ABOUT
Me
This is a great place to tell your story and give people more insight into who you are, what you do, and why it’s all about you.
ABOUT
Me
This is a great place to tell your story and give people more insight into who you are, what you do, and why it’s all about you.
ABOUT
Me
This is a great place to tell your story and give people more insight into who you are, what you do, and why it’s all about you.
Who We Are
Our Board
Betty, president
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Alphonzo Hicks, Treasurer​
Alphonzo Hicks, current Treasurer and former President and Board Chair of the South Bay LGBTQ Center. He has also been part of the Manhattan Beach / South Bay chapter of PFLAG. Alphonzo is a devoted lead volunteer at the Center, heavily involved in the organization’s social media efforts, art shows, other social events, and more. A businessman who ran his own coffeehouse in Long Beach, he has served as board president for his condominium’s homeowners association and has been active in LGBTQ+/Queer organizations since the early 1990s, serving in many different capacities. While attending Long Beach City College, he was president of the school’s Rainbow Alliance, where he helped organize both on-campus and off-campus events. Later, while completing his Bachelors of Arts degrees, he was vice president of UC Irvine’s LGBTQ+/Queer student group. With the South Bay Center, he has participated in pride parades and AIDS Walk events, World AIDS Day, and organized regular HIV testing dates, art shows, and youth events with the El Camino Community College.
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Clarence Braithwaite, Secretary
mAry Simun, Vice president and education director​
Mary Simun is a "retired" high school science teacher who is active in the local community, serving as President of Friends of the Redondo Beach Library and sponsored the Gay-Straight Alliance for several years at Redondo Unified High School. Raised by parents who were active in civil rights issues, she was 5 years old when she was handing out fliers encouraging people to avoid buying table grapes and head lettuce because farm workers were being exposed to toxic pesticides, and she has been active in civil and human rights ever since.
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Edwin Aceves, Events Coordinator
Edwin Alfonso Aceves is a resident of Hawthorne, California. He has lived in the South Bay for most of his life. He attended Lennox Middle School, Hawthorne High School, Animo Leadership Charter High School, and El Camino College. He considers himself to be a very proud and active member of the Queer community. At a very young age, Edwin knew he was Gay and knew exactly what environment he would have liked to grow up in. He feels it’s important that our community supports one another and grows together. His goal is to make sure he is helping to contribute to the Queer community. At the end of the day Edwin wants to help his community and create the Queer spaces that he wishes he had when he was growing up.
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