Sedillo says he’s excited to be
working with the Men’s Wellness
Center, a resource he is loathe to
take for granted, coming from
a small town with few outlets for
the gay community.
“The space itself is really
cool,” he gushed. “It sort of feels
like a big living room, very chic.”
As he takes the center into its
second year, Sedillo is kxiking to
develop more programming by
reaching out to younger men and
asking what they would like to see
at the center.
He’s only been in town a few
weeks, but Sedillo says he’s in love
with Portland. And he’s excited
about the events coming up at the
center, including a screening of
the Belgian film Ma Vie En Rose
Aug. 9 and a “meet and greet”
party in Sedillo’s honor Aug. 30.
Oh, did we mention he’s cute and
single?
Brother to Brother
Hires Sister «
Darryl! Moch resigned from Brother to Brother on July 19
is growing exponentially, alongside sister camps in
New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco and
more throughout the world.
The camp’s grand finale showcase will start
5 p.m. Aug. 4 at Bagdad Theater, 3702 S.E.
Hawthorne Blvd. All ages are welcome. Admission
is $7-$ 10 sliding scale.
The camp’s mission is to help girls build self-
esteem through music creation, performance and
workshops. Classes and events are designed to foster
life skills development in every camper while having
fun, creating music and making friends. As a sup­
portive community of peers and mentors, the camp
provides positive role models, hands-on experience
and access to technical and creative resources.
For more information, including applications,
visit www.girlsrockcamp.org.
Men's Wellness Center
Welcomes New Hire
The Men’s Wellness Center continues to be
a hip location to get a quick test for sexually trans­
mitted infections, see a movie or play bingo. The
year-old hub for men who love men, located in the
heart of the Southwest Stark Street gay district, is
an offshoot of Cascade AIDS Project. The newest
addition to the center is coordinator Joseph Sedillo,
imported from New Mexico.
Sedillo, 23, earned his bachelor’s degree in
psychology from Macalester College in St. Paul,
Minn. He moved back to his native Las Cruces,
N.M., and began volunteering for an H1V/AIDS
prevention program there before being hired full
time.
When asked what drew him to this work, he
explained: “In every gay man’s life, they end up
having to go for an HIV test. It’s ^amething every­
body should do. I went to get my test, and the
woman who gave it to me was awful and I felt
horrible about it.” Although Sedillo’s test came
back negative, he still felt a responsibility to change
the testing experience for others.
Brother to Brother swapped
leaders July 19 when executive
director Darryl! Moch unexpect-
edly resigned.
Moch, who began at the organization in May
2005, said he is leaving Brother to Brother to
pursue opportunities related to his consulting and
motivational speaking career. He also cited person­
al reasons for the change.
“There’s never a good time to do it," he said.
“There’s always the next grant that needs to be
written. When you’re in a nonprofit such as
Brother to Brother, there’s never a chance to stop,
but I think the organization is strong and has done
some good work in the time that I’ve been here and
built relationships with the larger black communi­
ty and stronger relationships with the larger gay
community.”
The Brother to Brother board found an interim
executive director in its treasurer, Alisa Simmons.
She managed both Diane Linn’s re-election
campaign for Multnomah County chair in 2006
and was regional director for Ben Westlund’s brief
gubernatorial campaign in 2006. She served on
Linn’s county staff in constituent services after the
election.
Simmons’ credentials also include a long
community advocate’s profile. She was treasurer for
the Democratic Party of Oregon’s LGBT Caucus in
2006 and was the elected precinct committee
person for the party. She has also worked as a labor
organizer and was canvas director for Oregon
Action in 2004. Simmons helped prioritize budget
needs in 2004 on the Multnomah County Citizens
Involvement Committee and was a longtime board
member and board chairwoman at Basic Rights
Oregon. In 2004 she was chairwoman of the
organization’s Equality PAC.
Simmons plans to bring a social justice bend to
Brother to Brother. She would also like to expand
access to women and transgender people.
“The black LGBT community has been a part
of Brother to Brother because it’s the only thing
Continued on Page 10
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