Did you catch the Oscars this past weekend? By all accounts, this has been a good year for queer representation in film.

Rami Malek won Best Actor for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Malek captured the physicality of Mercury onstage with his band Queen incredibly well, even impressing original Queen bandmates Roger Taylor and Brian May. Bohemian Rhapsody won three other awards for Sound Editing and Sound Mixing (unsurprisingly) as well as Editing (which was a little more surprising).

Olivia Colman took home Best Actress for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite, a comedy-drama about lesbian affairs at the 18th century English royal court, in a bit of an upset given Colman isn't that well-known in the US. Colman, whose first major role was in the cult comedy Peep Show and who plays another queen, Queen Elizabeth, in The Crown, is better known in the UK, but that's about to change. Her acceptance speech was a winner, too. 

Did you see Bohemian Rhapsody or The Favourite? What did you think about the nominations and awards this year? 

More about this year's Oscar-winners around the web: 

Rami Malek Talks Becoming Freddie Mercury for Bohemian Rhapsody: A short interview with the actor on his process. You can see why he was a critic's favorite to win Best Actor - the effort and thoughtfulness Malek put into his portrayal is definitely award-worthy. 

Out also published A Guide for What Rami Malek Needs to Say in His Best Actor Speech suggesting the actor make mention of Mercury's HIV status and his bisexuality, as well as call out director Bryan Singer (who was fired mid-way through filming amid scandal). 

The Favourite: The true story behind Queen Anne’s lesbian affairs in Oscar-tipped movie: Pink News investigates whether Queen Anne's relationships with her female friends were romantic or platonic, taking a look at the social norms of the time period. 

‘Can You Ever Forgive’ the academy for overlooking these queer films?: Gold Derby rounds up Can You Ever Forgive Me? and thirty-four other LGBTQ films that the Academy has under-rewarded over the years. 

Finally, check out the Advocate's Forget 'Green Book,' Here's 16 Queer Things the Oscars Got Right.

We are thrilled to announce The Center's two newest staff members!

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Mike Gonzalez joined us in November 2018 as Client Advocate. He brings many years of experience in connecting people with HIV/AIDS to services. For The Center, he travels throughout the county to connect with agencies about how to affirm their LGBTQ+ clients, provides counseling services, and assists in establishing support groups and cultural competency trainings. Mike can be contacted at 661-404-5209 or at clientadvocate@thecenterbak.org.

Dani Muñoz is joining us in February as Youth & Outreach Liaison after two years of volunteering for The Center, including serving as a board member. They bring with them deep experience and passion for developing programs to support young people. Dani will head up development of The Center’s Youth Programs and collaborations with schools and other partner agencies seeking to improve the local educational environment for LGBTQ+ students. They can be contacted at 661-404-5209 or at youthoutreach@thecenterbak.org.

The Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity is proud to announce the addition of three new members to our Board of Directors in 2019. Timothy Lafond, Deirdre O'Rourke and Brie Chartier are joining continuing members Louis Medina, (Chair of the Board), Cindy Smith and Jose M. Granados to bring the total number of board members to six. There are three remaining seats open and we are currently accepting applications (details below). 

The Board of Directors is excited to have the talent and experience of our new members as a powerful addition to our leadership team. We're looking forward to the coming year, working towards The Center's urgent mission: to provide Kern County's LGBTQ residents with safe, welcoming spaces where all people from the full spectrum of gender identities and sexual orientations are celebrated. 

Timothy Lafond
Pronouns: (pronouns they/them/theirs)
Background: Education and community work. Tim has been a staff volunteer with the Center for more than a year.  

Deirdre O'Rourke, PhD
Pronouns: (pronouns she/her/hers)
Background: Education and non-profit organizations.
Quote: "Through my work, volunteer experience, and personal life, I've learned how crucial support systems are for non-heteronormative individuals. I understand how individuals with intersectional identities are at greater risk for victimization and discrimination and how inadequate systems can be at meeting their needs."

Brie Chartier
Pronouns: (pronouns she/her/hers)
Quote: "In my short time as a volunteer at The Center, I’ve met people from all ages and walks of life who have willingly shared their stories and experience and helped me grow as a person."

Louis Medina
Pronouns: (pronouns he/his/him)
Position: Chair of the Board & Chair of Community Outreach

Cindy Smith 
Pronouns: (pronouns she/her/hers)
Position: Board Member & Chair of the Fundraising Committee

Jose M. Granados 
Pronouns: (pronouns he/his/him)
Position: Board Member & Volunteer Coordinator

The duties of the Board of Directors include planning and executing overall strategy for the organization; managing fundraising; serving on committees and task forces; ensuring legal procedures are followed and financial resources are properly managed; and recruiting new Directors. 

To the extent that qualified persons are available, the Board of Directors works to ensure board composition reflects the diversity of the community served by The Center.

Term Length:
2 years, beginning in January

Term Limit:
Two consecutive terms

You must be 21 years or older. During each year, Board Members make a financial commitment of $1,500 to the Center (which can be fulfilled in the following ways). We seek board members with time, leadership skills, creative vision, personal integrity, experience and commitment. 

There are two remaining seats open on the Board for which we are accepting new applications. 

How Applications Work

Candidates are nominated by board members or can self-nominate. After submitting their application, candidates interview with the current board members. The board members then vote on the nomination; if the applicant receives a majority of votes, they are accepted to the Board. The application period each year is in November and December, with elections in December. 

The Center's bylaws are set up so that half of the board members turnover every year. This keeps the the leadership fresh with new ideas as well as opening up the opportunity to more of our community members. 

​Founded in 2011, The Center serves 200 to 300 individuals a month, with many using The Center weekly. There are an estimated 50,000 residents in Kern County who identify as LGBTQ. The Center's goal is to provide resources to this community by creating safe, supportive spaces for those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender - all people along the entire spectrum of gender identities and sexual orientations. The Center achieves this through community building activities, counseling, workshops, networking events, peer-to-peer support groups, one-on-one advocacy and support, referrals for medical providers and services, and LGBTQ cultural competency training.