FINISHING JOSH’S WALK

BELOVED CHEERS BARTENDER JOSH GILLILAND DIES AFTER HIT-AND-RUN

by Benny Cartwright

Longtime bartender and beloved member of the local LGBTQ community Josh Gilliland died at the age of 47 on June 14, after being struck by a hit-and-run driver days earlier, according to friends and family members. Gilliland, who was walking to work at Cheers in University Heights on Saturday, June 10, was hit around 8:45 pm near the southeast corner of El Cajon Boulevard and Park Boulevard.

Gilliland had walked this route along Park Boulevard to the bar on his way to work for over 20 years, said his longtime friend Scott Moore. The scene of the hitand-run is just three blocks from Cheers. Co-workers started to become concerned when Gilliland didn’t show up after he was due in at 9 pm that night.

“Josh was to be in at 9 to barback like he always does, and he just never showed up,” Roger Scott, Gilliland’s coworker of 21 years, told Fox5 News.

According to police, Gilliland was standing near the bus lane, east of the crosswalk on El Cajon Boulevard when he was hit. He was found to be unconscious at the scene and suffered from a laceration to the back of the head, right shoulder fracture, scattered brain bleeds, and minor abrasions. For a few days following the incident, Gilliland remained in critical condition in the hospital, with friends and family uncertain if he would survive. On Wednesday, June 14 at 5:35 pm, Gilliland died.

The following day, on Thursday, June 15, community members and loved ones organized a vigil to “finish Josh’s walk” and draw attention to the intersection that many describe as dangerous. Over 100 people met at the southeast corner of Park and El Cajon boulevards, with signs and candles honoring Gilliland. The group rallied at the intersection and then ended at Cheers, taking the route Gilliland would have walked on the night of the hit-and-run.

At the bar, community members remembered Gilliland as “a loving, friendly, generous ray of light” with a “gentle soul and unforgettable sense of humor.”

Stevan Dupas, a former manager at Cheers, said that he will miss Gilliland’s laughter and humor.

“[Josh] was the fourth friend I made when I moved to San Diego in 2003, and

I’ve always loved that I had to move so far away from Kansas City to meet a friend from Kansas.”

Gilliand and Moore moved to San Diego from Kansas in 2001.

“Josh was and will live on in others as a ray of pure light, happiness, kindness, goodness, and joy,” said Sean Murray, a patron of Cheers who knew Gilliland.

The hit-and-run driver is still at large.

Witnesses described the vehicle as a dark-colored Honda Civic or BMW 3 Series that was traveling north on Park Boulevard, turning right on El Cajon Boulevard, where it struck Gilliand near the intersection. Anyone with additional information should contact Crime Stoppers at 888-580-TIPS.

LGBTQ San Diego News has reached out to the City of San Diego for more information on the intersection, to see if any additional safety measures will be taken. Numerous community members have stated for years that the intersection is dangerous with many cars speeding through the turns and ignoring the “No Turn on Red” signs. We will report additional information as we receive it.

Celebration of Life

A series of events, entitled “Remembering Josh,” will be held this Saturday, July 8. A memorial service will take place first, at 12 noon, at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Hillcrest, located at 4190 Front St. Following the service, community members are invited to The Merrow, located at 1271 University Ave. in Hillcrest, for a celebration of life.

–Benny Cartwright is a longtime activist and community leader. Reach him at community@lgbtqsd.news. Follow him on Instagram @BennyC80. ▼

The Drag March for Trans Rights took place on Sunday, June 18. San Diego resident and RuPaul Drag Race All Stars Season 1 winner, Chad Michaels, led a crowd of drag queens, trans activists, politicians, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and other supporters down University Avenue, from Urban MO’s to Rich’s San Diego, where a rally and a series of drag performances were held to raise awareness and funds for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s account with the ACLU’s National Drag Defense Operation. Nearly $20,000 was raised, between T-shirts, tips at the rally, and donations from both Rich’s and MO’s. To donate, visit bit.ly/SistersDragDefense

My Pride Inspiration

by Morgan M. Hurley Editor

I had my Pride OpEd all written, even already placed on the page, when I got the text I’ve been expecting, but one that you are never really quite ready for. My friend Moon (known to most as Coyote Moon) was finally in her transition phase to the next life. As I got ready to go see her possibly for the last time, I decided my OpEd had to be about her.

Moon has had cancer for a very long time. This bout, which is finally taking her from us, is about her fourth. She’s been a trooper throughout – one of the bravest souls I’ve ever met. She fought and fought until she just didn’t want to fight anymore. Last year she decided she was sick and tired of chemo and decided to stop treatment. Her doctors told her she had six months, so we threw her a huge celebration of life party at Crown Point. I’d say about 150 people came from every walk of her life. And she’s had many.

Born Alicia Tulio to a Mexican mother and a Filipino father, she was the fourth oldest of five; with two brothers and two sisters. She legally changed her name to Coyote Moon while working at Sempra’s South Bay Substation in the 1970s. She was the only female working at that plant for the longest time and suffered a lot of discrimination and harassment there, but always stood up for herself.

I heard many stories about it. She later transferred to the infamous Sempra Headquarters building on Ash Street, downtown. During her Sempra years, she married a coworker, had two children, divorced and then returned to the LGBTQ community. I met her a couple decades ago when we were both part of WomenMoto, a lesbian motorcycle riding group here in San Diego.

Moon is one of the smartest and funniest people I’ve ever known. I told her that tonight, as I sat by her bedside holding her hand. I am pretty sure she heard me.

She’s an avid sports fan; Chargers, Padres, Golden State Warriors, SDSU, to name a few of her favorites. She very publicly denounced the Chargers and gave up her season tickets when they moved north, but privately she and I texted throughout each of their games on TV, like little kids on the sidelines.

After her kids were grown and she retired, she became a full time activist. She volunteered at The San Diego Community Center’s front desk for years before being forced to take a break from her volunteer duties (rumor has it that it was linked to some cookies she brought in to share).

She was one of the leaders of the “dykes on bikes” at the front of the parade for as long as I can remember. Last year, even after losing lots of weight with a terminal cancer diagnosis, once again she climbed on her bike and joyously rode in the parade, while a dozen family members and friends lined the streets and cheered her on. She was exhausted afterward, but she did it. She was also an annual Pride Festival VIP ticket holder and a devoted She Fest attendee.

Moon loved her activist life almost as much as her two adult children and her grandson Jimmy. About 10 or 12 years ago, she sold her University Heights condo and bought her aunt’s house in National City. We all thought she was crazy, moving so far away from the gayborhood, but she was heading back to her roots. She had grown up in National City and spent much of her childhood in and around that home.

Once there, she threw herself into National City politics, becoming “besties” with then-Mayor Ron Morrison for a time but she soon became one of his fiercest critics and supported Alejandra Sotelo-Solis to succeed him. I reveled in her Facebook rants and followed her posts on the National City politics page.

When protestors tried to shut down Drag Queen Storytime at the Chula Vista Public Library, Moon was front and center with the counter-protestors holding big creative signs that she’d made herself and she always made the nightly news.

One year, she and one of her best friends took her Moondoggy RV and drove to Florida to take the Melissa Etheridge cruise. Their road trip had

See INSPIRATION page 8

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Changing Hearts and Opening Minds

by Toni G. Atkins

This is a season of celebration for the LGBTQ+ community. June was national LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and in San Diego, Pride festivities continue until mid-July.

A joyous spirit is in the air, with fun and empowering events including San Diego’s largest annual civic event, the Pride Parade. Pride flags of many colorful varieties drape the city, Pride merchandise can be found even in grocery stores, and television stations feature LGBTQ+ programming. Indeed, we have made great strides, both here in California and nationally, with public opinion polls showing that 70 percent of Americans now support marriage equality, double from what it was 20 years ago.

Yet there are dark storm clouds on the horizon. Across the country, LGBTQ+ rights are under well-coordinated attacks by extremist groups. In fact, the Human Rights Campaign has declared a national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the United States. More than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures, and over 70 of those have already been signed into law, primarily in conservative states. Half of the bills specifically target the transgender community, especially youth seeking gender affirming care and participation on sports teams. In some states, books with positive LGBTQ+ themes are being banned from libraries; discussion of LGBTQ+ topics and use of pronouns that don’t conform to a student’s assigned sex at birth are prohibited in schools; and drag shows are not allowed in public spaces.

The vitriolic rhetoric has resulted in an increase in hate crimes and violence directed

From Page 6 Inspiration

more ups and downs than the seven-day cruise! But Moon was always making memories (and taking selfies).

She did return to the volunteer desk at The Center for a bit, until her grandson was born and the cancer was taking up too much of her time. She started swimming at the National City public pool in between chemo treatments to keep herself active and made fast friends with the older ladies group she swam with. She had them all in stitches and they loved her as much as her best friends do.

Moon’s niece, Teresa Fillmore, has been honoring her aunt’s life by making bracelets and necklaces using silver “moon” beads along with other beads of various colors and shapes. She handed out hun- toward the LGBTQ+ community, and it has taken a toll on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth. According to a 2023 report by Trevor Project, 14 percent of LGBTQ+ youth attempted suicide last year, including nearly 20 percent of those who identify as transgender or nonbinary. These alarmingly high rates are due to rejection by their families and societal mistreatment and stigmatization.

Some have suggested that we should respond by boycotting states that limit LGBTQ+ rights.

In fact, since 2017, California has had a law prohibiting state-funded travel to such states with the intent of discouraging other states from passing discriminatory laws.

When this law was enacted, there were four states on the list, now there are 23, and no states have been removed. Unfortunately, this strategy is no longer effective and it has caused some unintended consequences, such as preventing state employees from attending LGBTQ+ related conferences, forcing public universities to use private funds to send their student athletes to compete, and even limiting California’s ability to help people from out of state receive abortion care.

It’s time for a new approach, which is why I introduced SB 447, the BRIDGE Project – Building and Reinforcing Inclusive, Diverse, Gender-supportive Equality.

This bill would replace the travel ban with a targeted marketing campaign to increase dreds of them at Moon’s celebration of life party last year, and again at Pride after watching Moon ride in the parade. She will be at She Fest this weekend to pass out more bracelets and plans on taking even more to this year’s parade and possibly the festival, too. Follow her on Instagram @ makerofbracelets. With Pride just around the corner, it’s hard to imagine Moon not being there. But her spirit will always be there, and with me, her loved ones, and her many friends and all the lives she’s touched along the way. She’s shown us all how to live out loud, even when you are dying.

P.S. Thank you for all the positive feedback we’ve received about our first issue. Keep picking us up, keep reading, get inclusivity and compassion throughout America. The project would create a non-partisan and inclusive messaging campaign that uplifts LGBTQ+ people, championing empathy and compassion to places where it is most needed. The goal is to reverse the winds of intolerance by changing hearts and opening minds — which I believe is how we are going to succeed in making this nation more inclusive for all.

I grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Appalachia, and even though I was fortunate to have understanding and accepting parents when I came out as a lesbian, I know what it is like to live in areas where LGBTQ+ people are less accepted and feel isolated. Ignorance is fueling the rise of transphobia. People tend to fear what they don’t understand, making it easy for the hate-mongers to spread misinformation. Folks today are generally more accepting of gay, lesbian and bisexual people because most people have friends, family members, colleagues, and others they know and respect who have come out and live openly as their authentic selves. But most Americans don’t have such relationships with transgender and nonbinary individuals, so they are more likely to be misled by the falsehoods spread by bigoted commentators.

Innovative initiatives such as the BRIDGE Project will share compelling personal stories and spread truth and love … the true antidote to ignorance and hate and the foundation of the bridge we need to build to a more understanding, and less divisive, future.

– Toni G. Atkins is California’s State Senate President pro Tempore and a resident of San Diego. For more information about this bill, visit sd39.senate. ca.gov/sb447. To communicate your support of Senator Atkins and/or SB447, visit sd39.senate.ca.gov/contact ▼

Mcc And The Inherent Sacred Worth Of Every Trans And Nonbinary Person

The following essay previously ran in the San Diego Union Tribune on June 5.

by Dan Koeshall

We raise spiritual voices for the inherent sacred worth of every trans and nonbinary person.

At Metropolitan Community Churches around the world, including at “The Met” in San Diego, our core values are inclusion, community, spiritual transformation, and justice. We believe in recognizing the humanity and dignity of every person in the human family, no matter who they are or who they love. We also believe God doesn’t make mistakes in creation, and every individual is personally accepted and unconditionally loved by this same God.

Love is our greatest moral value. Inclusion is a primary focus of our ministry. We want to be conduits of faith where everyone is included in the family of God. We believe that all people, as they are and where they are, should be welcomed at God’s table.

Our deep desire is to offer a safe and open community for people to worship, learn and grow in their faith. We are committed to equipping ourselves and each other to do the work that God has called us to do in the world — to share the good news of God’s unconditional love to all people.

The founder of Metropolitan Community Churches, Rev. Troy Perry, has often said, “God doesn’t have any step children. We are all God’s children.” So how do we create safe spaces for our transgender siblings and support them and their families?

I emailed Beth Kind, a transgender woman who first started attending Metropolitan Community Church of San Diego in 2013, and she wrote, “I’ve always not only felt fully accepted at the church, but celebrated for what I bring to the congregation in helping others like myself experience the same love, respect and confidence I’ve come to gain. Those experiences continue to open doors for me that have enriched my life, as well as those of friends, family and neighbors I interact with. We participate in community outreach programs, including Transgender Day of Remembrance and Transgender Day of Visibility, as well as provide religious services to transgender inmates at the county’s men’s jail. One of my fondest sayings we have is, ‘Come, just as you are.’” involved, write us letters and pitch us stories. Happy Pride.

Our mission is to bring people closer to God and one another. We affirm each individual as a unique and gifted creation of God. Building on our history of celebrating diversity in sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, we are a congregation that welcomes all people. We are also called to welcome home those who have been spiritually wounded or are seeking or growing a relationship with God that will lead to hope, healing and wholeness.

Repeatedly, we hear from visitors and newcomers — people who have been bruised and maligned by religion, and, even sadder, by family — that in worshiping with us, they suddenly feel “at home” and feel love and feel God.

– Morgan M. Hurley is the editor-in-chief of LGBTQ San Diego County News. Reach her at editor@lgbtqsd.news. ▼

If you don’t know a transgender person, I encourage you to visit our church, reach out and meet the many fabulous transgender people who call San Diego home. You will find out our trans siblings have the same hopes, desires, fears and worries as we all do. Well, yes and no. With transgender people becoming a growing target of anti-trans legislation, discrimination and violence motivated by fear, hate and ignorance, our trans siblings live in a dangerous world where they are being attacked on every side it seems — and mostly from God-loving people. This I don’t understand.

We at The Met will continue to reach out and provide an open door and open hearts toward all of God’s beloved creations, including our trans siblings. Metropolitan Community Churches around the globe continue to practice inclusion and the recognition of the full humanity of every person.

The Metropolitan Community Churches’ elders advocate alongside our transgender siblings that trans people should be supported and protected from physical and emotional violence and encouraged to fully participate in community and family life. Trans children and adults should be ensured access to medicines and other gender-affirming treatments.

We raise spiritual voices for the inherent sacred worth of every trans and nonbinary person. I ask, would you join us in prayer and action for their safety and protection?

–Dan Koeshall is senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of San Diego and a former Assembly of God minister. He lives in South Park.

Editor’s Note: To read additional Pride Month-inspired, proLGBTQ messages from other faith leaders of various denominations within the local San Diego community, visit bit.ly/43YSla2 ▼ nam veteran and San Diegan, had also become friends with Morris, who was a fellow anti-war activist. When I moved to San Diego in the early 1970s, I met Jess and learned that he and others were trying to establish a “San Diego Gay Center.” in some of the local bars (some bars refused to post them), and contact the gay and lesbian student organizations at the local colleges. This plan resulted in more than 60 of us gathering together and marching from downtown to Balboa Park –under the threat of arrest – but luckily no one was arrested.

In 1974, Jess and I met with my personal attorney, Tom Homann of the ACLU, about starting a Pride march here, as the Los Angeles organizers had done in Hollywood. We contacted our mutual friend Morris to learn more about how the Pride march in LA had been organized.