July 3, 2024
Greetings, Community!
The Pride Center had a successful Pride last month! The attendance and participation across the board at SMC Pride Celebration showed the resilience and heart this County has. We are overwhelmed with so much gratitude and appreciation for our community. Seeing so many beautiful people celebrating the diversity of the community touched our queer hearts.
In July we celebrate Disability Pride Month, BIPOC Mental Health Month, during the week of July 14, we celebrate Nonbinary Awareness Week, which culminates in International Nonbinary People’s Day on July 14 and on July 16, we celebrate International Drag Day.
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Highlights of Pride Month 2024!
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Thank you to Gigi Gonzalez and Dawb Yang for inviting the Pride Center to table at their school
in Burlingame on 5/31.
Alex (Center Manager) and Low, Dawb, and Gigi with our happy faces!
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| Despite the gusty winds that day, Low was smiling and showing her Pride at South San Francisco's
1st ever Pride on 6/1.
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| Beautiful words spoken by the Pride Center's Lead Trainer and Peer Group Coordinator, Ishani Dugar (xe/them), who shared that the community is resilient and unique, not just in the month of June, but Queer all year round. <3
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| Marilyn and Jazz (Pride Center Trainee) at Fioli Garden on Day 1 at Fioli Pride on 6/1.
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| The Pride never stops and we love it! Low and Ishani tabling again at Fioli for Pride Day 2 on 6/2.
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| Jazz, Elana and Low exploring the beautiful gardens at Filoli!
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| Low, Lura (Pride Center Volunteer), and Yossi tabling at Rainbows, Rainbows, Rainbows at CuriOdyssey on 6/7.
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| Marilyn (Marketing & Community Engagement Lead), Elana (Lead Events & Outreach Coordinator), and Yossi Zavala Lopez, Outlet Social Program Lead tabling at San Mateo County Fair - Pride Day at the Fair on 6/2.
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| Elana representing the Pride Center at SLAC (National Accelerator Laboratory) in Meno Park on 6/12!
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| The Pride Center's Outreach Duo, Low and Elana tabling at San Carlos Pride in the Park on 6/15!
DROP ELEMENT TO ADD HERE
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| All smiles at Dignity Health Sequoia Hospital- Pride Month Celebration on the Patio in San Mateo on June 20.
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| You know we had to take a photo with the Kaiser's Gender-Affirming
Care Team!
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| Kaiser staff checking out the Pride Center table as well as the
free ice cream!
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| Low and Marilyn having a blast at Kaiser's Permanente Pride Ice Cream Social in San Mateo on 6/17!
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| Elana, Drag queen Jackie L., Low and Marilyn representing the Pride Center at the second annual
Pride Bingo event!
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| A nearly full house of community members for this special Pride Month event! Special thank you to the San Mateo County's LGBTQIA+ Commission and PRIDE Initiative for hosting bingo for the community!
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| Low patiently waiting to strike a bingo!
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| SMC Pride Celebration and Parade was a huge hit! There were over 5000 attendees and something that we noticed as the Pride Center, that the event gets bigger every year! We would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to the organizers of the event especially PRIDE Iniatitive Co-Chairs Dana Johnson and Scott Grundle as well as all the volunteer that supported the whole event! Additionally, thank you to the PRIDE Planning Committees that worked day and day out to make the event magical and beautiful!
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The Pride Center was honored to be named a Grand Marshall for this year's Pride Celebration. It was wonderful to participate in the second annual Pride Parade
through downtown San Mateo.
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| Our wonderful contingent made up of staff, members of StarVista, CAB members and other fabulous members of our community.
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| Ishani is an outreach MACHINE! We were excited to give away our new swag, brochures and
pass along information about all our
fabulous events and programming!
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| The theme for our Pride contingent was "Love Faires"! Most of our folks had beautiful rainbow butterfly wings and heart sunglasses.
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| 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 what we did in June and
learn about the amazing programming we have planned in July!
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Are you interested in having us as your organization/school outreach event?
Please contact Elana Ron (she/her), Lead Events and Outreach Coordinator at elana.ron@sanmateopride.org.
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| Thank you to our friends at Backhaus, Bonjour Bakehouse and Level Brand shoes for fundraising for us this Pride Month!
We love local business supporting local organizations. Y'all made our Pride Month more special.
Special shoutout to Level Brand shoes for fundraising for us year round! For more information about the "Grace Loving" shoe, click this link.
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| What Programming do you want to see at the San Mateo County Pride Center?
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We’re working on building our event calendar for the rest of the year and want to hear from you! What events and programming do you want to see at the San Mateo County Pride Center?
Are you a nature fan that likes to be outside? Are you a plant nerd who wants to meet other foliage fans? Do you want to learn how to sing and dance? Are you looking to spend an evening supporting a local business while building community? Are you a foodie who wants to swap recipes or bring something to share? The possibilities are as wide and expansive as our community. Please let us know, your input and feedback helps us serve and celebrate you better!
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| | Please use the button below to access the survey!
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SAVE THE DATE - Queeraoke at the Pride Center!
Thursday, August 8th from 3-6PM
Can you think of a better way to spend a sunny Summer afternoon than getting together with your besties and singing along to your favorite songs? Whether you’re a karaoke regular, first timer, admirer or curious, this is your space!
Join the San Mateo County Pride Center and Outlet for this fun and fabulous space! This is a sober, all ages event. Snacks will be provided :)
Please contact info@sanmateopride.org or call 650-591-0133 with questions
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RESCHEDULED - Community Cabaret!
Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have to reschedule this event for a later date. Please stay tuned for more details!
Thank you to our friends at Fuse Theater for hosting this community gathering!
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| | | NEW START DATE!
September 10- October 29
🌈 Transcending Through Art: An Expressive Arts Therapy Group for Transgender/Nonbinary/Gender Expansive Teens (Ages 13-19)
Embark on a journey of self-discovery and community building designed specifically for transgender, nonbinary, gender fluid, gender non-conforming, gender creative and questioning teens. Our Expressive Arts Therapy Process Group is a safe and welcoming space where creativity becomes a powerful tool for exploring identity, fostering self-expression, and building a supportive community.
Stay tuned for more information!
Please reach out to Jazz.Slavin@sanmateopride.org or (650) 207 - 9628 (text is ok)
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| FriGay Flicks - Fire Island
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Join us on Friday, July 19
for our next FriGay Flicks!
In honor of summer, we're watching the queer rom-com Fire Island (2023)!
This free event will take place onsite at the San Mateo County Pride Center & open to the public. Light snacks will be provided. Doors open at 5:30 and
the movie will start at 6 pm.
To register, read a summary of the film,
see a trailer and learn about
accessibility, please click this link tinyurl.com/FriGayflicksJuly2024
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| | Join the Pride Center's Community Advisory Board (CAB)!
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| Looking for a fabulous way to get involved in your community? Join the San Mateo County Pride Center’s Community Advisory Board (or CAB, for short)! CAB welcomes LGBTQ+ folks and allies to join. They are a diverse and representative group of volunteer members who have a passion for serving the LGBTQ+ community. They work closely with Pride Center staff to support programming, decisions, and design. Some of their awesome collaborations include San Mateo County’s first Adult Queer Prom, San Mateo County Pride Celebrations, Art Parties, and more.
CAB meets virtually on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 6:30pm. The next meeting is scheduled for July 10.
For more info, connect with our Community Engagement & Volunteer Specialist, Low Sunga (she/they) at lowellyn.sunga@sanmateopride.org!
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| The San Mateo Pride Center is excited to be able to offer a variety of
trainings and educational opportunities! To read more about the trainings that we currently offer or request a training, please visit the training page of our website. If you have any questions about the trainings we offer, reach out to Ishani Dugar (they/xe) at ishani.dugar@sanmateopride.org or call 650-554-1234 (text ok).
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Please note that we do charge a fee for our trainings!
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Openings for Mental Health Services at the Pride Center
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There is currently a waitlist to receive services. Community members are still encouraged to complete the intake form, but may experience some delays in services.
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Self pay (with income verification). Services are available hybrid, onsite or exclusively virtual.
Services are available to clients located in California. Priority is given to LGBTQ+ community members based in San Mateo County. The Pride Center provides LGBTQ+-affirmative therapy within a strengths-based and person-centered framework. And all our clinicians have LGBTQ+ lived and/or work experience.
Our clinical team looks forward to meeting you and learning how we can support you on your mental health journey!
Currently, clinical services are
only provided in english.
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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! 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:
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If you’re interested in learning more about these or any other opportunities, reach out to Lowellyn (she/they) at Lowellyn.Sunga@sanmateopride.org (preferred) or 650-591-0133 who can help you figure out the best match for a mutually rewarding experience.
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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ACS/Outlet will be closed Monday through Friday 7/1-7/5 - Open and resuming services on Monday 7/8.
Outlet’s weekly online social groups will be pausing for the months of July and August.
They will resume in September! Outlet's peer groups are
Monday Youth Group, Tuesday QTBIPOC group & Thursday Trans* Group.
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Please note that this year’s location for Drop Ins has been changed to the Adolescent Counseling Services office (for accessibility reasons on the Outlet teams end)!
Outlet and the San Mateo County Pride Center will be hosting in-person drop-in hours for the summer!
This is a space for youth to connect with other community members, chat with Outlet staff and/or engage in activities such as games, button making, arts and crafts, etc.
Who? – All are welcome to join! No prior sign-up required; simply, drop in!
When? – Weekly on Wednesdays from 3pm-6pm; July 10th through August 28th
Where? – Adolescent Counseling Services (1779 Woodside Road Suite 200, Redwood City CA 94061)
If you have any questions, please email at outletprogram@acs-teens.org.
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| | The San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women is conducting a research project to determine the top two or three drivers of the financial wealth gap for women in San Mateo County. After completing our research, we will present recommendations to the Board of Supervisors of how they can address those drivers and decrease the wealth gap.
Our research over the past two years has informed us that while the wage gap still exists for California women of $.82 for every $1.00 earned by men, the wealth gap is an even greater concern. Single women own $.32 for every $1.00 owned by men, and the gap widens further for women of color, according to Asset Funders Network. Women need to fund a longer retirement on average than men and yet they lag behind in saving for retirement. More women have student loan debt compared to men.
Many women lost several years of income and savings due to the pandemic.
It is important to us to be inclusive and include the specific issues of trans women; in particular trans women business owners. We are reaching out to connect with some trans women or organizations that support and/or work with trans women, who would like to meet with us. We understand bandwidth issues; so to be respectful of time, we understand if email responses are easier.
As a start, here are some sample questions:
- What do you think is the primary driver for these gaps and do you have any data regarding women in SMC that sheds light on this?
- Are there some specific drivers that are different for trans women?
- There are more women-owned businesses in CA than any other state in the US. Do you have any data on SMC trans women business owners' challenges to build wealth?
- Do trans women-owned businesses have retirement plans? If not, why not? Are they aware of and signed up with CalSavers?
- Do trans women say they need more financial education or financial coaching?
- Are trans women more afraid or cautious about investing than men or non-trans women?
- Who else would you suggest that we talk to for this information?
If folks have any questions, please reach out to Susan Takalo (she/her) at swillstakalo@gmail.com who can provide support.
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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.
Stay tuned for information about upcoming Trans* Talks presentations.
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If you are interested in rewatching/ watching these presentations or if you are interested in seeing recordings* of other previous presentations, please use this link: tinyurl.com/transtalks-recordings.
*Please note: Some workshops aren't recorded at the presenter's request. If a workshop isn't recorded, there is usually a slideshow that can be accessed. 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 call 650-591-0133
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The Stanford School of Medicine is working to expand their LGBTQ+ curriculum. One way that they're hoping to do this is by recruiting Trans*-identified actors to portray patients for student evaluations. Please share widely. This is an important opportunity to create visibility in the medical field.
This is a paid opportunity! If you or someone you know is interested, please upload your photo and resume to https://bit.ly/2q2jM0S
Questions? Please contact Dr. Laniakea at laniakea@stanford.edu or call 650-591-0133
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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 workshops.
The format of the Name and Gender Change workshop is changing. We are moving from offering this workshop once a month to a twice a month. The Name and Gender Change workshop will now occur on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month from 6-7:30 PM.
Part 1 will be on the 2nd Wednesday and Part 2 will be on the 4th Wednesday. Part 1 will cover court order forms, filing instructions, and fee waivers. Part 2 will cover updating social security documents, DMV documents, passports, birth certificates, and other documents.
Upcoming dates are: July 10 & 24, August 14 & 28 and September 11 & 25
Please reach out to info@sanmateopride.org or call 650-591-0133 if you have questions.
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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:
tinyurl.com/ngc-financial-aid
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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
Ishani.Dugar@sanmateopride.org or 650-554-1234 (text ok)
We are actively looking for volunteer co-facilitators for our Gay Men's Group, Queer Women's Group & Trans* Group! For more information about these roles, click this link.
Please note: the Polyam Group and Trans* Group will meet one week later on June 11 & June 12.
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LGBTQ+ Book Club- August 7
Blackouts by Justin Torres
We hope you can join us for next month's book club where we will be discussing Blackouts by Justin Torres.
To learn more about this book, please click this link.
Registration is required: Tinyurl.com/smcpcbookclub
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| 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!
We're excited to share that the book club will is a hybrid meeting. Participants have the option of gathering in person at the San Mateo County Pride Center (1021 S. El Camino) or continuing to use Zoom. If you would like to attend this meeting through Zoom, please register using this link: tinyurl.com/smcpc-bookclub
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Polyamory Peer Power
July Topic: Polyamory Visbility
Wednesday, July 10 from 7-8:30 PM PST on Zoom
**please note- this is a special meeting date, this group regularly meets on the 1st Wednesday of the month from 7-8:30 PM
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| | Polyamory is gaining visibility in media and pop culture in recent years. There are more positive portrayals in movies, television and books. How does that play out in our real lives? Let’s get together and talk about when, where and how to be visible about being consensually non-monogamous.
We will also talk more about the Week of Visibility for Non-monogamy (July 15-21) -which is “a movement-wide week of action dedicated to amplifying non-monogamous voices, identities, and experiences in order to dismantle stereotypes, promote acceptance, and celebrate how far we've come!” AND how we can support those events.
REGISTER IN ADVANCE for this meeting: https://tinyurl.com/smcpc-polyampower
This group takes place every first Wednesday from 7:00-8:30 PM PST on Zoom.
For updates about this gathering and more general information about the Polyamory Peer Power Group, please click this link - https://www.meetup.com/polyamory-peer-power/
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The Bridge Access Program
CDC’s Bridge Access Program provides free COVID-19 vaccines to adults without health insurance and adults whose insurance does not cover all COVID-19 vaccine costs. This program expires December 31, 2024. For more information, please click this link.
Thank you to our friends at The Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council (BACHAC) for sharing this information with us.
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| 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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