Can you believe that another Pride month has passed? It feels like we were just closing out May and getting ready for the glittery and joyful celebration that is Pride Month. 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 coming to an end, 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 highlights of our month and learn more about the other ways that you can support and celebrate all year long!
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Filoli Pride and San Mateo County Fair Family Pride Day!
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Image description: Four people standing behind a resource table covered in buttons and flyers. The two people on the left are wearing black tshirt, one person is wearing a tye dye tank top and one person is wearing a white t shirt.
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Our Pride Month started out amongst the flowers and sunshine of Filoli Pride. Thank you to Filoli for continuing to host this fun event to kick off Pride Month.
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| Image description: a group of 4 people standing behind a resource table covered in buttons and flyers. They're all wearing masks & 3 of the 4 people are wearing white t shirts. The 4th person is wearing a black t shirt.
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| Image description: a person on a stage, behind a dj booth and sign that says "DJ Ambrozia". They are smiling and wearing sunglasses. There is a progress flag in the front of the stage.
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| During the same weekend, we tabled at San Mateo County Fair's Family Pride Day! Thank you to San Mateo County Fair for continuing to host us for this family friendly event. Special shoutout to DJ Ambrozia who made his debut on stage! If you are interested in hearing the mix he played at Family Pride Day, please click this link.
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San Mateo County Pride: Free to Be Me in 2023
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Image description- a group of all different kinds of people smiling at the camera. Some people are wearing purple sashes and crowns, some people are holding signs that say "we are beautiful" and "Someone I (heart) is LGBTQ+"
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Image description: A Filipinx person with glasses and black curly hair with a big smile on her face. She's holding a sign that says "We are Beautiful"
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| Image description- Two folks on motorcycles and one person on a white scooter. The person in the front has a progress flag on the back of their bike.
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| Image description- a group of folks marching through Downtown San Mateo. Most of them are holding up signs that say "We Are Beautiful".
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| Image description- person with a huge smile on her face. She is wearing glasses, a black tshirt, a purple sash and a tiara. She is waving one hand and has a Bi flag hanging off their backpack.
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| Image description: two people standing and holding signs that say "We Are Beautiful" and "Someone I (heart) is LGBTQ+". They are both wearing purple sashes.
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| Image description: 4 people standing behind a resource table covered in flyers and different Pride flags. 3 of the 4 people in the picture are holding different Pride flags.
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| Thank you to our friends at the San Mateo County Pride Initiative for leading organizing efforts for San Mateo County Pride. If you are interested in being involved in organizing San Mateo County Pride 2024 or would like to be more involved in planning other LGBTQ+ events around San Mateo County, join a Pride Initiative meeting. They currently meet virtually on the second Wednesday of the month from 4:30-6:00 PM. For more information about joining the meeting, click this link. The next meeting is scheduled to take place on July 12.
Thank you to all the performers who kept the energy electric throughout the day. Information about all the performers can be found here: https://www.smcpridecelebration.com/entertainment-line-up
If you have feedback for the Pride Initiative, they would love to hear it! This is YOUR celebration and it only get better when everyone has a platform to share. If you would like to share your thoughts, feedback or suggestions, please click this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SMCPRIDESURVEY2023
Check out the SMC Pride Celebration official website for updates and information throughout the year! Click this link to access the SMC Pride website: www.smcpridecelebration.com
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San Carlos Pride and Fuse Pride Cabaret
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Image description: Two people sitting behind a resource table. There is a banner on the table that says "San Mateo County Pride Center" and there is a rainbow flag on the left of the table and Trans* flag on the right. They're both smiling
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| Image description: A purple flyer with light purple lettering that says "Fuse Cabaret Night". There is a graphic of two people (one yellow and one orange) in the middle, the Pride Center logo and a black and white picture of drag queen, Jackie Layshun.
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| We were thrilled to participate in TWO events in one weekend!
Thank you to the City of San Carlos for hosting an amazing Pride Celebration in Burton Park & thank you to our friends at Fuse Theater for hosting an amazing community cabaret fundraiser for the Pride Center! For more information about Fuse Theater, click this link: https://www.fusetheatre.org/
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This month, we hosted and co-hosted THREE TRAININGS!
Thank you to all who attended and engaged with the information that was shared!
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Thank you to our partners at Outlet for co-hosting the SOGIE 101 training with us! Outlet is an amazing organization who supports LGBTQ+ Youth.
Thank you to the Town of Colma for their support with this training!
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| 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.
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| | Thank you to our friends at the Community Equity Collaborative and Silicon Valley Community Foundation for presenting and co-hosting the Rainbow Kids training with us! If you missed this training or would like to attend again, there is ONE MORE opportunity to take this training this year on Thursday, September 7.
For more information about the training and to register, click this link: https://www.communityequitycollaborative.org/rainbow-kids
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Interested in 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/
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| We met the amazing artist
Pedro Rivas Lopez (he/him). He is a local artist who creates murals (amongst other art) that can be found around the Bay! For more information about Pedro and his organization, Arte Aqua Viva, please click this link.
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| Thank you to these amazing local businesses!
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Thank you to Level (a local, woman owned business) who donate a portion of sales of the Grace Loving shoe to the Pride Center. Dress your kiddos in some cute shoes while supporting the Pride Center! Thank you for hosting this year round fundraiser for us!
More information about the Grace Loving shoes can be found here.
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| Thank you to Backhaus Bread for fundraising for us with sales of their delicious cold brew. More information about Backhaus can be accessed here.
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| Thank you to CoffeeBar in Redwood City for raising money from the sale of their Sparkling Lavender Lemonades and Hibiscus Italian Sodas sold in June!
More information about CoffeeBar can be found here.
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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: https://www.giveoutday.org/organization/San-Mateo-County-Pride-Center
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| We were proud to stream the fourth annual Can't Cancel Pride in partnership with I Heart Radio & Proctor and Gamble.
This was an amazing event that celebrated visibility and inclusivity for all 🏳️🌈
If you would like to watch or rewatch the one-hour benefit special, they are available to stream through iHeartRadio’s Facebook and YouTube, RevryTV, The Roku Channel, and The Advocate Channel!
For more information about Can't Cancel Pride, click the link below:
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| 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.
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| EPA Pride is looking for volunteers and talent! If you are interested in signing up to perform, please click this link. If you are interested in volunteering, please click this link.
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More resources and reminders
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- MPOX Vaccines are still available through the Edison Clinic. They are administered on Thursday nights during their weekly STI clinics. Appointments are required. For more information about MPOX & resources in San Mateo County, please click this link. For more information about the Edison Clinic, click this link.
- The Pride Center IS OPEN! Come visit us. We have a library, abundant resources, NEW SWAG, community workspaces and a safe space to rest and be yourself. Our doors are open Tuesday-Thursday from 11-7 PM except 1-3PM on Tuesdays when we're closed for our weekly staff meeting.
- If you are looking to support the Pride Center in an ongoing way, consider volunteering with us! For more information about our volunteer program and ongoing opportunities, please click this link. We are always recruiting for our Community Advisory Board (CAB), for more information about the CAB, click this link.
- Looking for another way to support the Pride Center in an ongoing way? Become one of our monthly donors! For more information about becoming a monthly donor, click this link.
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HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! It was a joy to celebrate with you!
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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