Just as quickly as Pride Month arrived, another Pride Month as passed. Thank you to everyone who supported and celebrated Pride with us this year. Y’all showed up by attending trainings, marching in the first ever Pride Parade, sharing our GiveOut Day campaign, supporting local businesses, sharing resources and holding safe and affirming spaces for our LGBTQ+ Community members. While Pride is observed during the month of June, we celebrate ourselves all year long. Just a reminder that we don’t take our LGBTQ+ hats off at the end of June, we’re here and proud all year!
We celebrate July with sunny summer days and warm summer nights. Did you know that in July we also celebrate friendship? July 30th is the International Day of Friendship.
If you are looking to build a connection with your peers and community members who affirm you, we are here to help! The Pride Center proudly hosts a variety of peer support groups that reflect some of the intersectionality of our vast community. We have groups for parents, book lovers, youth community members, Trans* and Gender Diverse folks and more. We pride ourselves on making space for community members of all ages.
Currently, all our peer groups take place virtually, but please stay tuned for updates!
Speaking of volunteering, if you consider yourself someone whose love language is “acts of service”, the Pride Center is a good place for you. We are in the process of revitalizing our volunteer program with new opportunities and our Community Advisory Board is in full swing and always recruiting new members. The Community Advisory Board (CAB for short) is a tight knit group of volunteers who work closely with the Pride Center to create programming, support with advocacy issues and other priority tasks as needed, not exclusive to programming.
If you are just looking for a place to read a book, work on some projects or just want a space to hang out, the Pride Center has reopened! This is your space to share with community and friends.
Throughout the next couple of months, we are slowly beginning to reintroduce programs like FriGay Movie Nights back to the Pride Center & have dreams of bringing back game nights and starting a Karaoke night but NEED YOUR HELP to make this a reality! Help us create safe, supportive spaces where we can be ourselves and have fun.
As members of the LGBTQ+ community, we deeply understand the importance of friendship. As LGBTQ+ people, our friends have the power to become our chosen family; the ones that hold us, affirm us, bring us joy, hold us in our times of sadness and be the ones who help us grow. Celebrate International Day of Friendship with us online or at the center.
Thank you for being a friend!
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June has come and gone and what a Pride Month it was!
This year was particularly meaningful in that the Pride Center's doors were open for the first time in three years, San Mateo County Pride held its first Pride Parade and we had the opportunity to meet so many of you at resource fairs, Pride events and community spaces.
Pride Month may be over, but the Pride Center doesn't stop celebrating when June is over. We are here & LGBTQ+ all year long. Your advocacy and support of your LGBTQ+ friends, family and community members doesn't have to stop in June either! We are a resource for you no matter where you are in your allyship and advocacy journey.
Scroll down to see some of the highlights of our month and be sure to click the button below to access a full summary of our Pride Month!
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For a full summary of our Pride Month, please click the button below! Special thanks to all the partners, community organizations and local businesses that supported us last month.
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Your support and contributions helped our Give Out Day campaign raise 5183! Thank you for helping us surpass our original goal of 5000!
These funds will be use to support our programs, events and services. Thank you for contributing the sustainability of the first LGBTQ+ Center in San Mateo County!
To learn about how your donations can support the Pride Center by clicking this link: www.giveoutday.org/organization/San-Mateo-County-Pride-Center
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| First Pride Celebration in East Palo Alto!
Join us in July as we continue to celebrate Pride! We're excited to participate in East Palo Alto's first Pride Celebration. All ages and allies are welcome to take part in a day of fantastic events: drag show, open mic, booths, snacks, ballroom performances, and more! This event is co-hosted by the newly founded Mariposa Outreach Center, CORA and the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula.
Be sure to follow the Mariposa Outreach Center on Instagram for the latest updates.
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Seeking Performers
Please come out and showcase your talents to the community! Whether its singing, rapping, drag, showcase your talents with us!
*Disclaimer - this is a sober event, and open to all ages, please keep in mind, that if selected, your performances have to be appropriate for young children as well!
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Seeking Volunteers
By volunteering your time and energy, you can play a vital role in creating a safe and vibrant environment where everyone can be their authentic selves. Join us in making history and spreading the message of acceptance and unity.
Sign up today! Together, let's build a community where diversity thrives.
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| Trainings at the Pride Center
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Thank you to everyone who attended the THREE TRAININGS we hosted/ co-hosted in June! We were grateful to offer a SOGIE 101 training, Resource Roadmap training and Rainbow Kids Training! Thank you to our partners at Outlet, Community Equity Collaboration and Silicon Valley Foundation for co-hosting the SOGIE and Rainbow Kids trainings with us. Thank you to the Town of Colma for their support with the SOGIE training.
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Interested in receiving a training or learning more about our training program?
The Pride Center is proud to offer trainings, consultations, and educational opportunities to create institutional and cultural change.
Our trainings help reduce stigma and discrimination throughout the county by engaging providers, teachers, and community through LGBTQ+ focused trainings and workshops. Our goal is to support San Mateo County in building cultural humility and creating more equitable environments for all LGBTQ+ folks.
We are currently accepting requests for trainings! If your organization, business, school or community members are interested in receiving a training, we are happy to work with you! For more information about our training program, please click this link: https://sanmateopride.org/resources/trainings/ or click the button below.
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Rainbow Kids
Thu, 9/7 at 7PM on Zoom
If you missed the Rainbow Kids training in June, don't worry! We're offering this training one more time this year in September!
Kids receive constant messages about what it means to be “a girl” or “a boy.” How can we help them feel safe and confident in their bodies, families and classrooms? We hope you can join us for Rainbow Kids, a training co-hosted by the Community Equity Collaborative and the Pride Center, presented by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Rainbow Kids is a webinar designed for parents, caregivers and educators to "unbox" the beautiful spectrum of gender and to work toward a more expansive and welcoming world for all children. This webinar offers practical strategies and tools to engage and support young children as they explore who they are and who is in their world.
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| | Join us on Thursday, September 7 at 7 PM for a webinar about creating a more expansive, welcoming world.
Please use the button below to register to attend this training.
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Resource Roadmap SMC:
A Providers’ Guide to Supporting Trans* & Gender Diverse Clients
Thursday, June 22nd from 10am-noon on Zoom
Thank you to the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Community Benefit Program for their support with the Resource Roadmap Training!
If you missed this training or would like to attend it again, stay tuned! We are hoping to host this training again sometime in the Fall or Winter.
If you would like access to the resource roadmap brochures, please click this link: https://sanmateopride.org/resource-roadmap/. These brochures were created by the community for the community and contain valuable information for our Trans* and Gender Diverse community to navigate resources in San Mateo County.
If you have questions about the Resource Roadmap, contact Alex at alex.golding@sanmateopride.org or 650-465-6795.
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Come Volunteer with the Pride Center!
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Would you like to volunteer with the Pride Center? We never underestimate the value of donated time, and neither should you! There are numerous ways to support the Center in a volunteer capacity including some brand-new opportunities once we reopen. Are you interested and available to give back? If so, please consider some of the possibilities listed below.
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Virtual and onsite volunteer roles with the Pride Center include, but are not limited to:
- Supporting with community events
- Assisting with development goals
- Youth or Older Adult specific programming
- Become a peer group facilitator
- Social media support
- Join or Community Advisory Board
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| We are currently seeking a volunteer co-facilitator for our monthly gay men's Peer support Group! If you have a passion for creating and holding space for other community members to come together, build friendships and find social and emotional support, we would love to work with you!
For more information about this role, please click the button below.
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| Do you want to welcome people into our safe space? Are you ready to provide an affirming experience for our community? With proper training, we are seeking Front Desk volunteers to support our administrative needs!
Half-day opening and closing shifts will be arranged each day.
For more information about this role, please click the button below.
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| | If you’re interested in learning more about these or any other opportunities, reach out to Frankie Sapp (he/him), Program Director, who can help you figure out the best match for a mutually rewarding experience. Email him at francisco.sapp@sanmateopride.org. You can also fill out this simple intake form to get the process started.
Thank you for investing in the Pride Center’s essential programs and services. We can’t do our work without you.
For more information about our volunteer program, click the button below.
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For the latest updates follow us on social media:
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PENINSULA FAMILY SERVICE UPDATES
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| Get App-y
We're excited to announce the return of Get App-y! Join us onsite every 3rd Wednesday of the month to learn new technology skills!
Upcoming dates:
July 19, August 16, September 20,
October 18, November 15 and December 20
Email:helpathand@peninsulafamilyservice.org or call (650) 403-4300 ext. 4366 to RSVP!
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| If you would like information about how to become a volunteer peer counselor or have general questions about Older Adult Programming, please contact Info@sanmateopride.org or 650-591-0133
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Please note: Outlet will be offline from July 3rd- 7th.
Peer support groups will be on pause in July. In lieu of peer support groups, Outlet will be offering drop in hours. Dates and times to be shared! Please stay tuned!
For more information about our Outlet, their programs and peer support groups, please use this link: www.acs-teens.org/what-we-do/outlet/.
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The Pride Center and Stanford LGBTQ+ Health Program co-host Trans Talks, a free, monthly workshop series that centers the health and wellness of our Transgender and Gender Diverse community members. Every month, a different medical student from Stanford's LGBTQ+ Health Program will share information and lead a discussion. Please stay tuned for information about Trans* Talks in the upcoming months.
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If you are interested in seeing recordings of previous Trans Talks, please use this link: tinyurl.com/transtalks-recordings.
Please note: all recordings utilize closed captioning.
If you have questions, need support or would like to suggest a topic please contact
Marilyn (she/her) at Marilyn.fernando@sanmateopride.org or 650-465-6789
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If you are looking for support in changing your name on your legal documents, join our monthly name and gender marker workshop. Please reach out to Alex (he/him) for information and support about receiving this resource outside of the scheduled workshop date/time. This workshop takes place in two sessions: AM & PM.
Please note the new workshop times:
- 11am-12:30pm (morning)
- 6-7:30pm (afternoon)
The next workshop is scheduled to take place on July 26.
This is a free workshop, registration is required! Please click button below to RSVP.
Please reach out to Alex (he/him) at
Alex.Golding@sanmatepride.org or 650-465-6795 for support.
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Just a reminder: we offer some financial aide for the legal process and free gender affirming supplies. For more information about this, please see this link: bit.ly/ngc-aid-request
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For more information about our monthly peer support groups for community members 18+, please click this link.
If you have any questions, please contact Elana.Ron@sanmateopride.org
or 650-465-2407 (text ok)
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The book club is a partnership with the San Mateo County Public Library System, Peninsula Family Service and San Mateo County Pride Center. It’s open to all members of the community, including allies and friends.The book club is a partnership with the San Mateo County Public Library System and San Mateo County Pride Center. It’s open to all members of the community, including allies and friends. Community members who are invited to attend even if they haven't read the book. Come participate in the discussion!
Registration is required: tinyurl.com/smcpc-bookclub
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- If you have questions, concerns or need support regarding Youth programming, please contact outletprogram@acs-teens.org. For a list of Outlet's peer support groups, please see this link.
- If you have questions, concerns or need support regarding Older Adult programming, please contact info@sanmateopride.org.
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Join The Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley's ELLA Program
for De-Stigmatizing HIV Through a Multicultural Lens, a free virtual panel.
This panel focuses on destigmatizing HIV through a multicultural lens. In honoring the voices & experiences of LGBTQ organizations and community, they invite you to listen in about relevant information, news, and perspectives.
RSVP using the link below.
For questions about this event, please contact Anissa Silva at anissasilva13@gmail.com.
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| This event is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 13 from 6-7:15 PM.
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As We Continue to Navigate Around COVID-19
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Hope to see you soon!
In community,
Marilyn Fernando (she/her)
Marketing and Community Engagement Lead
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Do you enjoy/benefit from our programs and services? Are you able to/Would you like to support our essential work? We welcome and appreciate donations of any amount, big or small.
It all matters. Yes, we really mean that.
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The San Mateo County Pride Center is a program of StarVista in collaboration with Outlet of Adolescent Counseling Services, and Peninsula Family Service.
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