Volume 5 Issue 14 July 11–24, 2014
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GAY
SAN DIEGO SERVING OUR LGBT COMMUNITY
2 NEWS
Pride Guide inside!
Building consensus within his community
LGBT Local Hero Robert Gleason shines Monica Medina |
Sport dancing San Diegans
t DINING Mayor Kevin Faulconer, surrounded by various leaders and members of the San Diego’s LGBT community, holds a press conference before ceremoniously installing the first two pride flags to be flown throughout Downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter. A total of 124 rainbow colored flags will fly above the streets of the Gaslamp for the next two weeks to commemorate Pride season in San Diego. (Photo by SDCNN)
A regal eatery
s SPORTS
Tennis tourney results
d THEATER
Mayor Faulconer makes Pride history
A new tradition takes place in the Gaslamp Quarter McKenna Aiello | Gay San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer kicked off the 40th anniversary of San Diego Pride on Wednesday, July 9 when he became the first mayor of San Diego to hoist rainbow flags over the Gaslamp Quarter. As members of the Gaslamp Quarter Association, San Diego LGBT Pride, and other leaders and members of the local LGBT community looked on, Faulconer acknowledged the struggles of past LGBT leaders and looked toward a future comprised of even more triumphs for the community. “Today I’m proud to stand next to people who continue to fight for acceptance and equality,” Faul-
coner said during the press conference leading the flag ceremony. “And given the fact that the first march took place in Downtown, here we have come full circle,” he said. A moderate Republican, Faulconer has not been shy in openly sharing his support for the LGBT community; he chairs the Mayors for the Freedom to Marry Coalition — a national, non-partisan group advocating for the marriage rights of same-sex couples — and has appointed several members of the LGBT community on both his transition and permanent staff. Jimmy Parker, executive director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association,
see Faulconer, pg 20
Jeremy Ogul | Gay San Diego
On the fringe of the festival
Index Calendar....…….....…4 Opinion............….….6 Wedding Guide....….….10 Classifieds.……………18 Fitness.......…......…23
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(l to r) Rev. Canon Albert Ogle and Robert Gleason were both recently named “LGBT Pride Month Local Heroes” by KPBS and Union Bank. (Photos by Courtesy KPBS)
Mankind makes its move One of Hillcrest’s most popular gay adult retailers has finally settled into a new location on University Avenue. Mankind opened its doors at 1295 University Ave. on July 5. The store sells men’s designer clothing, sex toys, pornography DVDs and accessories. Many were dismayed last November when Mankind founder Keith Miller announced he was closing at the end of its lease, after more than five years in business at its former location. That’s when Brian Casey seized the opportunity to buy the store from Miller, who also owns Helix Studios, a giant in the world of gay adult entertainment. The old Mankind store — in a converted house at 3425 Fifth Ave. — had plenty of charm and quirk, but it was too far off the beaten path to realize its full potential, Casey said. The store’s new prime location on the block positioned between Baja Betty’s and Rich’s will lead to significant growth in the customer base. Indeed, surveys have shown that some parts of University Avenue get as much foot traffic as Downtown and Little Italy, said Benjamin Nicholls, interim executive director of the Hillcrest Business Improvement Association.
Ask anyone who knows Robert Gleason what quality most defines him, and it’s pretty much unanimous: consensus builder. That’s how fellow honoree Reverend Albert Ogle describes him. Ditto, Max Disposti and Vincent Pompei, two of last year’s Local Hero recipients. Gleason, a 2014 LGBT Pride Month Local Hero, is the newly appointed president and CEO of Evans Hotels, a company he’s been with for 30 years. A long-time San Diegan, Gleason is an activist for the following areas: the arts, economic development, electoral politics and LGBT civil rights, and his work as a consensus builder is front and center in his efforts in helping to pull together the LGBT Community Leadership Council.
Assistant Manager of Visual Marketing Donald Bynum makes sure product displays look perfect. (Photo by Jeremy Ogul)
Along with similar retail stores such as Obelisk, Mankind fills an important niche that Nicholls likes to call “pride retailers,” which cater to the LGBT community but also appeal to a broader audience. He said such stores play a critical role in the unique identity and culture of the Hillcrest community.
see Mankind, pg 20
“Talk about collaboration,” he said. “The one big initiative we started was meant to bring LGBT and allied resources together. I chaired the board for eight years, and the great thing about it was seeing all these disparate organizations, that didn’t often work together, get involved. When people were coming forward and trying to form new groups, they’d start with us. “Once a year we’d hold a reception for everyone’s board members to learn and grow capacity. Max Disposti, who is now the executive director of the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, showed up and said, ‘Hey I’m interested in doing community work in Oceanside,’ and he started coming every month and that’s how his organization grew. It’s good to see what he’s done. The first step always is visibility and just being present.”
see KPBS Hero, pg 13