By Eduardo Morales, Ph.D.–
AGUILAS has been invited by the Pride Committee to march in the SF Pride Parade along with the Resistance contingent. This group is the third of many to march in the parade. Being up front this year will provide visibility and convey the importance of AGUILAS, whose HIV/AIDS funding grants from the SF Department of Public Health (SFDPH) and the CA Office of AIDS are scheduled to end on June 30, 2023.
There will be a hearing, allowing for public comments, led by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors at 10 am on Monday, June 26, in City Hall regarding the city’s budget. All are welcome to join and lend support to having continued funding for HIV/AIDS services provided by AGUILAS. As you may know, AGUILAS is the only agency in San Francisco that offers all its services in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. For over 29 years, AGUILAS has been instrumental in providing HIV/AIDS services to Latinx LGBTQ+ individuals.
Historically, AGUILAS is the only and oldest independently run Latinx LGBTQ+ organization in all of the Americas! The organization’s advocacy efforts include raising the awareness of Latinx LGBTQ+ needs to our elected officials, funding agencies, and providers of human services. For every dollar the SFDPH provided AGUILAS in the past three years, AGUILAS was able to match that dollar for dollar by acquiring funding from other external sources.
Brazilian-Style Chocolates for Pride
On a lighter note this month, I would like to tell you about Tiny B Chocolates, which has launched rainbow-colored brigadeiros, a Brazilian-style chocolate truffle, for Pride. Based in South San Francisco, Tiny B Chocolates offers an array of different chocolate treats. The bite-size brigadeiros are rich in flavor and the special recipe heightens the chocolate intensity without the bitterness of dark chocolate or the sweetness of extra sugar.
Each are hand-dipped in the tradition of Brazilian brigadeiros. They are made with local natural ingredients and are always gluten free. The rainbow-colored ones now come in different flavors for Pride. To my knowledge, this is the only company that specializes in these Brazilian treats. They are made fresh to order with two-day guaranteed delivery anywhere in the continental U.S.
Tiny B Chocolates introduced their new confections, as well as huge, delicious cookies, at a fundraiser called Bedtime Confessions for AGUILAS, held on June 4 from 4 pm to 7 pm at the Midnight Sun and presented by the Majestic Court of Light, Love, and Laughter, Princess Royale La Rosa de Los Gallos and Royal Crown Princess Sue Trowtower in conjunction with the Grand Ducal Council of San Francisco. The afternoon featured numerous entertainers for the very well-attended event. It was a late afternoon filled with entertainment, exciting raffle prizes, and much more.
Some of the proceeds for sales of the new rainbow brigadeiros go to AGUILAS. I learned that Tiny B Chocolates offers an array of events for team building, in-office events, business gifts, chocolate making, and party get-togethers. More information about the company can be found at https://www.tinybchocolate.com/
I wish you a safe and meaningful Pride, and hope to see you at the SF Pride Parade this Sunday and at the opportunity for public comment on June 26 concerning funding that makes possible HIV/AIDS services for Latinx community members at AGUILAS:
Eduardo Morales, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus, retired Distinguished Professor, and current adjunct professor at Alliant International University. He is also a licensed psychologist and a founder and current Executive Director of AGUILAS, an award-winning program for Latinx LGBTQ+. Of Puerto Rican decent, he has received numerous distinguished awards and citations, including being named a Fellow of 12 divisions of the American Psychological Association.
Nuestra Voz
Published on June 22, 2023
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