on that promise with this two-day “Cut for a Cause.” The local stylist will donate 30 percent of all proceeds from the haircuts he does at One Dot Salon on these two days to The Center.

Haircuts for the “Cut for a Cause” special event are $25 and include a shampoo.

One Dot Salon is located at 3521 Fifth Ave.

For more information or to make an appointment, call Martinez at 619-253-8233.

The Kensington Concert Series will present the men’s jazz and pop singing ensemble, the Cosmos, in a backyard-concert setting on Sunday, June 3, at 5 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Kensington-Normal Heights Friends of the Library.

Formed in January 2004, the Cosmos have performed their rich, sassy and colorful sound to audiences all over San Diego. Their repertoire is full of familiar songs you won’t hear on most programs.

An unusual pool of talented musicians, these singers are dedicated volunteers who are full-time career professionals and give their time, talent and love to their passion of creating music of the highest caliber. They commit to weekly rehearsals and an extra half-day rehearsal each month to ensure the group’s music and artistry will touch audience members.

Under the direction of artistic director Bob Wuertz, the group has been described as powerfully emotional, entertaining and just plain fun.

Tickets are on sale at the Kensington Video, located at 4067 Adams Ave. Because the concert will take place at a private residence, the concert location will be disclosed when tickets are purchased.

“Antigay Groups and the Road to LGBT Equality” will be the topic of a presentation by the Rockway Institute at The Center on Tuesday, May 29, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The presentation by Dr. Robert Green, executive director of the Rockway Institute, will describe the institute’s efforts to change public opinion and to conduct ground-breaking research that is directly relevant to key public policy objectives. In addition, Green will highlight various ways that the attendees and GLBT citizens and their allies can engage in “everyday acts of advocacy.”

Rockway Institute is a new national public policy think-tank affiliated with the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco. Rockway conveys accurate, scientific and professional information about GLBT issues to the media, lawmakers and the courts. The institute also conducts original research applicable to GLBT public policy in the areas of couple/family relations, mental health, education, social services, medical care and the workplace.

The event is free and open to the public. Free parking is available nearby. The Center is located at 3909 Center Street in Hillcrest.

For more information about the Rockway Institute and its programs, visit www.rockwayinstitute.org.

For information about the San Diego event, contact Rick Moore at 415-314-8952 or e-mail rmoore.rockway@alliant.edu.

The Center was recently honored by the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists (AGLP) at its annual awards banquet, which took place on May 22 in Balboa Park.

The Center received the Stuart Nichols Award for outstanding achievements in GLBT community mental health. The award was created to honor a program or agency in the city where the annual meeting is held, which provides mental health or related services primarily to the GLBT community. Dr. Nichols was a founder of AGLP.

The AGLP traces its roots to the late 1960s, when gay and lesbian members of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) met informally at the annual meetings. Still an affiliated organization of the APA, the group is an independent organization.

“We are proud to recognize the critically important contributions of The San Diego GLBT Community Center,” said Roy Harker, executive director of the AGLP. “The Center’s decades of service to the GLBT community in the areas of social and mental health deserve to be recognized and commended. The Center’s commitment to the betterment and well-being of the GLBT community is truly a model for other communities to emulate.”

Past AGLP honorees have included the Hetrick-Martin Institute, Congressmember Barney Frank, Dr. Evelyn Hooker, YouthPride Atlanta, Urvashi Vaid, Marlon Riggs, Frank Kameny, Barbara Gittings and E. Lynn Harris.

The Greater San Diego Business Association (GSDBA) is launching a new marketing campaign in June, introducing the theme “Friends Do Business With Friends.” The campaign has dual goals: reminding consumers that the GSDBA is the place to find gay and gay-friendly businesses and letting business owners know GSDBA is the way they can reach out to this affluent and fast-growing market.

The multi-media campaign extends to print and television media, outdoor billboards and promotional merchandise.

More than 250 television commercials will air in San Diego County through November on news networks CNN, CNBC and MSNBC, and on pop-culture network Bravo during hit programming such as “Top Design” and “Queer Eye.”

Based on Nielsen viewership data, the commercials are expected carry the GSDBA’s message to an estimated 1.7 million households.

Two billboards with the “Friends Do Business With Friends” theme that include group photos of participating business owners will display during June and July in Hillcrest at University and Vermont avenues, and University Avenue and Eighth Street. Businesses participating in the co-operative billboards include Cytelea Communications, Principle Real Estate, Paychex, My Plumber, Waddell & Reed Financial Advisors, Mark Visocky General Contractor, Chiropractor David Knepp, Mortgage One Lenders, Hotel La Jolla and Financial 21 Credit Union.

Print advertising with the theme will appear throughout the year in the Gay & Lesbian Times, which reports weekly readership of 38,750, and Buzz, which reports monthly distribution of 100,000.

For more information, call the GSDBA office at 619-296-5616.