Surrounding Areas Search Gay Crawler
E-Resources
Enemies of Our Community Fine Local Establishments
Housing
Transgendered DMV Info Local Heroes In The News
Out and Proud Homepages in Bakersfield
Queer Bakersfield: A History of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual People in Bakersfield, California
- Plato's Garage By Rob Campbell, St. Martin's Press
Community Resources
Local Groups, Organizations, and Allies
Gay and Lesbian Community Network: For a full listing of local gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and HIV/AIDS-related services, organizations, and programs, please visit the Home Page of the Gay and Lesbian Community Network.
ISayIAm.Com: "Our goal, here at I Say I Am, is to provide a source of understanding and a sence of self worth for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals, and their family and friends through our products and information".
Gay MCSE 2000 Bakersfield: This is a place for gay people to get together, and work on their MCSE certification, or just for gay people to get together if you want.
Bakersfield Gay Pride 2001. For more information or to get involved in the planning of this year's Gay Pride Celebration, please send an email to the Planning Committee.
Metropolitan Community Church of the Harvest: The Mission of Bakersfield Metropolitan Community Church of the Harvest is to encourage personal growth, individual expression of Spirit and a personal relationship with God, Self, Humankind and Nature, using Universal Love as our guiding principle. We advocate that such a relationship be built upon personal devotion, community life and active service.
Gay and Lesbian Latino Alliance: The Gay and Lesbian Latino Alliance (GALLA) is a social/support group targeting the gay and lesbian Latino community of Bakersfield. The purpose of the group is to increase the visibility of the Latino segment of our community, work toward making them more actively involved with other segments of our community, promote some of their issues, provide support as needed, and work to further unify the Gay and Lesbian Community of Bakersfield.
PFLAG: PFLAG stands for Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. PFLAG is an international organization created by parents, families, and friends to gain understanding and support of our GLBT loved ones.
Gay Lesbian Straight Educators Network: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) of Bakersfield strives to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected, regardless of sexual orientation. Membership is open to teachers, administrators, staff, parents and any community members who are interested in our goals. We welcome as members any and all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or occupation, who share this philosophy.
Strawberry Socialites: The Strawberry Socialite Family is an extreme drag family and show, performing locally at the Casablanca Club, and traveling across the state to raise money for local and statewide charities. We are a totally non-profit show that believes that you can have fun and support our local community.
Friends: Friends provides monthly potluck-socials and pool parties in the summer for gay and lesbian members to get together informally. Its mission is to provide support and information in a non-threatening atmosphere.
SETH: SETH is the Society for the Ethical Treatment of Humanity, a club at Bakersfield College that works to promote tolerance and compassion for glbtq people on campus and in the community.
Kern Lifeline Project: The Kern Lifeline Project is committed to serve any person, regardless of ethnicity, sex, or social group, and their family members residing in Kern County who is HIV infected or are diagnosed with AIDS, regardless of their ability to pay. Currently their services provide HIV testing, outreach and education, social-model case management and comprehensive primary care.
Bakersfield AIDS Project: Their mission is to create awareness of HIV/AIDS and its effect on everyone.
Democratic Women of Kern: Democratic Women of Kern is one of the most politically active groups in Bakersfield. If you are looking for political action, this is a great place to start. Yes, men are also welcome to join. Registration as a Democrat is required for membership. Visitors are always welcome.
The Imperial Sequoia Court de Kings, Tulare, and Kern Counties: The Courts are individual social and community service organizations bound together in shared structure, policies and goals. When the Court System originated in San Francisco, California, in 1965, it was intended mainly for "camp" fun. From that beginning we derived our camp titles '"Emperor & Empress, Prince & Princess", and so forth--as well as our major annual gala function--our Coronation.
Women's Resource of Kern. Women’s Resource of Kern is a recently formed, nonprofit organization focusing on the needs of Kern County women. The purpose of Women’s Resource of Kern is to provide education and advocacy and to promote the rights of women in Kern County, with a specific emphasis on the needs of lesbian women, including lesbians of color. We hope to offer a safe, energizing, genuinely comfortable meeting space for women in our community. We envision this “woman space” as being available for community activities, meetings, and other events that benefit local women. We plan to develop this space as an informal and convenient environment for women to gather socially. Here, we will provide a welcoming, alternative networking and social venue for those women who thrive in the company of other women. 2076 White Lane, #96. Bakersfield, CA 93304. womensresource@email.com
Peter Beckman, Attourney at Law: Local attourney offering Domestic Partnership legal services. Has a special offer throughout December 2001 on such services!!
Kern County and the Surrounding Areas
Pride in the Desert: An Online Source For The Gay Community Of The Antelope Valley
Pride Club at the College of the Sequoias, Visalia, CA
Local E-Resources
Local Enemies of the GLB Community
His Way Out Ministries: This religious-based organization claims that, through prayer and faith in Jesus (not to mention a good deal of brainwashing and psychological manipulation), people can change their homosexual or bisexual orientations to a heterosexual orientation.
Local Bars, Nightclubs, and Discos
The Casablanca Club: 1825 N Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301. 661.324.0661. Email: info@casablanca.com.
The Rainbow Club: 3500 Wilson (in the K-Mart shopping center), Bakersfield, CA 93309. 661.832.7711.
Club Paradise: 902 19th Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301.
Housing
State of California Department of Fair Housing and Employment. The Mission of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing is to protect the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations, and from the perpetration of acts of hate violence.
Transgender Identification Changes
CALIFORNIA DMV ADVISORY: On October 14, 2000 the California Department of Motor Vehicles implemented a new program in response to a growing "Identity Theft" problem. All requests for name changes, including name and gender changes, are being verified against Social Security records.
In most instances, a temporary license is issued with the request. However, if the name and gender do not match those on file with the Social Security Administration, a letter is sent to the applicant stating that a permanent license cannot be issued as requested.
Social Security will not change the name and gender flag without adequate documentation for the name (a driver's license), and will not normally change the gender flag before genital reconstruction. The California Department of Motor Vehicles, in turn, will not issue a permanent license until the records match. As a result, newly applying trans individuals are inadvertent and unanticipated victims placed in a "Catch-22" conundrum.
An agreement has been reached with DMV for those trans individuals who are currently affected and have received a letter denying a permanent license because the records did not match. Beginning Friday, March 9, 2001 they should call Ms. Sally Walker (916) 657-4484 at the Pre-Licensing Division of the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Procedures have been implemented for corrective action.
A good faith effort is being demonstrated to implement a long-term resolution for future applicants. We will announce its implementation as soon as it is in place.
In the interim, it may be advisable to delay filing DMV Form DL 328 until the new procedure is implemented.
This procedure will not impact those trans individuals who currently possess a valid permanent California license in the name and gender of choice.
--- Roslyn L. Manley, National Transgender Advocacy Coalition, MsRosyln@Bigfoot.com
Hometown Heroes: Famous Local Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Straight Supporters
Peter A. Jackson, An American Death in Bangkok: The Murder of Darrell Berrigan and the Hybrid Origins of Gay Identity in 1960s Thailand. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 5.3 (1999) 361-411.
Ogle Mogul by Jennifer Senior. The sexually explicit plays of Ronnie Larsen (originally from Bakersfield, CA) always do well at the box office -- as long as their subjects are gay. But his new one is about female strippers. So will anyone pay to see naked girls? Send your suggestions for hometown heroes to glbcnkern@yahoo.com.
Gay Bakersfield in the News and on the Net
The 2000 Mayoral Race
Community Spotlight
Bakersfield Community Organizations
Independant Gay Forum: Gay Rights Not Just For Activists Any More by David Link. First appeared in the Los Angeles Times January 21, 1999.
Do you know of other links that should be included? Let us know. Send an email to cwd@blackdays.net.
Local Home Pages
GLB and Straight Supporters Personal Home Pages
GLBCC on the Internet
Proposition 22
Local News Makers
Local Discrimination and Hate Crimes
The Robert Tyack Case
Jim Merrick and His Fight Against Discrimination and Bigotry
: Community Centers/Organizations
Lonnie Lopez
Bill Anthony
Leonard's Home Page
A Woman's Place
Mark's Page of Things Gay & Other Stuff
The SeXXXy Lance
Don and Annie Kidwell
April & Dyann's Playground
Morgan LaGaie: The Adventures of the Sisters LaGaie
EnjoyLLove's Gay.Com Page