Happy Disability Pride Month! | | 2025 Theme: “We Belong Here, and We’re Here to Stay” | |
Dear friends,
Happy Disability Pride Month! We celebrate this in July to commemorate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (signed into law on July 26, 1990) and fostering a sense of pride and inclusion within the disability community. It's a time for individuals with disabilities to celebrate their identities, challenge ableism, and advocate for greater visibility and rights for absolutely every person who experiences disabilities within our Alphabet Famm. See more at the end.
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After a memorable Pride Month in resistance to the Trump Administration's abuses against us, we are reminded of our history of resistance and how we have had to sustain decades of personal and political defiance, even in the midst of conflict, challenge and struggle. No wonder I've been seeing "after pride comes comes wrath" meme out there on the socials.
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What I'm also seeing is the beginning of others seeing what pressure the GOP and their ilk are sending our way, and deciding to do more to share from their social locations to help share our stories, such as the increase in the number of queer films being hosted online and locally at the Empress Theatre in Vallejo (see below). How will you increase your visibility outside of Pride month this year? How will you share the stories from our common past that inspired you the most? What protests will you participate in to share your voice against the tide we are seeing?
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Last Pride Event!
• July 6th - Pride Month AfterGlow - Benicia LGTBQIA Post Pride Month Party (+Christina's Birthday) at Baxter's Restaurant (280 First Street, Benicia)!
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There will be another Bambino's Drag Sunday Brunch on Sunday, July 27th.
Get ready to dazzle and delight at Bambino’s, where Vallejo’s Drag Brunch is making its fabulous debut! Join us for a sparkling celebration hosted by the incredible Sadie C. Sparkles and Miss Cherrylane. It’s a chance to embrace the vibrant spirit of the LGBTQ+ community and enjoy a brunch experience like no other. Come on down and be part of this exciting new event that brings drag and queer culture to our community! If you want to reserve your seat, go to this link to get your ticket today! The last one did sell out. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/vallejos-drag-brunch-bambinos-tickets-1426119223989
| Like other LGBTQIA2S+ Centers, Even Here in CA, We Need Your Financial Support! | |
Give Out Day began last week, but you can give all year long! https://www.giveoutday.org/donate/Solanopridecenter
Help Solano Pride Center turn See's Candy into cash.
Thank you for supporting the Solano Pride Center! We’ll receive profits from any items you purchase below. Order more to help us reach our fundraising goal! Copy and paste this link in your marketing emails and social media posts: https://www.yumraising.com/secure/solanopc_solano_pride_center2/Wilwil2345/candy
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SPC Panera Day in Vacaville on July 9th! (Vallejo and Fairfield days will be in future months.)
Wednesday, July 9th from 7 am to 9 pm! 1637 E Monte Vista Ave., Vacaville, CA
Right click on the image, or go to this link to download a file to take in: https://fundraising.panerabread.com/share/8h1wGkaNA4RYbDtxKvrX
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Can you spare a few dollars to help keep the Center open during these trying times? LGBTQIA2S+ Centers across the state are experiencing a drop in donations, and your support is crucial to help us continue delivering the life-saving services our community depends on.
We at Solano Pride have noticed that we have received $45,000 less in donations from the community over the last eight months since the election than in previous years. We are recognizing that the uncertainty since then has definitely affected giving for our life-sustaining programs. If you are in a place to share financially right now, we definitely need your help right now. You can even set up a monthly donation of as little as $5 a month, which helps us more than you can know.
If you are giving to our General Fund to support all of our programming, you can give through our portal on Zeffy at https://tinyurl.com/Give2SolanoPride. Donate today!
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Will McGarvey
he/they
Executive Director
Solano Pride Center
will@solanopride.org
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Three new LGBTQIA2S+ or Queer Films
available online & at the Empress Theatre.
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This July, the groundbreaking Hollywood feature film
PONYBOI (watch trailer here) RATED R— written by and starring intersex artist River Gallo — will premiere in theaters. It’s already won multiple international awards and debuted at Sundance 2024.
The producers are offering national/regional/local LGBTQIA+ nonprofits, GSAs, and queer-affirming orgs a chance to earn $3 per stream with a limited engagement At-Home On Demand program— while helping amplify a beautiful story of identity, survival, and chosen family. You can support the Solano Pride Center by watching the film at this link online!
US Release Date: June 27, 2025
Starring: River Gallo, Dylan O'Brien, Victoria Pedretti, Murray Bartlett, Indya Moore
Director: Esteban Arango
Synopsis: PONYBOI is a groundbreaking new feature — the first ever written by and starring an out intersex person, River Gallo. Set in New Jersey and pulsing with heart, rage, tenderness, and defiance, it tells a raw and riveting story of identity, survival, and chosen family. RottenTomatoes Link.
We are looking into hosting a local screening here in Solano on Wednesday, September 17th at a local theater! Let will@solanopride.org know if you are interested in helping us host the event by volunteering that night!
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Amal, showing August 10th at the Empress Theatre, 330 Virginia St, Vallejo.
You don’t want to miss this EXCLUSIVE opportunity to see AMAL on the big screen after it WON the GENERATION jury at the 2024 Galway Film Fleadh!
Synopsis: Amal, a French teacher in a Brussels high school, encourages her students to cultivate a passion for reading, defend freedom of expression, and promote acceptance of others. But her outspokenness upsets some students and colleagues tied to Islamic extremism. Yet Amal stands her ground, especially when she helps one of her students suspected of being homosexual, has been attacked, harassed and threatened.
Trailer Link. Link to buy tickets is being prepared.
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Foreign Film - Oddfish
Look for this film back at the Empress in October.
Price w/ Fees: $20.00
A film about friendship and dreams, about acceptance and identity. Two friends, Björn and Hjalti, run a popular seafood restaurant in a fishing village in the Westfjords of Iceland, where they were born and raised. Hjalti is a confident family man; Björn, a reserved, single guy who has always lived in his parents’ house. They usually close their restaurant during the winter, but a good opportunity arises and they decide to grab it. At the same time, Bjorn comes out as a trans woman. Prejudice is around the corner and the friendship sways under this unexpected turn of events. With a delicate and Nordic narrative, we live the doubts and fears of a person who finally makes the step to become who she is, and of a man who was raised with strict beliefs who has to work on himself to understand and to keep close to one of the most important people in his life. The inspiration came to the director by growing up in a similar small fishing town; he has shared the writing credit with Veiga Grétarsdóttir, herself a trans woman who brings much warmth, humour and authenticity to the story.
Renay Conlin, Executive Director, Vallejo Center for the Arts
renayconlin@vallejoarts.org, 707-346-7328.
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Our counselors have special training and skills in treating a vast number of issues. Their training in treating trauma, depression, anxiety, and grief has been especially helpful as we've navigated the ever-changing and uncertain path of our times. We are fortunate to have counselors with LGBTQIA2S+ cultural competency, so you know they will have heard about your uniqueness just by stepping through our doors! You can sign up for free counseling by calling our confidential Counseling line at 707.389.4520.
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EVEN IF IT IS JUST ONE DOLLAR... AIDSWALKSF: Why we participate!
Since 1987, the AIDS Walk has raised more than $900 million for HIV programs and services in the Bay Area, establishing itself as the most well known AIDS fundraiser.
Aids Walk shows us..... That not just one organization can meet the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. That is why this event let's everyone know that it is not just one voice but many. It is not just one City, but a Bay Area wide effort to bring this epidemic to an end!Solano Pride Center is the only LGBTQIA2S+ Community Center in all of Solano County serving the LGBTQIA2S+ community's HIV/AIDS needs.
Offering:
- Resources for free HIV/AIDS testing
- Free HIV testing at our Suisun City Pride Festival
- Resources for PReP & PEP
- HIV POS Support Group
Please show your support for what we do!If you can please donate, even if it is just one dollar, we need your help right now! https://sf.aidswalk.net/CristinaZaldana
Thank you so much!
Cristina
| | Updated Youth Programming | | Next Up for Youth & Young Adults around the county! | | |
Upcoming Youth Programs
across the County!
| | Upcoming Social & Support Groups! | |
Check out the new Mindfulness Group!
What should our next Queering Faith group topic be?
| To see all of Social and Support on our website, please go under the home button in the menu or go to this link. Social & Support Groups: https://solanopride.org/social-and-support-groups | | |
New MINDFULNESS
GROUP at Solano Pride Center. Wednesdays from 4:30pm - 5:30pm
In-person group to learn mindfulness practices. Mindfulness provides many
benefits that can include: stress reduction, improved focus, and better sleep. This is an 8-week group continuing June 30, 2025. Ages 18+. Email for more information or to sign up:
crystal@solanopride.org
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New Mindfulness groups for teens online begins June 30th.
Mondays, 5:00pm - 6:00pm. Learn mindfulness practices in a Zoom group. Mindfulness provides many benefits that can include: stress reduction, improved focus, and better sleep. This group continues July 6th, 2025 at 5pm. Ages 13 - 17.
Email for more information or to sign up: crystal@solanopride.org
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The QR code: Queer Recovery
A secular 12-step LGBTQ+ group for those in recovery for any addictions. The next meeting will be Sunday, July 6th at 7 pm. The group will meet in person at the Solano Pride Center’s Lobby on the 1st and 3rd Sunday evenings at 7 pm. Come to the south doors near our offices and knock to be let in. Hosted by Christopher Cortes (christopher@solanopride.org) with shared leadership from other members of the group. Anonymity will be protected.
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A supportive gathering for those who experience Chronic Illness and Chronic Pain is temporarily on hiatus.
Ray McIntosh will be rejoining us for another semester, and we are pleased this group will be restarted soon. Next in person group will be Friday, July 17th (1st and 3rd Fridays at 2 pm in person in the Conference Room - after Senior Lunches). Monday, July 7th at 6:00 pm on zoom.
Contact Ray for more info, and know that you are not alone. Ray can be contacted at ray@solanopride.org or by phone or text at 707.408.2458.
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Grief Support Group will next meet on July 11th & 25th from 10-11:30 am on zoom through the summer.
Rachel Wilson and Timothy Meyer will be the facilitators for the group that will meet on the 2nd and 4th Fridays for zoom meetings.
Rachel can be contacted at rachel@solanopride.org or by phone or text at 707.681.1887.
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LGBTQ2S+ Men's Support Group (3rd Wednesdays – July 16th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm – at the Center's Lobby, knock on the South Doors.
We will be having an open discussion, so bring a topic to share! This group is for all those who identify as Male or Trans Masc, and is trans inclusive, led by Will McGarvey & Milton Heath Solórzano. Contact us by email for more info at will@solanopride.org or miltonheath@solanopride.org.
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The HIV Positive Support Group will continue as a zoom group on the 3rd Thursdays of the month, but now from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. The next group meeting is Thursday, July 17th. Contact cristina@solanopride.org for more information. This is the first meeting, so plan on attending to share what you'd like to see in future meetings! Facilitated by Cristina Zaldana and Christina Ochiega.
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The Gender Expansive Circle will meet again on Friday, July 18th at 5:30 pm, in the Conference Room. (Our Offices are closed on the 4th of July)
GEC meets on the first and third Friday's of each month unless noted.
This group is for Trans, Intersex, Non-binary, Gender Non-Conforming, 2 Spirit and those questioning their gender identity or expression. The group is led by Kacen Cosmos and Cristina Zaldana! Questions can be directed to Cristina at cristina@solanopride.org.
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Pan-Pagan/Magickal Support Group is normally the 4th Wednesdays from 7-8:30 pm, and will meet in person at 7 pm on Wed, July 23rd. For those with any form of neo-pagan, polytheistic, or non-abrahamic practice, to explore the intersections of queerness and pagan spirituality. Led by members of SPC Staff. Bring something from your altar to share about.
Led by Will, Colin and Trystan this month. Bring something from your altar to share about. Let's talk about Beltane! Email will@solanopride.org for the zoom link!
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Movie Night at Solano Pride!
We will be having a regular movie night at the center, the 4th Tuesdays of the month starting at 6pm (except June). Feel free to being refreshments or dinner. We will be intermixing Queer history and fun.
Sorry we had to cancel because of illness, and the Vacaville City Council meeting... No movie in June. Next up is July 29th! Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back! Let me know if you have any questions! Stephan@SolanoPride.Org
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We are adding another Social opportunity for our whole Intergenerational community!
Arts & Crafts Nights will take a break for the summer, and then meet the first Thursday of each month from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in the Conference Room in odd numbered months, and Gayme Nights will be on the same nights in the even months.
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Our next gathering will be Arts & Crafts Night on Thursday, Sept 4th at 7:00 pm!
If you'd like to share an art project, please contact us. Just bring any games you'd like to play or share. We will take the summer off.
Our next gathering will be Gayme Night on Thursday, October 2nd at 7:00 pm!
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Military/Veterans LGBTQ+ Social & Support Group
This group will take a break through the summer, and return when we have found a date and time that works for more participants.
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Solano Pride Center offers counseling and psychotherapy to the LGBTQ+ community of Solano County.
There are openings available for those who wish to be seen for counseling services right now! We can even talk to you if you just want to make sense of the times we live in. We are able to see clients for up to six months at no cost to clients, helping you make sense of life as a queer person, get support coming out, or deepening your self confidence by talking about your past. Please call our confidential line to make an appointment at: 707-389-4520. Please contact our Clinical Director Colin Amato at colin@solanopride.org for more information.
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SPC Trainings for your Team
We have Cultural competency Trainings for Schools, Teachers, Professors, Therapists, Social Workers, Case Managers, Businesses, Health Care workers, Senior Centers, and all who work with LGBTQIA2S+ people in every environment. Yes, we have an SB 923 training for health systems needed this summer as well!
Contact will@solanopride.org for more information.
| | We need People of Color from Central and West County, age 21 and up. Please apply today! | | |
Not everyone can give blood…but everyone is eligible to volunteer.
Did you know there aren’t the restrictions there used to be against our community in donating blood? Schedule a time to come to the Conference Room off the Main Entrance to the Center’s building, and come out Friday, August 8th between 10 am and 3 pm. Sign up here! Blood Drives: https://www.solanopride.org/blood-drives/
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Calling all volunteers! If you want to be a volunteer at Solano Pride Center, please let us know!
Our next Volunteer Training will be scheduled for Thursday, July 24th at 6 pm on zoom. If you are interested in volunteering, just for special events or on a more regular basis at the Center, please email cristina@solanopride.org with the best times that work for you to be trained. These trainings are necessary for anyone who wishes to volunteer at the Center, in one of our Programs, or even for short term events like our Teen and Adult Proms and June 1st Pride celebration being planned now! Don't miss this informative background on how to help, knowing our best practices and Community Agreements!
Volunteering: https://www.solanopride.org/volunteering/
| | Vallejo Gay Network Events! | | |
Join your community as Wendell and Manny host us for a Summer Potluck on the Island. Let's get into summer fully and soak up the cool island vibes of Mare Island.
Bring a dish, and don't forget your favorite drink to wash it down with and a friend or three. We're all about growing our LGBTQ+ community in Vallejo and Solano County. As this will be both an outdoor and an indoor event, we are asking that you please be up to date on everything.
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VGN event!
Will you host a potluck or gathering at your place in the future? Please email tom@vallejogaynetwork.com
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LGBTQ Book Club - July 9th - Forgetting Elena
Date & Time: July 9th @ 5:30 pm
Where: Alibi Bookshop, 624 Marin St., Vallejo, CA 94590
From the organizers: Please join us on Wednesday, July 9th for the Alibi Bookshop LGBTQ Book Club's discussion of "Forgetting Elena" by Edmund White on Wednesday, July 9th at 5:30 pm. It's also the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of The LGBTQ Book Club, so Richard will be bringing cake and champagne!
"Forgetting Elena" is the debut of Edmund White, the pioneering LGBTQ novelist, memoirist, essayist, and playwright, who passed away last month at the age of 85. Hailed as "astonishing" and "uncannily beautiful" by The New York Times, "Elena" is a captivating novel that explores the complexities of social conventions and the desperate yearning for acceptance.
On the privileged island community where "Forgetting Elena' takes place, manners are everything. Or so it seems to White's excruciatingly self-conscious young narrator who desperately wants to be accepted in this world where everything from one's bathroom habits to the composition of "spontaneous" poetry is subject to rigid conventions.
Books are available in the shop, online in print and ebook: bookshop.org/shop/alibibookshop and audio: libro.fm/alibibookshop
It's going to be a great discussion, made even better with Richard's questions -- and celebratory treats! See you there! Facebook Event Link
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Save the Dates:
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If you want to host, please email tom@vallejogaynetwork.com
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August 10th - VGN & Benicia LGBTQIA Network Pool Party
- August 23rd - VGN Potluck Hosted by Ric Duran
- September 20th - VGN Potluck Hosted by Michael Harris
- October - VGN Potluck Hosted by Peter and Adam
- November 22nd - VGN Potluck & Food Bank Fundraiser Hosted by Tom & Chris
- December 27th - Monty and Frankie
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Recurring Events in the Community
GVRD Host Mothly Senior Social Event for People Ages 55+. From the organizers: Join us for a fun and relaxed morning of socializing, coffee, and light activities! Our Senior Social takes place once a month on the second Wednesday, from 8:30 to 10:30 AM. Enjoy a warm cup of coffee, delicious pastries, and a variety of puzzles and games while meeting new friends. It's a wonderful way to start your day and make new connections in a welcoming environment. Best of all, it’s completely free! We hope to see you there! Coffee is sponsored by a local Starbucks, pastries from local businesses, and games and puzzles are provided by GVRD.
Every 2nd Wednesday of the Month - Next gathering Wed, July 9th from 8:30am-10:30am, Vallejo Community Center, 225 Amador St
| | Benicia LGBTQ+ Network Events! | | |
• July 6th from 1-6 pm - Pride Month AfterGlow - Benicia LGTBQIA Post Pride Month Party (+Christina's Birthday) at Baxter's Restaurant , 280 First Street, Benicia. FB Link
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August 10th from 1 -6 pm - Pool Party & Potluck hosted by VBN & Benicia Networks.
FB Link
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Black Embrace: A Podcast Supporting Black Families Navigating LGBTQIA+ Challenges
By Charlotte Richardson, DSW-C, LCSW and SPC Board Member
This podcast is dedicated to discussing the hard issues at the intersection of Black Family and LGBTQIA+ Youth. Historically the Black Community and LGBTQIA+ issues have been a point of disagreement and Black Family relationship breakdown. This podcast seeks to heal the wounds of family breakdown, create positive communication within Black Families with LGBTQIA+ Youth, and overall improve relationships and connection with Black Families and Community.
Our Clinical Director, Colin Amato, was one of Charlotte's first interviews! Hear it here! Will McGarvey's interview is here!
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/charlotte-richardson4
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Mental Health Resources from Kenyatta Edwards now on our website
My name is Kenyatta, and I am the founder of Learning Self-Love, a wellness-focused brand dedicated to empowering individuals through healing, self-discovery, and personal growth. I am reaching out to explore a potential collaboration with the Pride Center to support your mission through my published works and self-help tools.
Look for more info near the bottom of our home page at https://www.solanopride.org or by emailing her at kenyattaedwards40@gmail.com.
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Chocolate Rainbow Productions is proud to present KATHRYN SEABRON’S thought-provoking-heartfelt drama. “ANGRY BLACK WOMAN 101” one-woman show.
The play, produced in association with Bay Area Women’s Theatre Festival, is directed by Lynn Vidal.
Writer/Performer Kathryn Seabron’s bold and insightful solo show, ANGRY BLACK WOMAN 101, was inspired by a personal and painful experience at a nonprofit. This resonant & deeply personal show delves into the micro-aggressions, tropes, and systemic ‘misogynoir’ that Black women face every day in the workplace and beyond.
In this work, Seabron creates a compelling blend of vignettes, storytelling, and poetry, against a backdrop of multimedia elements, exploring the intersection of racism and misogyny that Black women navigate daily, at work and at the market, in school, on the street, and in healthcare – every single day of their lives.
The strong & compelling performance also confronts the weaponization of White women’s tears, shedding light on their use as a tool to silence and disenfranchise Black women – and the broader implications of these dynamics in professional and social spaces. At once haunting, engaging & raw, Angry Black Woman 101 invites audiences to witness, reflect, and challenge the pervasive injustices that Black women routinely endure.
Angry Black Woman 101 premiered at the 2022 San Francisco Fringe Festival, where the San Francisco Chronicle highlighted it as a standout, and was named as a highly-recommended show by Fringe Review as it praised the show as “compelling and vital,” noting that “Seabron’s writing is witty, and she is poignant and hard hitting in her dramatic performance.” The show went on to win the Best Performance Award at the 2024 Atlanta Black Theater Festival.
After a well-received appearance at The Marsh’s In Front of Your Eyes Performance Festival, The Marsh mounted a full production in Berkeley in March & April 2025. Due to its popularity, its run was then extended another month.
Theatrius hailed Seabron’s solo tour-de-force as “a stunning show … both sobering and hilarious.”
Angry Black Woman 101 will run at the MIRA Theatre Dates have been postponed. General Admission: $35. For ticket reservations call Chocolate Rainbow Productions 510-519-0148.
Chocolate Rainbow Productions, formerly Chocolate Rainbow Theatre Company, is composed of artists who identify as POC, LGBTQ-AI & their Allies. Our mission is to tell authentic stories from and of POC & LGBTQ-AI communities, to enlighten and build cultural awareness, with a commitment to diversity.
CRP supports and promotes the creative works of People of Color, LGBTQ+ Artists whose voices have been limited by the conventional societal norms. We encourage performing arts works that are the impetus to Change, to foster creative solutions to the societal ills of our communities through the art of performance; and to continuously seek to affirm those creative solutions by working with and providing professional training in the performing arts to the members of our communities. For Ticket Reservations Call: (510) 519-0148
Dates have been postponed.
MIRA Theatre, 51 Daniels Ave, Vallejo, CA 94590.
Tickets $35
| | This amazing training from the Center for Human Development has been rescheduled for July 30th to August 1st. | |
Best Buck in the Bay Rodeo & Festival
September 13th & 14th, 2025
Duncans Mills, CA
With over 29 years GSGRA-BAC strives to be an active part of the LGBTQ community by hosting of fund-raising events to benefit local charities and to educate others on the Country-Western Lifestyle through Rodeo, Dance Events, and Royalty. Membership is not restricted and all who are interested are welcome to join.
GSGRA-BAC is a California 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization. https://bayarearodeo.com/
| | Ever wondered if the Center is open, or how to contact the staff member you need? | |
July Health & Wellness Observances
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Monthly observances in July 2025
BIPOC Mental Health Month: Originally called “National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month,” this month aims to raise awareness of the mental health challenges faced by racial and ethnic groups that have been oppressed or disenfranchised.
Disability Pride Month: Raise awareness about the capabilities and achievements of people living with a disability. This month-long observance aims to challenge stigma and promote a more inclusive workplace and world.
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month: This month, rally to help better understand the mental health struggles felt in minority communities nationwide. This is a month for education, support, and most importantly solidarity.
Non-Binary People's Day (July 14th): Nonbinary Awareness Week, culminates in International Nonbinary People’s Day on July 14. What does non-binary mean? The definition provided by Stonewall (Britain’s leading charity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans equality) is: “Non-binary is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn’t sit comfortably with ‘man’ or ‘woman’. Non-binary identities are varied and can include people who identify with some aspects of binary identities, while others reject them entirely. “Non-binary people can feel that their gender identity and gender experience involves being both a man and a woman, or that it is fluid, in between, or completely outside of that binary.”
International Drag Day (July 16th): International Drag Day is to celebrate the greatness and wonder that is Drag Artists from every corner of the planet. Created by Adam Stewart in 2009, International Drag Day was set up to give Drag Artists a well-deserved chance to shine and be celebrated for everything they give to gay life and culture.
July Observances Link:
https://www.diversityresources.com/july-awareness-and-heritage-months/
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