July 6, 2022
Dear Community,
Pride Month 2022 has come to a close. As we enter July, our hearts are filled. This particular Pride Month held special significance as we celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the San Mateo County Pride Celebration and the 5-year anniversary of the San Mateo County Pride Center. Both celebrations felt like family reunions and it was abundantly clear that no amount of time or space can prevent us from finding each other and celebrating our collective magic.
Thank you to our friends at The San Mateo County Pride Initiative and San Mateo County LGBTQ+ Commission for their hard work on organizing the 10-year anniversary celebration. Huge thank you to the Pride Center's Community Advisory Board (CAB), whose hard work contributed to the success of the 5-year celebration. Thank you to Jesús U. BettaWork for MC'ing both celebrations and being a constant beacon of joy in our community, the Rebel Kings of Oakland for bringing their unique flair & performance & Kristel Bugayong for creating the artwork for the graphics and promotional materials.
As we reflect on the past 5 years and anticipate the future, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our partners Outlet, Peninsula Family Service and StarVista, all staff members past and present and all volunteers who have supported with events (virtual and onsite), facilitated groups, organized and cleaned the Pride Center, supported with behind the scenes work. Your hard work doesn't go unnoticed and we are endlessly grateful for you.
Most importantly, a special thanks to you, wonderful community members. Thank you for showing up for the Pride Center for the past 5 years (and more, if we're being honest). Thank you for holding space for each other, learning and growing to make the world more affirming and accessible & for being with each other in times of turmoil and times of bliss.
We invite you to continue celebrating Pride throughout the year through education, advocacy and volunteering. We are proud to offer a variety of resources including trainings, like our popular SOGIE 101/LGBTQ+ 101, Trans 101 & Pronouns 101, peer support groups and Trans & Gender Diverse Specific resources such as our monthly Name and Gender Marker Workshop. If you are interested in volunteering with the Pride Center, there are a variety of outlets for you to explore. Please contact Devon.Dye@sanmateopride.org for more information.
June may be over, but we're Queer and here all year long.
Please scroll down for more highlights in June and updates for July.
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The Pride Center participated in a Unity Event to show solidarity with our neighbors in Pacifica and our friends at CoastPride. The Unity Event was a response to a Pride flag burning at Sunset Ridge Elementary School during Pride month.
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| We were excited to celebrate 10 years of San Mateo County Pride at Central Park! It was great to see familiar faces and meet new community members.
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| | Frankie's face was smothered in non-dairy whipped cream pies as part of a fundraiser that raised almost $2,000!
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| We collaborated with our partners at Outlet (our partners who specifically support LGBTQ+ Youth) on a SOGIE 101 training where community members were invited to learn the basics of LGBTQ+ identity.
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| We were thrilled to offer "Resource Roadmap" a one of a kind, interactive workshop where service providers were invited to learn skills to best support our Trans and Gender Diverse community in San Mateo County. To access the resources provided in this training, please see this link.
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| Exciting Pride Center updates
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We are excited to announce that we have NEW MERCH WITH NEW DESIGNS!
We invite you to wear your Pride throughout the year, proudly announce your advocacy & allyship & look amazing while doing it! There are several new items offered including muscle shirts. As a reminder, t-shirts are an amazing way to signal safety and promote visibility among community members.
Please note: our online shop will be open throughout the year.
Thank you to the amazing Kristel Bugayong for creating these FABULOUS designs!
Please click this link (tinyurl.com/smcpc-merch) or click the button below to access our store:
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The Pride Center is excited to announce our reopening plan!
Thank you for your patience as we all endure this pandemic together. We only took our time to get it right. Click here or the button below to read about our timeline and the upgrades we’ve made to our beloved community center. We can’t wait to welcome you back home.
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We are excited to introducing our new LGBTQ+ Older Adult Program Coordinator,
Eddie Peréz (he/him)!
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| Eddie Peréz (he/him/his) is the Peer Counseling Coordinator working with Older LGBTQIA+ folks. Eddie was born and raised in the Bay Area and loves nature, his pups, and the Australian landscape.
He is enthusiastic about connecting people and hearing their life stories. Eddie previously worked in the corporate world in various management and executive leadership roles. He earned a BA in Psychology from San Francisco State during the early years of his banking career. Eddie woke up one day to realize that he was not passionate about the work he was doing in the financial sector.
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| Eddie took his degree, his fur kids, and traveled across the world to pursue his passion for supporting people. With Junior and Gigi, he landed in Sydney, Australia and began working towards his goal to be a mental health care provider. There he earned a graduate degree in counseling and integrated psychotherapy and started a private practice. Eddie named his practice Lead With Love Counseling because he believes in the power of love for self and love for others in the healing process.
Eddie leans into and strives to create safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community across the world. He was a volunteer for the GLBT National hotline in San Francisco and was the Chairperson of the board for a Queer faith community in Sydney. Eddie was also a pivotal part of the national launch of a LGBTQIA+ employee assistance/mental health program in Australia. He believes in holding space for the Queer community because when he was a kid he had no one to hold space for him.
Eddie likes to dance, meditate, and express himself creatively through writing. Ask him about his favorite place to hike, his fur kids, or favorite travel destination! He looks forward to seeing you at the next community center event.
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Are you interested in being an ongoing supporter of the San Mateo County Pride Center? Consider becoming a monthly donor!
Monthly contributions can be made starting as little as $5 and up to whatever you can comfortably afford. If you are able to donate on an ongoing basis, even $5 adds up to a total of $60 per year! Every dollar helps support our beloved LGBTQ+ community by providing essential programs and services such peer support groups and name and gender change support.
If you are interested in becoming a monthly donor, please click this link.
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| | **New Group announcement!**
Perpetually Multisexual (18+)
Are you feeling isolated? Invisible? Erased? Like your identity as a multi-sexual person isn't recognized? Join us for $15/session in creating a space where we can come together as a community, counteract stigma, and heal through visibility!
An 8 to 10 week process group for people 18+ who identify as bi-, multi-, ambi-, omni-, or pan-sexual or who are romantically or physically attracted to more than one gender.
This group meets weekly on Thursdays from 5-7:00 PM PST on Zoom and starts on 7/21/22 through 9/22/22. This group will be hosted in english and closed captioning will be available.
Register at: tinyurl.com/PerpetuallyMultisexual
Hosted by Kiera/Ki Willow (ey, she, he, they), MFT/PCC Trainee and Andrea/Drae Roth (she/her), AMFT #117800, APCC #7800
Questions? Contact
k.willow@sanmateopride.org or andrea.roth@sanmateopride.org
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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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Please see beginning of newsletter for introduction to new Older Adult Program Coordinator, Eddie Peréz (he/him). Please stay tuned for updates on upcoming Older Adult programs.
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Please note: Outlet’s weekly social groups will not be meeting and
intakes will be paused in July.
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Youth Advisory Board (YAB)
As a member of the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) with Outlet and the San Mateo County Pride Center you will help plan, organize and implement positive changes and support for LGBTQIA+ youth in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. Youth Advisory Board members help the LGBTQIA+ community by addressing needs they see around them, getting their friends and peers involved, sharing information about upcoming events with friends, peers and teachers at school, as well as bringing input and suggestions from community members to help shape the direction of the Youth Program!
Please apply here by August 19th if you are interested in joining YAB. Questions? Contact Ishani@acs-teens.org
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| Outlet is hosting two drop-in sessions in July on:
- Wednesday, July 13 from 11am-2 PM and
- Wednesday, July 27th from 1-4 PM
Participants are invited to attend in person at the San Mateo County Pride Center (1021 El Camino Real) or virtually. During these sessions, participants are invited to talk to the facilitators, play games, make buttons & other art activities!
Please use this link to register to attend either/both sessions!
Please note: this is a space for LGBTQ+ Community members aged 10-25.
If you have questions, please reach out to Outletprogram@acs-teens.org.
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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 Non-Binary community members. All are welcome to attend. Community members are invited to ask questions on their health and wellness. Every month, a different professional from Stanford's LGBTQ+ Health Program will share information, lead a discussion and answer your questions. This is a free workshop open to all community members.
Please stay tuned for information regarding August's Trans Talks workshop.
To access recordings of previous Trans Talks, please use this link: tinyurl.com/transtalks-recordings.
Please note: all recordings utilize closed captioning.
Previous workshops have included:
Gender Affirming Surgery 101, Safer Sex & Gender Affirming Voice Therapy
If you have questions, need support or would like to suggest a topic please contact neilwary@stanford.edu
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The Pride Center Clinical Team has CURRENT THERAPY AVAILABILITY.
We are ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS via both PRIVATE PAY and MEDI-CAL*.
(Services are currently provided via telehealth)
Services are available to community members located in California and
priority is given to LGBTQ+ community members based San Mateo County.
Our clinical team looks forward to hearing how we can support you on your journey!
You can:
Fill out our online Service Request Form at sanmateopride.org/mental-health-services
Email: clinical@sanmateopride.org
Call: (650) 591-0133 ext. 146
*San Mateo County Medi-Cal members:
Call ACCESS Call Center: (800) 686-0101: TDD: (800) 943-2833
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CALLING ALL GENDER-EXPANSIVE MIDDLE SCHOOLERS!
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Hi all! My name is Laine Schlezinger, and I am a Psychology major at The George Washington University interning with the Pride Center this summer. For the past few months, I've been using my background in LGBTQ+ advocacy, curriculum writing, and work with LGBTQ+ youth to help support Trans formative Schools (TfS), a collective of trans and non-binary educators working to create a middle school for gender-expansive youth in New York City.
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Upcoming dates for this workshop are July 27, August 31 & September 28.
This is a free workshop, registration is required! Please see 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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All groups have moved to Zoom video. Please contact Devon (He/Him) at Devon.Dye@sanmateopride.org to access links for our peer support groups.
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Please note: age range of children of parents has expanded from 0-5 to 0-17!
Peer support group is for LGBTQ+ folks age 18+ who are parents of kid(s) 0-17 years old to support each other, share parenting wisdom, and build community. This group is open to anyone who is a parent or caregiver of young children, with all family formations and ways of being or becoming a parent welcome!
This group will meet twice a month from 7-8:30PM PST on the first and third Tuesdays.
This group is currently meeting via Zoom. Pre-registration is required; please register in advance at: tinyurl.com/smcpc-parentsgroup
If you’re interested in joining this group but the above times don’t work for you, please contact Devon Dye (He/Him) at Devon.Dye@sanmateopride.org
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| | Upcoming dates are July 6 & August 3
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The Trans Peer Support Group (18+) meets monthly on the first Monday from 6-7:30PM. This is a free group & registration is required: tinyurl.com/smcpc-transgroup1
Upcoming date meeting date is 8/1.
Please stay tuned for information about September's meeting date.
* As a gentle reminder, we have clinical support available to community members who feel like they would benefit from more support than this social group has available. We will work with you to ensure that these services are accessible.
We also have free gender affirming supplies available. To access these supplies, please contact Alex.Golding@sanmateopride.org or Francisco.Sapp@sanmateopride.org.
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| | | Queer Women’s Group (18+)
Join the Queer Women’s Group’s next meeting on Friday, July 22th from 6-7:30pm PST on Zoom! This group is a place where all women identifying folks 18+ are welcome. Come to meet new people and build community together!
This group meets monthly on the 4th Friday. Upcoming meeting dates are 8/26 & 9/23
Pre-registration is required. Register for your unique Zoom access link here: tinyurl.com/smcpc-queerwomensgroup
For questions or support, please contact Devon Dye (He/Him) at Devon.Dye@sanmateopride.org
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| LGBTQ Book Club (18+) from 4:30-6:00 PM
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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!
Please consider utilizing the SMCL to access an e-book, hard copy or audiobook of the books.
Registration is required: tinyurl.com/smcpc-bookclub (upcoming books listed here)
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July 6:
The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage
Now an award-winning Netflix film by Jane Campion, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst: Thomas Savage's acclaimed Western is "a pitch-perfect evocation of time and place" (Boston Globe) for fans of East of Eden and Brokeback Mountain.
Set in the wide-open spaces of the American West, The Power of the Dog is a stunning story of domestic tyranny, brutal masculinity, and thrilling defiance from one of the most powerful and distinctive voices in American literature. The novel tells the story of two brothers--one magnetic but cruel, the other
gentle and quiet--and of the woman and boy, a mother and son, whose arrival on the brothers' ranch shatters an already tenuous peace. From the novel's startling first paragraph to its very last word, Thomas Savage's voice--and the intense passion of his characters--holds readers in thrall
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| Books selected for August and beyond to be announced this month!
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Pride Continues Across the Bay in July!
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We hope you enjoyed the many activities and events this past June Pride 2022! From the first in-person San Mateo County Pride Celebration since the pandemic, to virtual workshops and more, June Pride was PACKED! Although the Pride Center won't be hosting any special events in July, we invite you to take a look and potentially attend some of the various events happening across the bay and peninsula:
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| Peninsula Pride LGBTQ+ Meet-Up
- Thursday July 14th at 6:30pm
- Andiamo in Banca in South San Francisco
- LGBTQ meet-up/happy hour for folks in the peninsula
- For more information, please contact PrideofPeninsula@outlook.com
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| Family Fridays: Sonoma County Pride Family Affair
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As we continue to navigate around COVID-19
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- Just a reminder that the Pride Center is currently not open to the public & is available for clinical services and private events. For more information about scheduling to be onsite at the Pride Center, please contact Francisco.Sapp@sanmateopride.org.
- Just a reminder that you only have to register for each peer support group once! The meeting information you receive will remain the same.
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Stay safe and take care!
In community,
Marilyn (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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