Wit, Wisdom, and Whimsy. (your mileage may vary)
November 15, 2021
commentary, Gay, News, Pictures LGBT, std, testing site, The Source LGBT Center, TheSourceLGBT, visalia 1 Comment
Another sign of the times, this one just south of Visalia on Mooney Blvd. One of several rotating messages on an electronic billboard, this one still promoting STI testing but with a different image.
I haven’t heard of any complaints, so far. I’ll assume the Visalia City Council won’t hear about it, since it’s in the county, but will someone complain to the Tulare County Board of Supervisors? We’ll see.
Stay tuned.
October 20, 2021
commentary, Gay, News billboard, LGBT, porterville, STI, The Source LGBT Center Leave a comment
Last night I attended a City Council meeting in Porterville, California. A very long city council meeting. Item 21 on the agenda was listed as:
“21. City Billboard Regulations
Re: Reviewing City signage regulations pertaining to billboards within the City of Porterville.”
This all came to be because Pastor Brent Whitley of Living Word Fellowship Church didn’t like the sign above, which he complained could be seen from his son’s high school (Butterfield Charter School) He spoke up about it at the City Council meeting October 5.
“It features two young men naked from the waist up in a sexually-suggestive pose,” Whitley said. (Porterville Recorder, 10/07/21)
“So, I am asking the City Council, as duly-elective representatives of the City of Porterville, to sign letters affirming that sexually graphic advertising for any purpose is not appropriate for the billboards in our community. They aren’t going to listen to one man’s opinion. We have to speak with a unified voice.”
The letters, he said, won’t cast any aspersions on The Source nor makes any kind of statement about the LGBTQ Plus community.
“We are simply saying to Lamar Advertising and to any of their clients that the citizens of Porterville prefer not to have any sexually-explicit, suggestive or graphic content posted on billboards in our city because we have no way to filter this content from our children.”
Following his complaint, the Council had staff put the subject on the agenda for the next meeting (October 19, 2021) for discussion.
Porterville, in 2017, enacted an ordinance* which was designed to eventually remove “off-site” billboards from within the city limits. Since the 1st amendment to the Constitution of the United States severely limits what restrictions can be placed on content of signs, the only option is to prohibit them altogether.
The city attorney has informed the council** that they can speed up the timeline for removing the billboards. The current ordinance requires that when they are “abandoned”, they can no longer exist under the grandfathering clause that allowed them to continue to be used after the ordinance was enacted. The city attorney has advised the Council that they can set a timeline, based on past court cases of what has been adjudicated as reasonable, of 5-7 years for removal. That may be problematical, however.
San Diego apparently tried something very similar in the 70’s, and was sued. The suit went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States.*** They lost.
The SCOTUS case transcript can be found here. A summary of the court’s findings can be found here.
I’m not a lawyer, of course, but it looks like Porterville will run afoul of the same situation if it tries to remove billboards from the city. Perhaps someone can check these out and let me know if the city can follow through with it’s apparent plan to “amortize” these billboards out of existence.
The City Council directed staff to bring them a proposed action to address the issue (setting a timeline that results in removal of remaining signs in the city) at a future meeting.
The city ordinance, city attorney’s advice, and SCOTUS ruling can be found after the jump.
MoreMay 16, 2019
Gay, Personal gay visalia, LGBT, Pride Visalia, Queer Visalia, The Source LGBT Center, Visalia City Council, Visalia Pride 2 Comments
Monday, May 20, 2019, I’ll be giving a short presentation to the Visalia City Council during the public comments section of the meeting.
Hopefully, I won’t have to defend against accusations of child pornography as I did last year!
I’ll be giving an update to the Council on Saturday’s Pride Visalia Festival, our recent expansion, and winning our category in the annual Give OUT Day fundraiser.
Since the city changed the rules after our 2012 and 2013 proclamations naming June LGBT Pride Month in Visalia, I won’t be asking for or receiving anything, but I will take the opportunity to bring the Council up to date on our recent achievements. Our expansion gives us much needed space, as our (already expanded once) center continues to grow.
There’s a ton of stuff that I’d like to tell the council about, but the comments are limited to three minutes, so I’ll just have to do a quick review of this year, and invite the Council and the public to Pride Visalia 2019.
You can attend the Council meeting at City Hall West, 707 W. Acequia, Visalia. The meeting starts at 7pm. You can also watch on Facebook Live, on the city’s Facebook feed.
November 10, 2018
Personal gay visalia, LGBT, Marriott, Over the Edge, The Source LGBT Center, visalia Leave a comment
Today was the day… I rappelled from the eighth floor of the Visalia Marriott Hotel, in a fundraising drive for The Source LGBT+ Center. Joining dozens of other participants, we raised over $90,500 (and counting), for Tulare and Kings Counties only LGBT center.
November 9, 2018
Gay, News, Personal gay visalia, LGBT, LGBT fundraising, Over the Edge, The Source LGBT Center, visalia, Visalia Over the Edge Leave a comment
Saturday, November 10, I go “Over The Edge“. I’ll be rappelling down the side of the Marriott Hotel in downtown Visalia as the culmination of my fundraising participation for The Source LGBT+ Center. I’m scheduled for 3 pm, so come on down and join in the festivities as I and a bunch of other folks help support The Source.
There will be a festival on site, along with the rappelling. Come on down between 9 am thru 4 pm and join us as we celebrate 2 1/2 years of community service, and fund our expansion project and our ongoing programs.
There’s still enough time to donate, and you can do that at https://visaliaovertheedge.com/jim-reeves/ Every donation is gratefully received, and there other rappellers you can support, at https://visaliaovertheedge.com/list.cfm
Friday, starting at 4pm, VIP and top earners will lead off the event, with Assemblyman Devon Mathis, Chris Ortiz of the Visalia Police Department, and radio personality April Skye going “Over The Edge”. Feel free to stop by and cheer them on.
The Source LGBT+ Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
I am a former member of the Founding Board of Directors, an Advisory Board member, and volunteer at The Source LGBT+ Center.
October 11, 2018
Gay, Personal LGBT, Over the Edge, The Source LGBT Center, Tulare County LGBT, visalia, Visalia Over the Edge Leave a comment
I’m a few dollars away from the minimum to be thrown off the top floor of one of Visalia’s tallest buildings! I’m looking for more donations, which go to support The Source LGBT+ Center.
The Source is an important asset to our community, supporting the LGBT+ community with support, education, advocacy, and visibility. I’ve been honored and happy to be a small part of this fantastic group, and I hope you can help me help it to continue to grow and serve.
My personal donation page is here, https://visaliaovertheedge.com/jim-reeves/
Thanks!
September 18, 2018
9-1-1, Gay, geek, Personal Jim Reeves, Over the Edge, The Source LGBT Center, visalia, visalia gay, Visalia Marriott, Visalia Over the Edge Leave a comment
Yep. From a top floor balcony. Right over the edge.
No, I’m not depressed, or suicidal.
I’ll be joining up to 91 other “jumpers” as we rappel down the (other) side of one of the tallest buildings in Visalia. And it’s all for a good cause.
We’ll be participating in “Visalia Over the Edge“, a fundraising campaign for The Source LGBT+ Center. The Source is Tulare and Kings Counties LGBT+ community and resource center, currently operating out of a small office space in downtown Visalia. (208 W. Main, Suite B, Visalia. Downstairs in the Montgomery Square.) We’ve outgrown our center, and need to raise money for expansion to a larger facility. This event will kick off our fund-raising efforts to acquire a building large enough to serve our communities.
I had to think about this for a while before committing to taking part, as I’m a bit unsettled by heights. (oddly, not while in a helicopter or plane. Mostly when looking down the side of a tall building. That glass observation thing, the Sky Deck, on the Sears Tower? You’d never get me to step into that.) I’ve decided I’m going to do it, regardless. I’ll convince myself by saying it’s a “bucket list” experience, and off we’ll go. Over the side. Nine floors. That’s not all that high, right?
I’ve set a goal of $2,500 to be raised, essentially by begging. 😉 The minimum to “jump” is $1,000 but I wanted to go a bit bigger. So…
This is me begging you for some money! Yep, hat in hand, asking “buddy, can you spare a dime? Or $20? Or $100?” Here’s the link to my fund-raising page, please go there and give The Source LGBT+ Center some money. I’ll be ever so grateful.
On November 10th, 2018, come join us at the Marriott, and watch as they toss this dispatcher Over the Edge!
Just don’t call 9-1-1, even if I’m screaming, please.
February 12, 2018
commentary, Gay, Personal 210 Connect, community forum, LGBT activism, The Source LGBT Center Leave a comment
If you had told me ten years ago, or even five, that I’d be on a discussion panel up in front of a crowd of strangers, telling a bit of my story, I’d have said “you’re nuts”. That’s not something I ever thought I’d be able to do, or that anyone would find anything I had to say interesting enough to invite me.
My, have times changed.
On Monday, February 12, 2018, I was one of five panelists for the 210 Connect presentation “Use Your Power: How To Change Your Community through Civic Engagement”. I was honored to appear with Erin Garner Ford of ACT for Women and Girls; Steven Tootle, political science professor at College of the Sequoias; Amy Shuklian, Tulare County Board of Supervisors; and Daniel O’Connell, Executive Director at Central Valley Partnership. My connection was through my activities with The Source LGBT+ Center, and as a community activist in general.
Honestly, I felt rather out of my depth with the group on the panel.
I thought it went fairly well, though. People seemed interested in what I had to say about becoming an activist in the LGBTQ community, and I was asked a couple of interesting questions about my evolution from closeted introvert, to community activist.
Now I’ll ponder some more about it, and see what, if anything, grows out of this night’s experience. One thing is for sure, I enjoyed it. It was fun!
June 2, 2017
Gay, News LGBT, Pride events, The Source LGBT Center, visalia, Visalia Pride Leave a comment
Governor Jerry Brown has issued a proclamation designating June 2017 as LGBT Pride Month in California. On Tuesday, June 6, Tulare County Supervisors Board member Amy Shuklian will also make a presentation, recognizing the first anniversary of The Source LGBT+ Center, and June as LGBT Pride Month. Notably absent this year is a proclamation from the White House, breaking an eight year tradition.
But the BIG news is happening right here in Visalia!
On Saturday, June 24, The Source LGBT+ Center will host Pride Visalia 2017. Pride Visalia will be a departure from previous Pride events held here. (I bet many of you didn’t know Visalia has held Pride events since the 90’s, right?) From the first Pride picnics in the 90’s, to Queer Visalia’s Pride in the Park events of 2008, 2009, and 2010, and Family Fest at Mooney Grove Park in 2009, 2010, and 2011, the Tulare County LGBT community has a long and varied history of celebrating June Pride. Why June? Here’s why: The Stonewall Inn.
This year, we start a new tradition. With sponsors such as Equality California, The California Endowment‘s Stayloud project, Wells Fargo Bank, and others, PRIDE VISALIA will be the largest Pride event ever held in Tulare County. Festivities begin at 10 AM and run through 6 PM, at the Old Lumberyard, 300 E. Oak Ave., Visalia. Entry donation is $5 (children under 10 years of age are free). Tickets available online here, or at the door. There will be food and merchandise vendors, live bands, entertainment, Illusions drag queen show, a kid’s zone, and tabling by local non-profits and service organizations. Work continues on organizing this community event, and I’ll update here as more information becomes available.
Pride Visalia 2017 promises to be a historic event in local LGBT history, and with plans to make this an annual celebration, the kickoff to an even brighter future for the LGBT+ community in Visalia, Tulare County, and the central San Joaquin Valley.
Here’s a quick break-down of events that may be of interest to Tulare County residents:
June 2 – First Friday Art Walk, Visalia. The Source LGBT+ Center will be one of ten venues displaying locally created art. 5 – 8 PM, downtown Visalia.
June 3 – Fresno’s Rainbow Pride Parade and Festival. The parade starts at 10AM, in the Tower District on Olive. The festival is 11AM to 3PM, at Olive and Wishon. Festival entry donation is $5.
June 6 – “Supervisor’s Matters”, Tulare County Board of Supervisors, 7PM, 2800 W. Burrel, Visalia. Supervisor Amy Shuklian will recognize The Source LGBT+ Center for it’s one year anniversary, and June as Pride month.
June 7 – Volunteer training and orientation at The Source LGBT+ Center. Anyone wanting to be a volunteer at the community center must first complete this one-night training program, and undergo a background check. Information at 559-429-4277
June 10-11 – West Hollywood L.A. Pride (always a biggie). The parade is on Sunday, June 11, and begins at 11AM on Santa Monica Blvd, which will be closed between Fairfax and Doheny Dr. The festival is a two-day event, Saturday and Sunday.
June 24-25 – San Francisco Pride. Parade on Market Street Sunday, June 25, at 10:30 AM. Nobody does a Pride Parade like San Francisco!
Check back for updates as we approach the biggest LGBT+ party Tulare County has ever seen!
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JimmieJoe 
The Boys Are Back
January 26, 2022
Jim Reeves commentary, Gay, Pictures LGBT, porterville, The Source LGBT Center Leave a comment
You just can’t keep a good guy down. Or two good guys. After a (very) short hiatus, the boys in Porterville are back up.
Their first appearance in Porterville generated some angst when a local preacher decided this was just too much for his poor high-school-aged son to see. Apparently, if you stand at the far corner of the school’s property, and look north, you could see our boys. This generated an appearance before the City Council, and a plea to do something about it. They did. Billboards in the city will eventually be timed out, but it’s going to take some years before that happens. No word on if the preacher is molified.
The scheduled appearance of our boys was up, but since Tulare County has a severe STI problem, and has for decades, they have made a comeback! Another billboard further south has appeared, posted along State Route 65, just north of the Tule River.
These signs join at least two others in the county, alerting people to STI testing services at The Source LGBT+ Center in Visalia.
No word on whether the preacher is upset that homeless folks living in the riverbed may see the sign.
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