Mission:

The Pride Card is dedicated to banding together businesses that support equal rights for all through its discount card program.

Story:

After the recent passage of Proposition 8, I wanted to create a discount card that promoted businesses that support equal rights for everyone. As a California resident, I felt it necessary to give back to businesses that voted and campaigned for “No on Prop 8″, and to boycott contributors or would-be contributors to the “Yes on 8″ campaign. With the current state of the economy and personally being unemployed, the Pride Card is a great way to help out GLBT-supportive businesses as well as give an extra discount to those who frequent those businesses.

Bio:

Bo Andras – Owner

Originally from Thibodaux, LA, Bo moved to San Diego in 2001. Since then, he has played an active part in the San Diego Community. In addition to being involved in politics, local events, and charities, he has been a long-time volunteer with the Center and believes it is time the GLBT community fight unremittingly for equal rights. During his recent travels, Bo learned that not everyone is aware of all of the issues surrounding Proposition 8, and some people were still supporting businesses that gave money to take away rights. Bo wanted to start with his own community and bring light to the fact that we can make a difference and overturn Prop 8 if we start supporting each other and showing that we care about equal rights whether we are a business owner or not.
www.ThePrideCard.com

Well this was a wonderful week for me. I was able to get out of town and travel to Washington D.C. to March for Equality for every LGBT Americans. While there President Obama gave a promising speech which all American got to hear thanks to C Span. I believe we will see the right things start to happen in this country that is said to be free to all American.I have always said if this is a free country why do we as American fight so hard to have what the 14th Amendments allows us, basic freedoms. Any how in my time in Washington I was able to met so many wonderful, caring,and concern LGBT members and friends of our cause, it was truly heart warming to be in the presents of such great energy. One of my favorite people was a lesbian from Los Angeles who was a breathe of fresh air, she was so full of excitement and share her smiles and hugs with me my last 2 days in the capital city. Over all this weekend’s march was full of hope, education, leadership and promises for a better tomorrow toward leading us to what is right and deserving for every American. Thanks to my friends Chuck and Danny who gave me miles to travel there, Nicole for allowing me a place to sleep, and friends who helped me eat. This is what America is all about supporting, excepting and helping each other. So thank you all for allowing me this amazing opportunity in my life.

I leave Thursday , with the kindness of friends who got me airline tickets and a friend who lives in D.C, to stay with. I’ll be able to go to the March on Washington for Equal Rights. More to come after I get back. I’m so excited.

Joseph Christopher Rocha.
There are so many young and courageous people coming up and taking leadership in our community, state and country. I would love to introduce one such young man. Joseph Rocha is stepping up and showing leadership even though he has had some difficult times he has endued himself.
Joseph is a 23 yr old junior at the University Of San Diego. A US military veteran who served 28 months in the Middle East as an explosive detection handler. His job then was to train and utilize dogs to keep explosives, narcotics, and insurgents out of Iraq and Afghanistan. During his time overseas he was brutally harrased under the suspicion that he might be a homosexual. Joseph bared the abuse, becoming another patriot victim of the militaries treatment of gays in the military. He proved his worth through excelling at his job and specialty. This earned him acceptance to the United States Naval Academy Prep School There, Joseph forfeited his dream of graduating from the Naval Academy by proudly declaring that indeed, he was a homosexual. he ended his military career, for now at least, to give a voice to those who serve in silence and to honor our more than one million gay veterans. Joseph has since worked for politicians from President Obama to Congresswoman Susan Davis. He have testified before city, state, and federal politicians and even been arrested to demand social justice and the repeal of Dont Ask Dont Tell. In honor of those who did not come back from the Middle East, He is dedicating the rest of his life as a public servant to fighting for human dignity. So look out for this mighty voice and wonderful hearted man who I personally am proud to call my friend. Your ROCK Joseph.

There are people who come and go in ones life, and then there are those special people who just become apart of our life. Well I have had the pleasure of having Sherman become apart of my wonderful life. This is a man I met several years ago and was lucy enough to have worked with him at the Caliph , the bar that Sherman owns.It was here that I truly learn of his kindness and loyalty to the people he calls his friends. His kindness is unmatched by most and his loyalty is unbelievably an honor to have. I have seem this man been taken for,talked about and witness other just simply be rude to him, and in return watched as he would be kind, accepting and just plain forgiving to those that had attacked him. Rare in most people attitudes,but comes simple for Sherman. I watched as he always say’s yes in giving back to the community he loves and appreciates. Sherman is a native San Diegien and has many great stories to tell of growing up and coming out as a gay man. I am blessed and grateful that Sherman is apart of my life. I love learning and growing as a better person because of people like Sherman who have and are willing to share themselves with people like myself. Thank you Sherman for your love, friendship and being a great example of true kindness.

This past Sunday I had the great honor to be invited to the home of Rick Ford where city, state and national leaders were invited to a reception honoring Russell Roybal( from the LGBT Task Force) and Gay Icon Cleve Jones,(founder and creator of the Aids Quilt and dear friend of the late Harvey Milk). We were asked to attend so we could be informed on what is going on with what is taking place in Washington in respect to our LGBT rights by Russell and to hear on the plans by Cleve on the leadership and goals of the March in Oct. This is a March that will be full of seminars to educate all of us and especially the younger people in the LGBT movement on how to help get others involve and how to push our message to our eleted state and national leaders. All this happening within a year and a half of the next election. The time is now , we are living through the civil rights movement of the 21th century, Get involve and be apart of changing what is right. We are no longer accepting the fact that others are playing with our Rights. We under the 14th Amendment already should have these rights, but it always seems that those who already have the rights that are deserved to all of us, seem to fight the hardest to keep the rest of us from having these right as well. We need to keep pushing our government leaders that they need to do what is right for all the people and not just the ones who seem to keep them in power.I am looking forward to doing my part and going to find a way to get myself there to be apart of making history and being apart of the change, I hope you spread the word and get yourself and your friends there as well. God Bless America for all of us.

HOT WEATHER, HOT MEN AND HOT WOMEN…. I’d say Hot is the word to describe this years LGBT Pride weekend. I personally had to work the entire week, but what I saw and did was fun, exciting and made me proud to live in San Diego. So as I begin finishing up 2009 I plan to continue the fight for Equality for all and also continuing to make a difference in helping our charity’s. Look forward to seeing and working with so many of you my friends. Let’s come together as a community, a nation and Americans to always make a positive difference.

Sreenplay written by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black (MILK) and Director Nick Oceano combine their efforts to bring the MTV movie Pedro to the big screen. Filmout was please to show this wonderful movie of the life of the openly gay,HIV-positive Cuban -American Pedro Zamora who was cast on season 3, MTV’s The Real Worlds:San Francisco. Pedro brought a face to the AIDS crisis on national TV, and made the courageous decision to dedicate the rest of his life to speaking out about his condition in an attempt to raise awareness about this deadly disease. His appearance on The Real World brought his story and his message to the MTV’s youthful audience and beyond, and when Pedro’s health began to deteriorate in the late 1994 ( after he had already left the show ), it became the front page news nationwide. he died the day of the last night of The Real World :San Francisco aired. His death at the age of 22 provoked a worldwide outpouring of grief.
As a person who remembers this story as if it were yesterday, it brought back a lot of memories of what was going on in my life during these very difficult times. I watch as so many of my friend had died because of this disease and was reminded one more time what so many of us went through. Our younger generations truly needs to see this film and see what this young man did and what he went through, so they may understand that it still is so important to have safe sex. I can tell you there was not a dry eye in the house when this movie ended. I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Alex Loynaz who did an amazing job portraying Pedro, he said he was so humble to be able to play this part and with this film he would be able to send the message that could chance and save lives as well. His message, AID is still very much out there, Pedro used the last part of his life to teach and show people how they could avoid going through what he was going through by just having safe sex. If you have the chance please see this movie, it will open your mind and heart.
(Pictured with me is Alex Loynaz who portrayed Pedro in the film)