Happy Pride Month! Fathers' Day Tribute Tribute P20
JUNE 2024 VOLUME 4 ISSUE 41
LGBTQSD.NEWS
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Changes to the neighborhood
>>> PRIDE P5
Carlos Santiago, the high-spirited and much-beloved star first baseman for The Loft team in America’s Finest City Softball League (AFCSL), passed away suddenly last week. His jersey was featured prominently at the team’s final game of the season on June 2. (Photo by Roman Jimenez)
Local softball league loses an icon by Roman Jimenez | Guest Contributor
Stonewall Awards announced
> >>DINING PG 15
Millions of hard pours
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On Sunday, June 2, America’s Finest City Softball League (AFCSL) celebrated the end of its 43rd spring season. Missing from the party was Carlos Santiago, one of the league’s biggest and most beloved personalities for almost 30 years; the big lefty first baseman had passed away suddenly on May 10 from a suspected heart attack, just a day before his 56th birthday. Santiago first came to San Diego courtesy of the US. Navy. A proud veteran, he would spend most of his civilian career working for the Port and the County of San Diego. When he wasn’t working or playing softball, Santiago
could often be found at Petco Park rooting for the Padres, while paying especially close attention to the out-of-town scoreboard to check up on his favorite team, the Chicago Cubs. Santiago leaves behind his partner of four years, Brian Dinges, and Dinges’ two sons from a previous relationship, Parker and Grayson, who are both 11 years old. “He was a wonderful man,” Dinges said. “Very loving and tender. He was a great role model for my boys and they loved him dearly.” Santiago also leaves behind dozens of friends and teammates,
many of whom are still processing the sudden and untimely loss of such a giant presence in their lives. Friends remembering and coping “I’m still struggling with the fact that he’s gone,” said Kent Hammond, longtime friend, coach and teammate of Santiago’s. “Carlos was the ultimate team player.” Hammond, who will be inducted into the AFCSL Hall of Fame in a few weeks, shared what many have said about his friend.
See CARLOS page 2
Creating queer women's spaces While meeting the challenges of change (Part II) by Morgan M. Hurley
Ms. B’s Tony Award choices
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In the last issue, we started a story about Barrell & Board & Bar and Gossip Grill, but we just ran out of time and space. The separate interviews conducted with owner Moe Girton and B&B Executive Chef Mina Rosete just didn’t get the space on the page that this writer had hoped. So here we are. To read part 1, visit bit. ly/4bQ95Ee. The gist of our last feature explained a bit about how Barrel & Board came about, but there is so much more to tell. Barrel & Board was purchased during COVID, and while there wasn’t a lot of money available, it was an offer too good to pass up. The original plan was to move Gossip Grill there, but then COVID ended and the opportunity to have a second space fell into place. There are 17 investors in
A businesswoman and a tribal leader walk into a bar … Moe Girton, right, of Barrel & Board, with Mina Rosete, her executive chef. (Photo by Morgan M. Hurley)
Barrel & Board, making it a 100% employee owned business. The top four investors, Moe Girton, Stefan Chilcoat, Joey Arruda, and Matt Ramon, are all familiar names within our community and our gay/queer bar and restaurant establishments. It is important to note that while you may still associate them with “MO’s Universe,” that
is no longer a thing. Each of the properties that at one time were connected by that marketing phrase are now all individually owned. It just so happens that there is a lot of familiarity, which makes the community we are all a part of even closer than most. Many of us “grew up” with these
See QUEER WOMEN page 17
HILLCREST PRESCHOOL EXPANDS,INCREASES CAPACITY 30 PERCENT On June 2, Hillcrest Preschool had a grand opening of its new state-of-the-art facility on Cleveland Avenue. An extension of the LGBTQ-affirming University Christian Church, the preschool has been in existence since 1970. The new facility, which is on the same grounds, now offers eight classrooms and the increased square footage of the new space allows the preschool to increase its capacity for preschoolers (ages 18 months to 5 years) by 30% over the previous classroom spaces. This was the main goal of the church leadership. “The reality is that there aren’t enough affordable preschools with spots available for working families,” Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines, Senior Minister of University Christian Church stated in a press release. “Waitlists are extensive, which puts families in a very difficult position when they can’t find childcare. In some small way, we hope to help close the gap of unmet childcare. For us, providing affordable childcare is a justice issue.” According to their website, despite being an extension of the church, the preschool does not mix the two. “In order to reach the whole community, our preschool does not teach religion but does incorporate basic humanistic values such as love, respect, acceptance, and inclusion,” the website states. University Christian Church and Hillcrest Preschool are located at 3900 Cleveland Ave., in Hillcrest (across from the Post Office and DMV). Those looking for a tour or more information about the preschool should visit bit. ly/3XdUkXo. CELEBRATE PRIDE AT SAN DIEGO WAVE GAME The San Diego Wave FC (Fútbol Club) will be hosting its third annual Pride Night on Friday, June 28, at 7 pm, when the Wave takes on the Chicago Red Stars at Snapdragon Stadium. The San Diego Wave FC is part of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), which is a 12-team Division-I women’s professional soccer league, featuring national team players from around the world. Wave FC entered the league as an expansion team in 2022. Other clubs hail from Chicago, Houston, Kansas City, New York, Louisville, North Carolina, Orlando, Portland, Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington D.C. To help celebrate Pride Month and the local San Diego LGBTQ+
See NEWS BRIEFS page 18