San Francisco Pride Parade Does Not Disappoint

 After two years of minimal and cautious participation in pride parade, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year's parade was close to full revival. Known as a world famous parade which is held every year in June in San Francisco,  this year was a welcome return to celebrating pride for the LGBTQ+ community. And what a great parade march along Market Street it was!

Marching with the UCSF contingent

Thousands of spectators attended as well as hundreds marched in celebration. As a march participant for my employer, we were at least 200+ strong. It was a bit overwhelming with the crowds cheering all marchers on. Once we march around the corner to head along Market Street, I got comfortable holding our employer banner, UCSF with Pride! It's my second year marching and it felt so gratifying and liberating!

This march was especially important as our transgender community has been under so much attack, it was definitely a reminder we need to be heard and be seen. We can't take anything for granted. We cannot go back in the closet, we've come too far to be put in our place. UCSF t-shirts printed, "PRIDE IS PROTEST". I think many spectators got the message as the cheers were loud and encouraging! I'm proud to be part of this event as we need to all be one when it comes to challenges to our community. All we want is to be accepted and be visible to the community and the world in general. 

Let's hope next year will be a bigger and more positive pride march,  I think it will be! 

https://sfpride.org/

10,000 people participate in AIDS Walk SF - 2018

Since 1987, ABC7 News has been a proud sponsor of the AIDS Walk.  Members of the ABC7 News team joined 10,000 walkers, special guests and our own Dan Ashley's band participated -- hoping to raise $1.8 million for the cause. - http://abc7news.com/3769280/

Coco Movie Review - Delightful. Hopeful. Entertaining.

The university I work for featured a free screening of Disney's critically-acclaimed and 2018 Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature & Best Song: COCO

This screening was sponsored by UCSF's CLCA (Chicano Latino Campus Association), CHE (Chicanos/Latinos in Health Education), LMSA (Latino Medical Student Association), HSDA (Hispanic Dental Student Association), LAPS (Latino Association of Pharmacy Students), Voces Latinas Nursing Student Association, SACNAS (Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science), LGBT Resource Center, Multicultural Resource Center and Family Services.

I thought, why not, a free screening, I didn't really know anything about the film, but when the lights went out and the movie started, wow, it's been awhile since a film really "moved" me to tears. 

The film was about a young Latino boy named Miguel who has a secret desire to be a musician despite his family's efforts to erase any inclination of any enjoymement of music. The movie quickly sets a tone of what this young boy's expectations are and that no desire for music is part of it.

As the story develops, the protagonist desire strengthens to go against the wishes of his family. Morals sets in from "should I do it" or "follow my family's expectations of me". We all go through some type of pressure to follow what's expected versus to follow our true desires in life. In Miguel's case, music. He secretly honors his hero, Ernesto de la Cruz who was the most famous musician in all of Mexico.
In Miguel's desire to follow his dreams, he learns more about his family, his hero, and his own capabilities. 

Thoroughly entertaining film for both young and old, it gives the viewer their own opportunity to reflect on a passing of a loved one and embrace who they currently have. 

Kudos to Disney and Pixar to bring on the big screen a hopeful and at the same time a delightful story. 

More Coco info click on image