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February
2012
Pacific Pride Foundation has
been leading Santa Barbara County in HIV/AIDS and LGBT programs and
services for over 30 years. With offices in Santa Maria and Santa
Barbara, we continue to support our community in a variety of ways.
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Ask about volunteer
opportunities in North and
South County!
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Call for
Committee Members!
Pacific
Pride is looking for interested community members to join our volunteer
committees for the Pacific Pride Festival and Get Out & Golf
Tournament. Event committees are a great way to
get involved in your community, make friends, and have fun along the
way!
Both committees will start meeting in February, so if you are
interested, please contact Tyson or click on the
following links for more information about Pride
or Golf.
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Spanish Language Support Group
Every
Wednesday, 6-8pm
Santa
Maria Office
819 W Church St
Dar factores de proteccion a los factores de riesgo que
los llevan a enfermendades fisicas y mentales.
To
empower individuals to recognize mental health risk factors and
protective factors for increased mental health wellness.
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Community
Connections with Ameriprise
Plan
your financial future and help raise funds for Pacific Pride.
Find out more about his great opportunity
here!
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Pacific Pride Foundation is Supported By
Wallis Foundation
Fund for Santa
Barbara
MAC AIDS Fund
Towbes Foundation
Macy's Foundation
Herbert
and Gertrude Latkin Charitable Foundation
Santa Barbara
Foundation
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Community Groups
Ladies
Supper Club: This ongoing monthly event is a
great way to get connected in our community. Contact Amy for
details!
Lez Mingle:
A lesbian social group that meets every 3rd Friday from 6:30-8:30 at
the GALA Center, 1060 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401.
Financial
Study Hall: Get your financial issues
handled, learn financial strategies, understand market outlook and
more. First Thursday of every month at 1625 State Street in Santa
Barbara. RSVP to Judy Pirkowitsch at 682-8187.
Burger
& Beer Monday: Head into Jill's
Place to cheer on your team for Monday Night Football and enjoy a
Burger & Beer Special, only $10! Jill's Place, 632 Santa
Barbara Street. Call for drink specials, 963-0378.
Great
Outdoors Santa Barbara / Ventura Chapter:
Meets monthly to discuss upcoming events and activities. For
more information visit their website.
Gay
Alcoholics Anonymous: Meets Sundays
at 11am in the Pacific Pride Foundation's office, 126 E. Haley St,
A-11.
PrimeTimers
Central Coast: Monthly Get Togethers and more!
UCSB Resource Center for Sexual & Gender
Diversity: Check out what's happening in and around
UCSB.
Pride
Nite at Gilli's Grill:
Every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month!
For updates and
highlights on what is happening in our community, visit Pacific Pride
Foundation's Queer
Social Scene!
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Greetings!
Welcome to the February edition of The Bulletin! We are excited
about the variety of events to share with you this month, and you're
certain to find one that strikes your fancy. And don't forget,
if you are hosting an event you would like included in The Bulletin,
there is a link that lives at the bottom of every email you can click
to send your information.
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 Community
Spotlight
Meredith
Munn came to Pacific Pride as the Santa
Barbara Equality Project's LGBTQ Advocacy Coordinator
in June 2011. She has been involved in community activism since high
school, and her interest in politics and community organizing
continued at Mount Holyoke College, where she received a BA in
Political Science and Gender Studies in 2009. She recently moved to
Santa Barbara with her wife Shannon, who is a Ph.D. student in the
Feminist Studies department at UCSB. Coming from an area of
Massachusetts with an extremely liberal and accepting atmosphere for
LGBT-identified people, the move to the West coast was a huge change,
and Meredith was pleased to find the PPF community here in Santa
Barbara.
As a member of the Equality Project, Meredith has played a role in
much of the on-the-ground activist work coming out of PPF over the
last 8 months. The Santa Barbara Equality Project is a local advocacy
group affiliated with PPF with the broad goal of advancing equality
for LGBT people across the central coast. They focus on a variety of
issues, including immigration equality, LGBT-inclusion in education,
anti-bullying, and issues of importance to LGBT elders.
Meredith believes that having a robust center like Pacific Pride
Foundation in our community is a huge asset! From case management and
a food pantry to organizing door-to-door canvassing to advocate for
marriage equality, PPF has proven to be a truly multifaceted
organization that seeks to fill the needs of the community whatever
they may be. "I am absolutely honored to be a part of Pacific
Pride and to do my small part to make the lives of LGBT people in
Santa Barbara county safer while working to encourage a more
inclusive and equitable community for all people."
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 HIV Prevention
Survey
Online
in English and Spanish
You can help
the Public Health Department make their future prevention strategies
more effective by taking their HIV Prevention Survey. You do
not need to be HIV+ or work directly with the HIV/AIDS community to
participate! It only takes a few minutes, and you can take it
in English or Spanish.
Questions?
Contact Paul P. Smith in the SB County Public Health
Department.
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Central Coast
Gay Men's Dinner Group
Wednesday,
February 1
6pm,
1210 S Bradley, Santa Maria
The Central
Coast Gay Men's Dinner Group has released their schedule for
2012! Join them at 6pm the first Wednesday of the month at a
rotating location. In February, the Group will be dining at
Olive Garden in Santa Maria. For more information, contact the group leader.
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Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Thursday, January 26 - Sunday, February 5
LITMUS
PAPER, a short film about a young lesbian facing tough
decisions, will screen during the Santa Barbara Short Program on
February 1 and 2.
Click
here for the full Festival Schedule.
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 Off-Kilter Poetry
Friday,
February 3
8-9:30pm,
113 W Ortega St
First in an
Occasional Body/Mind Series. A Whitman-Stein Production
Mary Brown /
Enid Osborn / Phil Taggart / Suzanne Frost / Christine Kravetz
Reading from
their own work and that of Mark Strand, Ruth Stone, Allen Ginsberg,
Emily Dickinson, Scott Struman, Michael Faran and Jane Hirshfield.
$5 Donation Requested (Credit/Debit cards accepted)
Host: Ron
Alexander
info:
805.637.3898
Doors open
7:30pm
Reading starts
8:00pm
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 Hate Crime
Reward Flyer Distribution
Saturday,
February 4
10:30am-12:30pm,
15 W Ortega
We need
volunteers this Saturday to put up reward flyers downtown! There is a
combined $7500 reward put
forth by Wildcat & the GLBA for information leading to the arrest
and conviction of the suspects in the NYE Hate Crime.
Volunteers will
meet at 10:30am at Wildcat, where an officer from the SBPD will give
a brief update on the case and progress that has been made. After that,
we will head out into surrounding area, distributing flyers to
businesses and individuals.
While these
flyers are informing the public of the reward for information leading
to the arrest and conviction of the suspects, it also important to
remind the community that we won't accept hate crimes in Santa
Barbara and that we stand with the victims of this brutal attack.
Questions?
Contact Tyson at
963-3636 ext 111.
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 Safe Spaces
Launch
Saturday,
February 4
2-5pm,
Santa Maria Public Library
In order to create spaces in which people can be themselves, GRACE
has launched the Safe Spaces Campaign.
Through the campaign we have and will continue to identify and
acknowledge business and organizations that work toward the inclusion
of all clients and employees regardless of race, creed, gender,
religion, physical ability or actual or perceived sexual orientation.
The campaign will also serve as an education campaign letting the
community know that there are people that care about and want to
support businesses that promote diversity.
This event will be a launch to the project and will include public
speakers, tabling from local vendors, free appetizers, and the
release of the safe space decals!
Please join us and invite all of your friends for the great event,
designed to building safe spaces on the Central Coast!
You can also
sign up your business to be a Safe Space online.
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 New Racisms, Sexisms, and Homophobias in Video Game
Worlds
Tuesday,
February 7
6:30-8pm,
Multicultural Center, UCSB
Racist, homophobic, and sexist language are common in military
networked console games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. While
many video game critics warn users against the dangers of video game
violence, the racism and sexism that occur between players of these
games are perhaps more worrisome than violent game content, and are
poorly regulated and monitored.
Lisa Nakamura
is the Director of the Asian American Studies Program, Professor in
the Institute of Communication Research and Media and Cinema Studies
Department, and Professor of Asian American Studies at the University
of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
For more info
visit their website.
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Workshop: Calling In Your Soul Mate
Satruday, February 11
9am-5pm, 487
N Turnpike Rd
Are you ready to find your soul mate? This is the year to call in
that loving, life partner you deserve and there is no better time to
do that than in the month of love. Come to this engaging and inspiring
workshop led by Britt Andreatta designed for people of all ages
and orientations.
In this one day retreat, you will release old stories and experiences
that are blocking your way to love. You will get clear about what you
really want so that you can manifest your true love. And, you will
design a beautiful love ritual to prepare for the arrival of your
soul mate.
Click here to download the
flyer for more information.
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 CommUnity
Leadership Institute 2012
Youth Leader & Youth Ally
Application Due: February 11th Institute Date: August 4th -
11th, 2012
Just Communities is excited to present the application
for the Youth Leader & Youth Ally positions at CLI 2012, as well
as the application for Leadership Team positions at this year's
Institute. Consider dedicating part of this summer to support
local high school students in becoming agents of change and justice
in the Central Coast.
Click here to contact the
Just Communities office for more
information or call (805) 966-2063.
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 Pizza Social
Wednesday, February 15
7pm, 15 E
Cabrillo Blvd
Join the Santa Barbara/Ventura chapter of Great
Outdoors for their monthly pizza social!
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 Lavender
Elders Lunch
Friday,
February 24
12-1:30pm,
First Congregational Church
Join the
Lavender Elders/Mayores of Santa Barbara on Friday, February 24 at
the First Congregational Church, 2101 State St, Santa Barbara,
CA. This month our SaBLE Senstivity Training Panel will present
our program training facilities on who we are and what we need as
LGBT ELDERS.
THIS IS NOT A POTLUCK THIS MONTH. Bring your
lunch. Refreshments will be provided.
We are LGBT seniors who are committed to improving the
quality of life for ourselves and others like us, and we welcome LGBT
Elders as well as our straight allies, family and
friends. All are welcome - Young and Old. Come join
us!
Please contact Barbara Faulker with
questions. See you there!
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 Drag in the
Funk Zone!
Friday, February 24, Reds Wine Bar
Saturday,
February 25, The Pub
Female illusionists extraordinaire will be gracing two stages for a
weekend of glitz and glamor. Ani Nhervoxa and Kit Pistol will
host both of the shows, and the performers will deliver all you could
desire in a professional show.
Both shows
begin at 10pm, $5 cover for each show
**Confirm you are attending on Facebook
and have a chance to win a seat at the VIP table.
***A big surprise for another lucky audience member***
You won't want to miss either show, since each will be different.
**Early arrival recommended!!**
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 Annual Women's
Camp Out
April
6-8, El Capitan State Beach
It's time for
our annual women's camp out! it's the first weekend in April,
the 6 through the 8, up at El Capitan State Beach. It's great
fun as we go tide pooling, walk the beach, some of us ride up the
canyon, others go hiking. We prepare our own food in small groups,
but come together to eat, drink appetizers and evening fire
circle! The cost is $20 per person.
Email Nancy
for information about how to reserve your spot. We always sell
out!
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Thoughts from the Executive Director's Desk
Hello Friends
of Pacific Pride,
With the
horrible New Years Eve hate crime, the lead Santa Barbara Police
Detective - Kenneth Kushner - has been working with 2 other officers
in the ongoing investigation. The more physically injured of the two
victims was discharged from the hospital. The Gay and Lesbian
Business Association and Wildcat Lounge's owner and promoter have
combined funds raised to establish a reward which is currently over
$7,500 and growing. Some of these funds have
already been allocated toward the very active investigation, and I
want to personally thank the many that have contributed donations to
the local Santa Barbara Bank & Trust 'Love Before Hate Fund'. The
bank continues to receive donations, so please keep giving. Please join our community
on Saturday, February 4 at 10:30am at the Wildcat to help distribute
flyers throughout the downtown neighborhoods. As the
officers have said to me, this is not just 'window dressing'. They
assure me that they are doing their utmost to bring justice to this
heinous act and all levels of support make a difference. Also, local
countywide news media continue to update the story in television and
newspapers.
Pacific Pride
is in the early stages of planning our first big gala fundraising
event in over 15 years in Santa Barbara - Pacific Pride's Royal Ball
on Saturday, May 19. The event will take place at the
Four Seasons Biltmore at the Coral Casino and is being organized by Merryl
Brown Events. An amazing group of committee members,
from circles of philanthropy and celebrity are working with our
Honorary Co-chairs - Neil Patrick Harris, his partner David Burtka,
and Cat Cora. Cat is 'all about' planning the menu of course!
White-gloved butlers, Cirque du Soleil performances, rock star DJ's
and dancing 'til midnight - it's a party! With our organization
maneuvering around ongoing governmental funding cutbacks and
deficits, a fundraiser like this can really help us fill the gap.
Essentially this will enable Pacific Pride to continue to support and
host all the free events and programming, which are so vital to our
communities. For more information, click
here to visit the website.
Thanks for
staying connected,
David
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