www.gay-sd.com


FROM PAGE 11 HYC


vacillated between excitement and a melancholy, as youth sort- ed through books in the library, deciding which would be trans- ferred to the new site and which would be donated to charity. “Haikus for Jews!” one youth


exclaimed. “I love this; we’ve got to keep it!” Another staff member in her 20s nabbed a dog-eared copy of a Fydor Dostoevsky novel. “The great thing is that we


kind of get to pare down to a little bit more of the essentials,” HYC Coordinator Leanna Corpus said. “We have been open for the past 10 years, so there’s been 10 years of accumulation.” That accumulation is evident


in the way the youth have made HYC their own. Bold, colorful art- work lines the walls. Witty state- ments are hand-painted on walls and doors, confident and unapolo- getic affirmations of the youth’s burgeoning identity—nurtured through the encouragement and support of peers, counselors and


young adult mentors. Though acceptance of LGBT


people and issues has increased significantly in the past 10 years, youth are still discriminated against, bullied and ostracized— at times by their own parents, Jacobs said. Though some youth come from high-income house- holds, about 70 percent of teens accessing HYC are low-income and underserved. Stopping by for a visit, long-


time HYC beneficiary Scott Allen helped sort through the books. Allen, now 19 and pursuing a


degree in psychology at San Fran- cisco State University, first visited the youth center before his fresh- man year of high school, upon the recommendation of his therapist. The former Carmel Valley resi- dent, who said his father was “not OK” with him being gay, had been hospitalized after several suicide attempts. “I thought that my life would


just be horrific if I came out,” Al- len said. “Then once I got here I started to see—especially in the staff—that there are other people who are LGBT, who have success- ful lives, and I started to think dif- ferently about my own life.”


DINING / NEWS While at HYC, youth have ac-


cess to career counseling, life skills workshops, résumé writing, legal aid and assistance with col- lege admissions and financial aid applications. “Some youth come every


day; some youth come once a month from all over San Diego County,” Corpus said. “We have kids come in that work on their homework and go and sit in the library and read a book. Some- times they come in to use the computers or watch a sports game on television. When our president is on television we usually turn that on and see what he has to say about LGBT rights or ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’— to keep the youth appraised of any opportunities to be activists. “We try and make it a com-


fortable space so that they can feel like it’s their home away from home,” Corpus said. “We’re really one of the only drop-in centers of its type” in Southern California. Corpus said youth who have


been coming to HYC the longest are having the most difficulty with the move, though she and other staff members are main- taining a positive attitude. HYC teens have helped design a lay- out for the new space, which most recently was home to San Diego LGBT Pride’s offices. “I think the best thing is to


just make them really part of the process,” Corpus said. “It’s im- portant to have them feel owner- ship of the new space and of the whole packing process. I’m being very transparent with the youth. They have a timeline and they’re a vital part of what helps get ev- erything done.” HYC will be closed for about


(L to r): Leanna Corpus, Scott Allen, Carlos Marquez and Jess Culpepper sorted through books in preparation for the Hillcrest Youth Center’s reloca- tion to a new space, which is closer to the main LGBT Center. (Pat Sherman/GSD)


FROM PAGE 12 DINING


unusual cooking method


except that the meat somehow acquires a pleasant beefy pith that stands out from dozens of other versions. In entrée form, the ration is exceedingly gener- ous and accompanied by tortillas, standard Mexican rice and black or refried beans. My other tablemates chose


items revealing no surprises from the menu’s combo section. A chili relleno paired with a gently spiced ground beef enchi- lada was light and spongy, while traditional shredded beef rose to the occasion in a duo of tacos that would duly sate an appetite generated by vigorous bar crawl- ing. Ditto for the half-pound cheeseburgers and carne asada fries, which we didn’t try, but they struck us as below-board offerings for a restaurant laced with this much charm. It wasn’t until after our meal


that I spotted on the entrée list a chicken dish featuring green mole made with tomatillos and pump-


a week during the move, though the new location, 1807 Robinson Avenue, will offer the same ser- vices and programs. Hours of operation will remain the same: Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 9 p.m. and Fridays from 5 to 10 p.m. For more information, call (619) 497-2920 or visit the- centersd.org.☭


July 30-August 12, 2010 GAY SAN DIEGO


13


The Masses at a July 30 release party for “Run With It” at Queen Bee’s Art and Cultural Center in North Park. “I thought it would happen


when I was 27 or 30,” she said. “It’s the most exciting thing to hear ‘Objectify’ on the radio; it’s a really intense tune.” “Objectify” is a sexy, muscled


Spotlight shines on LoPresti with MTV deal


By Marcia Manna | GSD Arts Writer Singer-songwriter and longtime


LGBT and human rights activist Danielle LoPresti anticipated main- stream recognition a dozen years ago. But after years of performing, recording, and, since 2004, co- producing the San Diego IndieF- est music festival with bandmate and partner Alicia Champion, her expectations had diminished. Sur- prisingly, the spotlight is suddenly shining in her direction. Last month, LoPresti finalized


a digital distribution deal with Uni- versal Music Group and inked a licensing deal with MTV, so that all four of her CDs will be included in a pool of music considered for film and television. And she said that


WHAT: Danielle Lopresti and The Masses CD concert and release party WHEN: July 30 at 8 p.m. WHERE: Queen Bee’s Art & Cultural Center, 3925 Ohio St., North Park INFO: (619) 255-5147, daniel- landthemasses.com or queenbeessd. com.


she is in awe of the fact that the song “Objectify,” from her fourth and most recent release “Run With It,” is getting airplay.“I am so grateful that things are finally hap- pening at this time,” said LoPresti, 41, who will perform with her band


effort that makes LoPresti’s point with a tongue-in-cheek take. The video features four female dancers who perform with tape over their mouths. Girls are coerced into kissing each other, dressing more provocatively and taking obvious abuse from their male counterparts. The last half of the video


illustrates a comical turn-around when the guys are subjected to the same treatment. LoPresti thrashes her lioness mane, assumes an athletic stance and belts out the chorus “more like equal, less like bitch,” as she smiles knowingly through glistening red lips. And no, she isn’t apologizing for her seductive appearance. “I’m not going to downplay my


looks to make a point,” she said. “I’m sexy when I perform because that’s an extension of who I am. I’m not against men and women teasing each other and being sexual. I am against dehumanizing one another.” From the beginning of her


songwriting career, LoPresti wrote songs inspired by social injustice, figuring that she could afford to express outrage. After all, angry little Alanis Morissette became one of the biggest-selling artists of the 1990s. “What I didn’t realize was, she


was pissed off about relationships, about boys,” LoPresti explained. “I was pissed off against racism and domestic abuse and abuse against children, topics that weren’t sexy enough for mainstream.” An essential part of LoPresti’s


perspective is that it’s OK to mix music with making a statement. “I don’t think music has to be


shallow and typical in order to be memorable and enjoyable,” she said. “Whenever we deviate from the norm, people get a little nervous because human beings are creatures of habit. But am I moving toward mainstream? Absolutely not.”☭


Huapangos festive and homey interior. (Pat Sherman/GSD)


kin seeds. The sauce hails from isolated areas of Mexico’s Oaxaca region and it’s generally obscure in San Diego kitchens—so next time for sure. Other menu items include various fajitas, tortas, grilled fish tacos, steak with ran- chero sauce and meatless “tacos lite” priced rather steeply at $10 a pair. Missing from the norm are margaritas. The owners are


currently awaiting a liquor li- cense, and when it arrives they plan on utilizing the structure’s second floor for a bar lounge that might include a newly-built balcony as well. Until then, Dos Equis and Coronas served thoughtfully in chilled glasses will keep the chips, cheese dip and decent-quality meals flowing smoothly from table to mouth.☭


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