Santa Clara County has officially opened a new LGBTQ wellness center in San Jose. County leaders were on hand Friday, August 9, to cut the ribbon at the colleQTIve Wellness Center, located at 1870 Senter Road.
The center is operated by the county's Behavioral Health Services Department. According to a news release, it houses several programs that offer holistic services and support for LGBTQ+ people, including two-spirit, intersex, asexual, and all other identities.
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Susan Ellenberg was on hand, along with Margaret Obilor, director of adult and older adult services; and Alicia Musquiz, the county's behavioral health services program manager.
The wellness center's programs also include the Q Corner, including the School Qnection team and the Harm ReduQion program; and the Gender Affirming Care Clinic, the release noted.
Q Corner is a peer-run program offering individual and group support, resource connection and navigation, community-building activities, and educational and training opportunities. The Harm ReduQion program offers trauma-centered substance use and overdose prevention and intervention, education, and trainings.
The gender clinic opened in December and is a specialty mental health outpatient clinic.
The county has long provided services to the LGBTQ community. Its pioneering Office of LGBTQ Affairs opened in 2016, thanks in large part to the efforts of gay then-supervisor Ken Yeager. It is the first county-level office of its kind, both in California and nationwide, inspiring hope and progress, a news release stated.
For more information, go to the county's behavioral health website.
Queer LifeSpace picnic
Queer LifeSpace will hold its first-ever summer mixer and picnic Sunday, August 18, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park. The picnic is in conjunction with the monthly Flagging in the Park event, an email announcement stated.
Queer LifeSpace, an LGBTQ counseling and mental health treatment agency, was selected as the August beneficiary of the flagging event, which typically draws several hundred people. The organization plans to provide an array of home-cooked food and refreshments for those who can make it. People should bring their own beverages. Blankets are also recommended, as the grass could be damp.
Flagging in the Park started in 1997 as a way for friends to find solace in the aftermath of the AIDS crisis, gathering to celebrate life amid the serene setting of the AIDS grove. Today, it has evolved into a colorful community event featuring DJs, flow artists, and the support of organizations like the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the Grass Roots Gay Rights Foundation.
To RSVP, go to the Facebook page.
SF Pride accepting theme ideas
The San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration Committee is now accepting suggestions for the theme for next year's Pride parade and festival.
An email announcement stated that community submitted theme suggestions are voted on by the SF Pride membership and approved by the board of directors in late summer, and the theme will set the tone for the organization's work the rest of the year.
People may submit as many suggestions as they like, the announcement stated. Simple and impactful phrases are encouraged. Suggestions infringing on copyrights or trademarks will be discarded. Popular theme concepts in the past have been of unity, love, social progress, social justice and equality, honoring San Francisco's queer history, and working for a better LGBTQ+ future.
Interested people are also encouraged to visit the list of previous themes at sfpride.org/theme#themes for inspiration and to avoid duplication.
The deadline for theme submissions is Thursday, September 5, at 5 p.m. SF Pride members will vote on proposals from September 7-14, via an online ballot. The theme is expected to be announced Monday, September 16.
To submit a theme, go to sfpride.org/theme.
Bear weekend in SF
San Francisco Bear Weekend returns to the city for a four-day event beginning Thursday, August 15, that celebrates the LGBTQA bear culture. Produced by Codybear Elkin and sponsored by the Alta California Leather Corp, SF Bear Weekend invites those over the age of 21 to embrace their inner-bear and celebrate the strength, loyalty, and fearlessness that the bear represents.
Once considered a fringe component of the leather scene, bears — hirsute people and their admirers — are now one of the most recognized parts of the LGBTQ community, and one of the most appreciated, a news release stated. In fact, a recent marketing study estimated that there are more than 1.4 million bear-identifying men in the U.S. alone.
Proceeds from the second annual event will benefit the North American Bear Collaborative, a working group of agencies, nonprofit conservation groups, landowners, and individuals committed to being proactive liaisons between humans and bears through public messaging and outreach about how people can live safely among California's growing black bear population. For more information on the North American Bear Collaborative, visit beingwithbears.org.
Weekend events include a welcome party and bear flag-raising Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the SF Eagle, 398 13th Street; Mr. SF Bear contestant meet and greet Friday, August 16, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Powerhouse bar, 1347 Folsom Street; and CAB-BEAR-AY on the Eagle patio Saturday, August 17, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., followed by the Mr. SF Bear contest from 3 to 6:30 p.m. at the Powerhouse. The San Francisco bear victory party and beer bust will be held Sunday, August 18, from 3 to 7 p.m. at SF Eagle.
For more information, go to mr-sfbear.com.
The bear weekend is not to be confused with the Bearrison Street Fair, which is scheduled for Saturday, October 19, from noon to 6 p.m. in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood.
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