LGBTQ COMMUNITY

THE CENTER’S OPEN HOUSE

The San Diego LGBT Community Center will be reopening its doors and welcoming patrons back with an Open House on Saturday, May 14. At the Resource Fair, learn about the programs and services The Center provides. RSVP in advance for a 15-minute guided tour to check out the newly renovated community spaces.

thecentersd.org

HARVEY MILK DIVERSITY BREAKFAST

Recognized for his activism and deeply rooted commitment to philanthropy, Andy Linsky will receive the Harvey B. Milk Leadership Award at the 10th annual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast taking place at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Wednesday, May 11.

The Harvey B. Milk Leadership Award is bestowed on a person who has worked to enrich the lives of LGBTQ individuals through activism in labor, housing, education and/or human rights.

With a powerhouse legacy of service in the community, Linsky served on the Desert AIDS Project (now DAP Health) board of directors from 1990 to 2014 and was president 1998 to 2002. Linsky’s commitment to improving the lives of others goes beyond Palm Springs as demonstrated by his service as a board member for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) from 2002 to 2017 and his continuing service on the HRC Emeritus Council, which started in 2019. Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker will be this year’s recipient of the Harvey B. Milk Legacy Award. Parker currently serves as the president and CEO of the Victory Fund. She served six years as a Houston City Council member, six years as City Controller, and six years as Mayor. She is one of only two women to have been elected mayor and is the only person in Houston history to have held the offices of council member, controller and mayor. In addition, she was the first openly LGBT mayor of a major American city.

The breakfast honors the memory of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California, and his legacy of groundbreaking inspiration in the struggle to achieve LGBT equality. The event is designed to strengthen coalitions among the many diverse community organizations that work toward equality in the Coachella Valley. Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus will perform uplifting songs as part of the program. facebook.com/Desert.Milk

VENICE PRIDE FESTIVAL

Be who you are at the Venice Pride Festival. LA’s beloved grassroots LGBTQ celebration will be open to all ages and moving to a new beachside location on Saturday and Sunday, June 4 and 5. Celebrate with a diverse array of stage performances produced by Queer Moment, DJs, community booths, art, LGBTQ vendors, food trucks and a 40,000-square-foot beer garden with a massive aboveground pool featuring everyone’s favorite queer dance party west of the 405, Gaywatch.

On Friday, June 3, Venice Pride will “Light Up the Night” for the Equality Viewing Party at Hotel Erwin’s High Rooftop Lounge to witness the LA premiere and illumination of Yvette Mattern’s Global Rainbow laser installation across the California coast. VIP guests will enjoy two premium Bacardi cocktails, a meet-and-greet with Mattern, and a reserved viewing area for the Global Rainbow lighting ceremony.

This intimate gathering will benefit Project Contrast, a nonprofit founded by photojournalist Maxwell Poth that amplifies the voices of LGBTQ youth through the power of storytelling.

Venice Pride is a nonprofit responsible for the Venice Pride Flag Lifeguard Tower, LA’s first rainbow crosswalk, and ongoing events that bring the LGBTQ community together in LA’s coastal region. venicepride.org