GETTING INVOLVED LESBIAN, GAY FESTIVAL IN VALLEY.Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Staff Writer Hundreds of people attended the first gay pride festival of its kind in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. on Saturday to support the gay and lesbian community. The event, called the LA/Valley Pride Los Angeles / Valley Pride is an GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender) Pride event held in October in Studio City, California. Founded in 2000, Los Angeles / Valley Pride (LA/Valley Pride) (LAVP) is a gay pride festival held at the famed CBS Studio Center (the : Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender transgender or transgendered adj. Transsexual. Awareness Festival, aims to create more understanding, said Paul Waters, the festival's chairman. ``Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people The people on this list have been selected because their fame or notoriety is in some way due or connected to their transgender identity or behaviour. Each person in this list has hir own Wikipedia article, where each subject can be studied in much greater detail. are your friends, neighbors and co-workers. We want to improve the quality of life for gay and lesbian people through awareness,'' Waters said. Bernadette Hammer, a 79-year-old Tarzana resident, was among those in support. ``Hopefully, some straight people might come and see that we're just ordinary people just like everyone else,'' said Hammer. The two-day event at Woodley Avenue Park continues from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today in the Sepulveda Dam Located in Los Angeles, California, the Sepulveda Dam is a project of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, built in 1941 to control winter flood waters along the Los Angeles River. Recreation Area and features 72 exhibit booths, 11 food vendors, music and games. The event also includes a special area for public agencies to showcase the services they offer, such as the city's police and fire departments, public works and sanitation. ``These public services are here to serve the whole community,'' Waters said. Waters estimates that about 150,000 gays and lesbians reside in the San Fernando Valley. One 16-year-old festivalgoer said the event allowed him a safe haven near his Van Nuys home for him to be himself and get educated on safe sex. ``Sometimes our parents don't understand us,'' said the teen, whose parents discovered last week that he is gay. ``Events like this help us in our daily life. If people would listen, they would understand better.'' Others said they attended to meet people and learn about the community resources available to them, such as the Gay Square Dance  This article has no lead section.To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, one should be written. Club, the Valley Community Clinic and the California Alliance for Pride and Equality, which works to protect gays' and lesbians' rights. Jean Harris, executive director of the alliance, spent Saturday registering voters for this year's election. ``It's not just about having a party here, but getting involved because our families need to have the same rights as everyone else,'' Harris said. Other booths at the festival range from a gay online organization to a company selling bondage gear and a support group for gay and lesbian Mormons. ``We have a high suicide rate among gay Mormons. We want to let them know that there are others like them out there who enjoy their lives,'' said Jeanie Mortensen-Besamo, a volunteer for Affirmation Gay & Lesbian Mormons. Another booth offered free testing for HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. and sexually transmitted diseases Sexually transmitted diseases Infections that are acquired and transmitted by sexual contact. Although virtually any infection may be transmitted during intimate contact, the term sexually transmitted disease is restricted to conditions that are largely . Waters said he anticipates at least 10,000 people will attend the two- day festival. General admission is $10. For seniors, teens and disabled persons, the entrance fee is $7. Children are admitted free with an adult. For more information or to volunteer, call (818) 508-0472. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Sunland residents Collie collie, breed of large, agile working dog developed in Scotland during the 17th and 18th cent. It stands from 22 to 26 in. (55.9–66 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 50 to 75 lb (22.7–34 kg). Valadez, left, and Patrick Turnbull, center, teach the two-step. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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