Lesbians of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley Outings and Events
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When Cops Cry
It has been an intense week. The mass shooting of high school students in northern B.C. cut especially deep. In high school, I played basketball and volleyball. Tumbler Ridge was one of the schools we competed against, a small community where everyone is only a few degrees apart. My great niece is an RCMP officer stationed in Dawson Creek, just an hour away. She was called to the scene. She has two boys the same ages as some of the students who were shot. They likely played hockey against children from those very families.
She is an extraordinary woman. Over the years she has responded to horrific situations, often involving women and children harmed by male violence. And yet she continues to show up with steadiness, grace, and respect. She carries what most of us could not imagine carrying, and still does her work with humanity intact.
I find myself recoiling at the familiar media phrases about a town pulling together and healing beginning. Yes, the town will pull together. Families will endure because human beings do endure. But healing is not a neat arc. It is learning to live with ghosts. It is replaying memories late at night and wondering whether there was a sign, a moment, something that could have changed the story.
I cannot imagine what this feels like for my great niece, standing in the middle of that sorrow while knowing how easily it could have been her own children, her own community. She shared something written by a former colleague, and I cannot find better words, so I will pass them on.
The piece was written by Ken Matheson, a former RCMP member. It's worth sharing:
"There are moments when words are inadequate. What happened in Tumbler Ridge is a tragedy. Lives were lost. Families were shattered. A small community is now carrying a soul-crushing grief that will live long after the headlines fade. That is where our attention should begin, and where it should remain. Yet almost immediately, the tragedy was pulled into the public domain and repackaged. Not to support the grieving or help a traumatized community heal, but to advance ideological positions and turn suffering into rage farming.
That is not reflection. It is exploitation! Full stop! The shooter has been identified as a transgender individual with severe mental health challenges. Those facts have been selectively seized upon by some to promote ideological claims that have nothing to do with the lives lost in Tumbler Ridge. It is opportunism. To be clear, this tragedy is not “about trans people.” Just as acts of violence are not “about” race, religion, or sexuality simply because a perpetrator belongs to a particular group. Violence is not explained by identity labels, and grief is not eased by scapegoating.
I write this not only as a columnist and municipal councillor, but as a former police officer in British Columbia. I have seen firsthand the devastation left behind when vulnerable people are not supported, when mental health needs are ignored until they become crises, and when communities are left to the consequences. I have seen how a segment of our population is quick to apply blame.
Scapegoating vulnerable groups does not make communities safer. It makes them more fragile. It pushes people further to the margins, discourages them from seeking help, and deepens the conditions that lead to harm.
When tragedy is forced to fit a preferred narrative, victims are reduced to symbols. Their lives and losses become background noise in someone else’s debate.
What matters now are the families sitting in shock, the friends replaying conversations that will never happen again, and a community struggling to make sense of the unthinkable. It also matters to recognize the burden carried by first responders, teachers, neighbours, and local support workers who will deal with the emotional aftermath.
There will be time later for discussion about mental health services, access to care, and how people fall through the cracks. That conversation must be grounded in evidence, compassion, and humility. It will not be helped by social media, dog whistles, or rage farming.
Facts are not opinions. Grief is not an opportunity. And suffering should never be weaponized.
Even those far from Tumbler Ridge will feel the impact — parents, educators, first responders, and families everywhere who are reminded how suddenly the world can change. I struggle to make sense of this tragedy.
In the coming weeks, one meaningful response would be to do deliberate acts of kindness in our own communities. Check in on someone. Write a thank you note to a teacher or a first responder, buy a stranger coffee for no reason, or simply tell someone you love them. Be kind. Offer grace instead of judgment. The effects of this tragedy extend far beyond one town and we are all touched in different ways.
If we truly care about community safety, mental health, and human dignity, our response must reflect those values. That means refusing to let fear or ideology cause further harm. Some moments call for fact-based debate. This one calls for humanity. "
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My book Travels Into Discomfort is available on Amazon.
It is a travel adventure in its prose and a journey to the heart in its poetry.
Travels Into Discomfort
"some days it will hurt more.
some days you will feel like giving up,
like the world is on your shoulders
and you can’t go on anymore.
some days you will cry, and curse,
and wish things were different.
but others you will find moments of hope.
some days you will laugh and feel lighter.
some days will show you the beauty of the small things
and some days you will remember your own strength.
other days it will feel like a never-ending storm.
you will find yourself lost and alone.
you will feel angry and overwhelmed,
and you will wonder if the storm will ever end.
others you will know that it will,
that it is only darkest before dawn.
some days will be full of light and happiness,
and some nights will be full of heartache and tears.
some days will bring you joy and others sorrows.
but they all will have one thing in common:
through every shadow and sunrise, you grow,
and in the ebb and flow, you find your own story."
Hannah Shebar - Letters you will never read.
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Barbara Carpenter Realtor
Shann Carr
Comedian, Event Producer, Realtor, A Lesbian Concierge In The Desert
Andrea Voras, Gerontologist Dementia Specialist Life Aging Life Care Manager
Constance Clare-Newman, Somatic Work for Pain Relief and Stress Reduction
Corlyce Photography
Chris Ann Kallgren Realtor
Sunny Designs-Website & Graphic Design & Video
Rice Notary
Nancy Minger - Massage Therapist
Poochsitter
Motivation Changes — Life Coaching - Dr Ann Sarah Engel, MSW, PhD
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For more information about pickleball, including lessons, leagues, and other lesbians playing pickleball - contact Mary Barsaleau.
Mary is a registered Pickleball Ambassador.
| | Seeking Classical Musicians | | |
New Book -Smartass: Memoir of a Mouthy Girl
New Book - Show Her The Money
New Book - The Worst Kind of Girl, a novel by Susan Rukeyser
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- Cork Women's Fun Weekend
- AdventureWomen: organizes exceptional women’s only travel groups spots around the globe.
- Trafalgar: offers women-only guided vacations to various destinations, with local female guides and experts.
- Road Scholar: provides educational and cultural trips for women of all ages and interests.
- Adventures in Good Company: creates active and adventurous trips for women who love the outdoors.
- Intrepid Travel’s Women’s Expeditions: explores local cultures and traditions from a female perspective, with female leaders and hosts.
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Alice Coachman rose from segregated Georgia soil and turned a patch of dirt into a launchpad. As a girl she trained in secret, because her father believed competitive sports were unladylike and punished her for it. She practiced anyway, sprinting down roads, leaping over makeshift bars, building her own runway when none would be offered to her. Later in life she endured significant back problems and surgery that left her with a metal rod supporting her spine, a stark reminder of how much her body had given to the sport.
And still, in 1948, she soared. In London she became the first Black woman from any country to win an Olympic gold medal, clearing 5 feet 6 1⁄8 inches with a grace that made history look effortless. She had trained barefoot at times because Black athletes were barred from many facilities. She had gathered national titles long before the world stage would fully see her. Coachman did more than win a medal. . Her victory was not only athletic brilliance but civic defiance. In a world intent on shrinking her horizon, she kept lifting the bar. Coachman did not simply clear it. She carried generations with her over it.
| | Email me at gabriolakim@gmail.com if you want something posted on the bulletin board, or an event promoted. | |
Special Thanks to Frontrunners for their ongoing support of LPSCV
Palm Springs Front Runners & Walkers is a running and walking club for members and friends of the LGBTQ+ community in the Coachella Valley. We are a local chapter of International Front Runners, an informal network of LGBTQ+ running groups around the world. Membership is open to everyone without regard to ability, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. Join for daily runs and walks! Palm Springs Front Runners & Walkers - Home
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Valerie Milano
Senior Editor, The Hollywood Times
The L-Fund will also honor The Hollywood Times’ own Senior Editor, Valerie Milano, whose career in entertainment journalism has been defined by visibility, authenticity, and advocacy. Through decades of reporting, interviews, and festival coverage, Milano has ensured LGBTQ+ stories are told with heart and integrity, bringing community narratives to a global audience. She will receive The L-Fund’s Ambassador Award, recognizing her role as a trusted voice and connector within media and the LGBTQ+ community. https://l-fund.org/#
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Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at Mary Pickford, Cathedral City
Wuthering Heights
11:00 AM
Desert Thai for lunch if anyone interested after the movie.
Cindy purchased seat B-12 and will be in the lobby before 10:30am.
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LEA January Calendar
Around the Kitchen Table : February 16 - 2:30 PM
LEA will host a small gathering in a members home. Please RSVP for address . Space is limited so please let us hear from you asap.
Singles Mingles: February 20 - 4:00 PM
SINGLE MINGLES presents another gathering at the Social Cafe and Play Lounge in Palm Springs….more good times!!
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IN THE WAKE
By Lisa Kron
Directed by Laura Stearns
Set against the presidential election and political turmoil of 2000 , Ellen unapologetically weaves her complex passions through the lives of her family and friends in this funny, intelligent and searing play by Lisa Kron (FUN HOME) . In The Wake illuminates the assumptions that lie at the heart of the American character and exposes the ‘blind spots” that mask us from ourselves. At the Palm Springs Cultural Center
February 12 – 28, 2026
Buy Tickets – THE BENT
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February Black History Show — Where History Swings, Sings & Testifies
This February, Black history isn’t a chapter — it’s a live performance.
Sweet Baby J’ai presents an evening that honors Black legacy through music, story, dance, and soul. From jazz-rooted truths to rhythm-driven joy, this show celebrates the artists, ancestors, and culture-makers who turned struggle into soundtracks and resistance into art.
Come ready to listen, feel, and celebrate.
This is Black history — live, loud, and in full swing.
Friday, February 20, 2026
7:00–8:30 PM (Doors 6 PM)
Aqua Caliente Casino Cascade Lounge
7 - 8:30 PM
401 E Amado Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Black History Month Celebration Tickets, Fri, Feb 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite
Expect powerhouse voices, deep grooves, and moments that make you smile — a reminder that Black history lives, breathes, and still sets the tempo for everything cool, courageous, and creative. And you have my personal guarantee: you’ll leave with a smile and a little more wisdom than you came in with.
In support of the Sunset Music & Education Foundation (SMEF)
Come ready to listen.
Come ready to feel.
Come ready to celebrate.
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The Life and Times of Burrowing Owls: A Natural History and Conservation Review
Join Noelle Ronan, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Palm Springs Office, for a presentation that explores the unique life history of burrowing owls, covering topics such as nesting and winter ecology, diet, home range size, habitat associations, burrow use, behavior, and pairs with young. The presentation will review some study techniques and provide a summary of conservation status and protection efforts. Ms. Ronan will share examples from field experience and her perspective as a burrowing owl specialist and wildlife biologist.
Noelle Ronan works on threatened, endangered, and at-risk species. Noelle is a species expert on burrowing owls and has worked on the species since 1997 conducting research and monitoring population demographics in natural and urban habitats in central and southern California, the front range in Colorado, and eastern Washington. As the Burrowing Owl Species Lead for the Palm Springs Fish and Wildlife office, Noelle coordinates with agency and non-agency partners on conservation concerns of burrowing owl populations state-wide.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Mizell Center, 480 S Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Information and RSVP to DavidP@OswitLandTrust.org
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Every Month Bird Watching Walks at Prescott Preserve
Join OLT Volunteer Kurt Kosek for bird watching walks at Prescott Preserve every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at 8am. Birders of all ages and experience levels welcome. Walks are under 1.5 miles on dirt trails. The group meets at the old golf cart crosswalk on Farrell, just north of Mesquite. Plenty of parking on Farrell.
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Desert Legends, the Legendary Women's Weekend in Palm Springs
You are a lesbian that loves to laugh, party and soak up the vibe of surrounding yourself with sisters. You love your life. Come for the weekend and celebrate!
Golf, Comedy, Cocktails, Dancing, Music and Pool Parties
Legendary Lesbian Weekend in Palm Springs for more information and tickets
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BAM is back (Zoom Book and Movie) discussion group
We are a book and movie club that has been meeting online since 2020. We have a new format coming back from our summer break this year. All participants have the opportunity to select a book or movie for the group and to lead the discussion the month the group reads or views their selection.
BAM's selection for our March 9th meeting is The Safekeep by Yael van der Woude.
For questions about BAM and to request a link for the meeting, please get in touch with Flynn Sylvest at flynnsylvest@gmail.com. Thank you!
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Patrice Morris performs at Indian Wells Resort Hotel on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Reservations suggested. Cover charge.
Gennine Francis will be performing at The Roost this Saturday at 6 p.m. Reservations can be made online at ticketbud.com.
Rebecca Clark performs at The V Lounge on Sunday from 4–7 p.m. Reservations suggested.
Leanna Rogers and Miguel will be performing at The V Lounge on Mondays from 5–8 p.m. $5 cover charge. Leanna and The Free Agents are performing on Thursdays and Fridays from 6–8 p.m. at the Hyatt, Palm Springs.
Gennine Francis will be performing on Fridays, February 27 and April 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Palm Desert Country Club.
Gennine Francis will be performing at Indian Wells Resort Hotel every other Tuesday at 6 p.m. Dates: January 27; February 10, 24; March 10, 24; April 7, 21; May 5, 19. No cover charge. Reservations suggested.
Marisa Corvo performs at The Roost on Wednesday, January 28 and February 25, from 6:30 p.m. Tickets available at ticketbud.com.
Sean Wiggins will perform at Hunter’s on Saturday, February 7 at 5 p.m.
ticketbud.com.
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Lesbians Embracing Aging (LEA)
Lesbians Embracing Aging (LEA)
If you are an older lesbian and would like to connect with others, please consider joining
LEA. You can start by signing up for our monthly newsletter and then, if you’d like to
connect more often, join our private Facebook group which is about connection and
conversation, support and community – a place to lend a helping hand and uplift each
other when needed.
To sign up for the newsletter let us know here: leaofcoachellavalley@gmail.com
To sign up for the Facebook group (please note: all applicants must answer brief
questions and agree to group rules) let us know here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1842826446542272
To attend the monthly LEA Zoom meeting mark your calendar for the second
Monday of each month at 11: 00 AM
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82977588013?pwd=urfkjO44hhwpBbKU1OIZDnPfJlbg0R.1#
success
To read LEA’s mission Triangle Care Management
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Easy/Moderate/Difficult Hikes
Hiking season has started.
I hike Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Sign up below to receive hiking information
New hikers must register and sign a waiver.
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2026 Walks
Friday 8am
Meeting Spot: Michael S. Wolfson Park, at the Butler/Abrams Trail access. 70001 Frank Sinatra Dr, Rancho Mirage,
Dogs are welcome on leash.
Walk description
- Route: Butler/Abrams Trail – Rancho Mirage
- Length: 2.5 miles
- Type: In and out
- Elevation gain: 45 ft
- Time: About 1 hour
- Difficulty: Easy
Along the way, we will:
- Visit the resident goats, so feel free to bring apples and carrots for treats.
- Walk past “Terra,” a striking rammed-earth compound created as a tribute to Mother Earth.
'Terra' Is a $4.9M Compound Created as a 'Tribute to Mother Earth'
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Movie Meetup
Wednesday - Mary Pickford Theater
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at Mary Pickford, Cathedral City
Wuthering Heights
11:00 AM
Desert Thai for lunch if anyone interested after the movie.
Cindy purchased seat B-12 and will be in the lobby before 10:30am.
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This Week's Recommendation
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast on Netflix feels like a reclamation of female friendship in all its messy, ferocious, unvarnished truth. It refuses the polished myth of womanhood and instead gives us loyalty braided with rivalry, grief tangled with dark humor, and the long memory of girlhood that never quite loosens its grip. These women are flawed, sharp, tender, and occasionally reckless, which makes them gloriously real. The series understands how shared history among women can feel like both an anchor and a detonator, especially in a place where the past hums beneath every conversation. Watching it, I felt seen in that particular way only stories about complicated female bonds can manage, where love is not soft focus but something muscular and enduring.
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PALS no-cost seminars provide up-to-date info and resources to own your
future, engage in essential conversations and take action because it’s never too soon to start planning ahea
For program updates and to sign up for upcoming PALS Seminars, Death Cafes and PALS Circles, please visit palsinthedesert.com.
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PALS Death Cafe at 2 pm on the 1st Thurs each month provides a group
led and safe space to have open conversations about death and dying without taboo.
For program updates and to sign up for upcoming PALS Seminars, Death Cafes and PALS Circles, please visit palsinthedesert.com.
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.PALS CIRCLE for an hour of connection, support and friendship among
LGBTQ+ seniors and allies. No formal topic — just fun conversation and
camaraderie each Monday from 6:00 to 7:00 PM on ZOOM.
For program updates and to sign up for upcoming PALS Seminars, Death Cafes and PALS Circles, please visit palsinthedesert.com.
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Evening Chat Group
Evening Chat Group 5pm to 6:30pm PST Every Thursday (new day of week)
Join us for a lively Zoom chat, catch up with friends, and make new ones! Open to Lesbians in and out of the Coachella Valley — California — all 50 States — and beyond. Please email JayneStrelecki@gmail.com to receive the weekly invite & reminder with Zoom meeting ID and Passcode. Bring a friend! Hosted by Cindy T and Jayne!
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1st and 3rd Fridays are Wine Down Friday’s with Guest Speakers 5PM-6:30P. 600 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs.
Network, share info about your business/upcoming event or just drop-by to unwind and make new friends!
No Wine Down Meetup on the 16th. Ladies of Justice are out of town.
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Gay Country Western Dancing - Saturday Nights
Join the Dance Ranch for a great night of country western dancing, including two-step, waltz, shadow, East and West Coast swing, and line dances.
It all happens at Step By Step
933 Crossley Road, Palm Springs.
Admission is $5
Lesson is at 7pm. Dancing from 7:30-9:30pm
Dance Ranch Palm Springs is a country western dance group serving the LGBTQ+ community and its friends. Country dancers of all levels are welcome!
Learn more about Dance Ranch and find out what they’re teaching at danceranchps.org.
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Sunniva Sorby (fellow hiker and Palm Springs snowbird) joins Wild Women Expeditions as their Polar Ambassador representing adventures across Svalbard, the Canadian Arctic, and Antarctica.
To kick things off, I’ll be joining their Svalbard voyage from June 15–25, 2026, and I’d like to extend a heartfelt invitation to all women to join us on this incredible journey. Right now, Wild Women Expeditions is offering a 20% promotion until the end of October — it’s a rare opportunity to be part of something transformative. – click here for more details
Having traveled much of my life, I know that how, and with whom we travel matters more than ever. That’s why I’m proud to align with a company like Wild Women Expeditions, where we share core values of:
Women’s empowerment
Female leadership / Elevating one another
Giving back and adding value to every place/community we visit
Together, we’ll have a ton of fun and experience the raw beauty of Svalbard, connect deeply with nature, and contribute to a legacy of women supporting women at the ends of the Earth.
I hope to see some of you on deck in Svalbard this June.
Sunniva Sorby
Polar Explorer | Citizen Scientist | Polar Ambassador for Wild Women Expeditions
** By the way Bellsund is on the itinerary and weather permitting we’ll explore the area around Bamsebu ( yup that teeny trappers hut I spent 19 months in) which is steeped in history and rich with wildlife and wildflowers.
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Join me in Svalbard, Norway June 15-25th 2026
with Wild Women Expeditions!
** TEDx Talk in Victoria - 14 mins
** Check out our Monthly Event Series
with Exploring by the Seat of your pants!
Author.Explorer.Activist.Educator
www.sunnivasorby.com
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