Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "glbt"

Party with Pride this Saturday

2011-06-01T18:50:14Z

Party with Pride 2011 this Saturday at Capitol Mall. More than 20 performers will entertain festivalgoers with dancing, drag queens, cheerleaders and more at this annual event to raise money for the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center.

Guy Farris, Emmy award-winning anchor of “Sacramento & Co” will lead the parade as this year’s Grand Marshall. Don Geronimo, host of Sports 1140 KHTK, and LaRoy, a gay radio correspondent, will emcee.

Club queen singer Luciana Caporaso and Sacramento native Raquela bring raucous disco while Miss Coco Peru does her unique brand of storytelling in a day of non-stop entertainment. “We were extremely lucky to book Luciana, Raquela and Miss Coco for the festival,” said Hilary Hodge, Pride Entertainment Manager.

Cheer San Francisco, Xavier Toscano, Tom Goss, Jovi Radtke and Precious Cargo also add to the excitement.

Sierra Forever Families will have a family-friendly Kid Zone while Amtrak, the Midtown Business Association and Badlands sponsor the hot-and-heavy Dance Pavilion.

This year, Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel again became the major sponsor. Comcast Corporation, Wells Fargo, Hewlett-Packard, SMUD, and Markstein Beverage Company also fund the event as well as other local companies and nonprofits.

Even the City of Sacramento also helps offset costs. “Given the economy, we were very thankful to have the same amount of funding from the city this year that we did last year,” said Josh Jacoby, Pride director.

Beverage tents, a food court, vendors and exhibitors create a mini-mall where festivalgoers can while away the day.

The annual festival and parade is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center, which serves more than 30,000 people annually.

The Center’s programs and services include a legal clinic, sign language classes, Lavender Angels that patrol midtown on weekends and a homeless youth initiative. The Center also holds peer programs for families, youth, 20-somethings, transgender, people with HIV/AIDS, men, women and bisexuals.

For more information, please visit http://www.sacramentopride.org.

WHO: Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center
WHAT: Pride 2011
WHEN: Saturday, June 4, 2011, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Parade also starts at 10 a.m.
WHERE: Capitol Mall near Tower Bridge
Parade starts at S and 5th Streets
WHY: Most entertaining event of the year for the LGBTI community—and the biggest annual fundraiser for the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center.
COST: $10 for adults. Children 5 and under free.

DISCLOSURE: A former journalist, Dell Richards runs Sacramento's Dell Richards Publicity. Sacramento Pride is one of her clients.

Sign up to volunteer for Pride 2011 now

2011-04-25T22:22:55Z

Starting in May, volunteers can do three-to-four hour shifts in exchange for a ticket.

“Volunteers are the most important part of the team,” said Josh Jacoby, Pride Director. “We couldn’t do the event without them.”

To get the work and time slot wanted, volunteers should sign up now.

To be held on Saturday, June 4th, volunteers can start handing out flyers and postcards at various Sacramento farmers’ markets and Second Saturday in May.

On Friday evening, June 3, volunteers can help set up the stages, fencing and other necessities at Capitol Mall near Tower Bridge.

On Saturday, they are needed to:
• set up the Parade on Saturday morning at the staging area on S Street and 5th,
• monitor the route up 5th Street to the festival near Tower Bridge.
• sell tickets at the festival grounds,
• work the beverage booths,
• manage the stages for the entertainment,
• help with the dance pavilion, the exhibitors, vendors and festival goers during the actual event.

People also are needed for tear-down on Saturday after the party closes at 6 p.m.

Volunteers also receive the love and admiration of the community as well as a Pride t-shirt.

Sacramento Pride is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center..

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Center serves 30,000 people annually by providing such services as the legal clinic, sign language classes, Second Saturdays and the Lavender Angels. It also holds peer programs for Central Valley families, youth, 20-somethings, transgender, people with HIV/AIDS, men, women and bisexuals.

To sign up, visit https://www.sacramentopride.org/volunteer. For questions, please email volunteer@saccenter.org.

Disclosure: Dell Richards runs Dell Richards Publicity, a Sacramento public relations firm. Pride 2011 is one of her clients.

April Pride 2011 meeting postponed until May

2011-03-23T17:36:16Z

Due to a scheduling conflict, the April community meeting for Pride 2011 has been postponed until Wednesday, May 18th.

The May meeting will be held from 6:30 until 8:00 p.m. at the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center, 1927 L Street, Sacramento.

Sacramento Pride 2011 will be held Saturday, June 4th.

For 26 years, Sacramento Pride has been the main fund-raising source for local gay services such as the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center’s legal clinic, Lavender Angels, Q-Deaf, homelessness and Speaker’s Bureau as well as peer programs for families, youth, 20-somethings, transgender, people with HIV/AIDS, men, women and bisexuals.

The Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center serves the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of the greater Sacramento region by providing space, diverse programming, advocacy and awareness in an affirmative and safe environment.

For info, call (916) 442-0185 or email pride@sacramentopride.org.

Disclosure: Dell Richards runs Dell Richards Publicity, a Sacramento public relations firm. Pride 2011 is one of her clients.

Pride 2011 needs a few good performers

2011-02-28T19:22:44Z

With two stages going during the day-long Sacramento Gay Pride Festival on June 4th, organizers are looking for singers, dancers, musicians and other entertainers.

Street performers such as magicians, jugglers, stilt walkers and acrobats also are welcome.

Send links to samples of your work, website, relevant information and contact person by March 25th to pride@sacramentopride.org.

For more information, contact the Center at (916) 442-0185 or pride@sacramentopride.org.

Disclosure: Dell Richards runs Dell Richards Publicity, a Sacramento public relations firm. Pride 2011 is one of her clients.

Community invited to monthly meetings on Sacramento Pride 2011

2011-02-07T22:33:40Z

The Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center is inviting the public to a series of meeting about the Sacramento Pride 2011 events to be held on Saturday, June 4th this year.

Monthly meetings will be on the third Wednesdays of February, March, April, and May to let the gay and lesbian community know about this year’s parade and other exciting events, to solicit feedback and generate interest in the most important fund-raising event of the year for the non-profit center.

The meetings will be held at the SG&L Center, 1927 L Street, Sacramento, from 6:30 until 8:00 p.m. on:
• February 16,
• March 16,
• April 20, and
• May 18th.

For more information, contact the Center at (916) 442-0185 or pride@sacramentopride.org.

Disclosure: Dell Richards runs Dell Richards Publicity, a Sacramento public relations firm. Pride 2011 is one of her clients.

Serving up faith

2010-04-07T04:16:58Z

A downtown restaurant is now home to a church that embraces gays and people of color.

For more than a month, Sofia on 11th and its owners, Jeremy and Vicki Bennett and partner Martin Tejeda, have welcomed A Church for All to take over a 1,500-square-foot banquet room. That has allowed the church to continue providing a spiritual meeting place for its diverse members.

The Rev. Doretha Flournoy describes it as a "radically inclusive" church with an interest in social justice and unique ideas about "how God operates in the world."

"If you walk into A Church for All on a Sunday morning, you'll see African-American folks, Latino folks, Caucasians. You'll see transgender folks. You'll see drag queens. You'll see lesbians. You'll see straight people. You'll see gay people," Flournoy said. "I often just kind of look at the congregation and say, 'Wow — how did we do this?' "

Sofia, at 815 11th St., is known for its big lunch crowds, private parties and meeting space. The church's openness helped convince Sofia's owners that renting out space in a restaurant otherwise closed on Sundays — but at half the normal rate — was the right thing to do, Jeremy Bennett said.

"They don't shun anyone, which I thought was really cool," Bennett said recently while managing the restaurant.

The church has its roots in the Metropolitan Community Church, the world's first church created to minister to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. The three reverends at A Church For All were ordained by MCC and split off from Metropolitan Community Church of Sacramento, which closed in May 2008 after 37 years.

While that church was operating in Mather, A Church for All wanted to stay close to what some Sacramentans know as "Lavender Heights," a concentration of gay-owned businesses near 20th and K streets.

Flournoy is a mother of two with a domestic partner. She also describes herself as a "very out" lesbian, African-American reverend, which she said is rare to find in church leadership.

Flournoy and two other pastors, Rosario Vargas and Charles Cooper, along with a launch team of 25 people, originally established the church at Club 21 at 21st and K streets. The club's owner, Terry Sidie, who also owns Faces and Head Hunters, invited the church to meet there monthly for free so the community would have a spiritual center, said Flournoy, a deputy director at the California Institute for Mental Health.

But people who partied there on Saturday nights found it difficult to show up at the same place for church the next day.

So they found a new home. And every Sunday, A Church for All meets in Sofia at the Best Western Sutter House from 1:30 to 3 p.m., a time that works well for anybody who went clubbing the night before, she said.

Curtains are drawn to hide the room's full-service bar, a portable stage is pulled out and chairs are set in rows in the recently renovated banquet room.

The church has about 50 regular members, and yet attendance remains very fluid. Flournoy, Vargas and Cooper watch to see who will be in the crowd each week.

"This church changes every Sunday I'm there," Flournoy said. "The room is always full."

SIGLFF encourages all to embrace their sexuality

2009-10-08T05:01:11Z

The Sacramento International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (SIGLFF), Sacramento's largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) art event, is coming to the Crest Theatre Thursday through Saturday.

"Embrace your sexuality, whatever it is," said Patti Barcena of SIGLFF. "SIGLFF is good entertainment. Where else will you get to see GLBT films with such an appreciative audience?"

SIGLFF is a non-profit event that shows worldwide film and video works of both positive or critical portrayals of GLBT communities, people and aspects of their daily lives. "This international festival provides an outlet for GLBT filmmakers to express themselves and have their works shown on a big screen to a general audience, a feat that is oftentimes hard to accomplish with a GLBT-themed film," Barcena said.

"The goal of this event is to show that we can come together with our shared experiences and create an authentic reflection of our community," said Dawn Deason, president of SIGLFF.

Each night of the three-night festival is composed of different short and feature length films. While a variety of themes are explored, such as being true to yourself and coming of age, according to Barcena, the program is very youthful and full of humor.

The festival will open with two short films, "Paris Noir" directed by Alexandra McGuinness and "Frequent Traveler" directed by Patricia Bateria. Thursday night's showing concludes with "The Big Gay Musical" directed by Casper Andreas and Fred M. Caruso. "The Big Gay Musical" follows the lives of Paul and Eddie, actors whose lives mirror the characters they are playing. Paul is looking for the perfect man but seems to only have disastrous dating experiences, while Eddie is dealing with how sexuality and faith can mix.

Friday night's showing has a similar format to Thursdays featuring two short films, "Girl Talk" directed by Jennifer Smith and "U-Haul: The Music Video" directed by Bob Koehr, followed by Shamin Sarif's feature length film "I Can't Think Straight." An entertaining, romantic comedy, "I Can't Think Straight," is a sweet story about two women, one Indian and the other Palestinian, and their preparations to get married.

Fifteen short films will conclude the festival Saturday night. Films include: "Dinx," "Make a Mate," "James," "A Day at the Beach," "Dish," "Buttery Top," "Downstream (Im Fluss)," "The Marionettes," "Allison My Love," "On the Bus," "510 Meters Above Sea Level," "El Mueble de las Fotos," "Peking Turkey," "Judgment Day" and "How Do I Say This? I’m Gay."

"The short program is really fun," Barcena said. "There are such a variety of films - from comedies to musicals to animation. There is a program for everyone."

Most films strike an emotional chord with the audience, said Jennifer Novak, of Sunburst Projects. "They really make people aware that we are all human beings."

In the past, the audience has been so inspired, they have ended with film on their feet cheering for the film's characters, Barcena said.

"Nobody cheers for the GLBT characters in mainstream film," Barcena pointed out. "The reaction to SIGLFF has been fabulous."

After the showing, each audience member will have a chance to vote for their favorite film.

SIGLFF was started in 1992 by Allan Cole and was based on a student-run gay and lesbian film festival at Fresno State. Cole and his organizers worked together with students from the California State University, Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Alliance and the Delta Lambda Phi fraternity to organize SIGLFF. The first year was a huge, sold-out event prompting SIGLFF to be continually held each year in early October to celebrate National Coming Out Day, observed every October 11.

SIGLFF shares the proceeds of this event with local non-profit organizations. This years beneficiaries are the Lambda Players and Sunburst Projects.

The Lambda Players serve the GLBT community by educating and entertaining through live theatre, including works from local GLBT play writes.

Sunburst Projects is a local organization that helps improve the lives of thousands of primarily low-income HIV or AIDS infected and affected family members and children. They work to address the social, emotional and psychological needs and care of those impacted by HIV and AIDS.

"The money raised by SIGLFF will go to our children and teens to help support monthly activities, such as laser tag, adopt-a-child holiday program and our summer camp programs," Novak said.

Since 1992, SIGLFF has raised more than $34,300 which has benefited a variety of organizations including Breaking Barriers, Women's Health Services and Center for AIDS Research & Education.

All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. An individual ticket to the event is $10 and an all-festival pass is $25. Pass holders receive free entry to all programs and the SIGLFF sponsored events before and after each program, including special seating, an opening night reception at the Cosmo Cafe and wine and hors d'oeuvres before the Friday and Saturday showings.

Tickets are available at the Crest Theatre, 1013 K Street, tickets.com and The Beat Music Store, 1700 J Street.

Photos are courtesy of SIGLFF.

Friends Show Support For Accused Security Guard Murderer

2009-09-25T22:06:37Z

Before this week, he could have been best described as your average, typical 23-year-old male. A love of cars, technology and fashion is evident from the photos and descriptions that litter his online MySpace and Facebook profiles. Comments from friends show he was much loved and adored, but now those same friends are showing signs of solidarity and support for a man accused of murder.

"My heart goes out to you," friend Christopher Williams wrote Michael "Mykel" Weisz's MySpace profile. "I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt someone on purpose."

But that's exactly what authorities say Weisz did Wednesday morning when he allegedly ran down 64-year-old security guard Leroy Fisher with his car after being ejected from "Badlands," a popular gay Sacramento nightclub. Fisher died from the hit-and-run incident; Weisz and a friend later surrendered to authorities in San Francisco. Authorities say Fisher's death was not accidental.

"We believe he [Weisz] purposefully hit him," police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong told reporters Wednesday. "It was not an accident."

A passenger that was reportedly with Weisz at the time of the murder has not been charged, though the investigation is still ongoing.

Weisz was booked into Sacramento County Jail early Thursday morning on one count of felony murder and one count of felony hit-and-run. Almost immediately following the news, an influx of friends flocked to Weisz's online profiles to express their support and love.

"Love ya Mykel, here for you!" friend Cheryl Ehara wrote on Weisz's Facebook profile. Another, Tru Calderon, wrote "May God be with you my friend."

The support for Michael Weisz seems underwhelmed compared to the evening vigil for Leroy Fisher, where friends, family and supporters of Sacramento's gay and lesbian community gathered on K Street near a line of gay clubs and businesses to remember a person who felt more like a friend than a security guard. Sacramento resident George Raya frequently hired Fisher for security at events, but was also familiar with Weisz.

"He has a bad reputation," Raya told Sacramento Press reporter Suzanne Hurt. "He's just this wild 23-year-old who gets drunk and doesn't act considerate."

Now, the same 23-year-old adored by family and friends sits behind bars, accused of murdering a beloved community figure. Weisz did not enter a plea when he appeared in Sacramento County court Friday afternoon. Instead, his attorney requested, and was granted, a delay by the court. Weisz's next scheduled appearance in court is set for early October.

A statement reportedly from Weisz's family was placed on his Facebook profile Thursday afternoon on his behalf, thanking the public for their support.

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Matthew Keys is an online news writer for FOX40.com and community contributor to The Sacramento Press. He can be reached by e-mail at mkeys@tribune.com.

Photos appear courtesy Michael Weisz' Facebook profile.

Scenes from Rainbow Festival 2009

2009-09-07T22:45:55Z

Terry Sidie, founder of the Rainbow Festival (in cowboy hat), strikes a pose with volunteers

and Sterling, the civilized dog.

Joe Velez leads Sacramento Women's Chorus through several songs.

A Small Difference Choral group entertains the crowd.

Cheer SF, Cheer Sacramento and Cheer Sirens

do their acrobatic routines.

Several individuals and groups sang to the crowd and got them dancing.

Photos (Joe Velez & Sacramento Women's Chorus | Launa Cornwell

Photos | Kati Garner