My name is Jacob Duarte (he/him), Community Organizing and Power Building Specialist at The Center, and I am proud to announce the exceptional honorees for our 2026 Community Wall of Honor.
Since 2004, The Center’s Community Wall of Honor at our Main Center has served as a permanent, visible reminder of the people who have shaped our local history. Founded by San Diego City Commissioner Nicole Murray-Ramirez (he/him), the Wall honors San Diego LGBTQ+ community members and allies who have left a lasting impact through activism, art, caregiving, service, and mentorship.
Please join me in celebrating this year’s remarkable honorees:
Carolina Alcoser Ramos (she/her)
For more than three decades, Carolina has championed LGBTQ+ people, immigrant families, and people in crisis. She began volunteering at The Center in 1990 and has served on staff for more than 20 years. Carolina helped build Latin@x Services at The Center and founded Mi Familia and Shades of Color, creating affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ people and their families. A longtime leader in HIV prevention and care, she received the 2024 Dr. A. Brad Truax Award for her compassionate, community-centered service.
Norman “Norma” Braxton (he/him)
Norma came to San Diego while serving in the U.S. Navy in the late 1960s and became the city’s first Black drag performer. Inspired by Diana Ross, Norma entertained audiences that included Lily Tomlin, Carol Channing, and Bob Hope. Norma also supported community fundraisers and participated in the early Imperial Court de San Diego. Through performance, generosity, and visibility as a Black gay man, Norma brought joy to generations and helped shape San Diego’s LGBTQ+ cultural history.
Terry Cunningham (he/him)
Terry has shaped San Diego’s response to HIV/AIDS for more than four decades. Beginning as an AIDS Hotline volunteer, he founded the Ciaccio Memorial Clinic in 1982, the region’s first community-based medical response to AIDS, and helped establish Truax House, San Diego’s first AIDS hospice. As chief of the County’s HIV, STD and Hepatitis Branch, Terry oversaw lifesaving prevention and care systems. A 1986 Pride Co-Grand Marshal and 2015 KPBS Local Hero, he also shared his public-health expertise internationally.
Lillian Faderman (she/her)
Lillian is a pioneering historian and author who established lesbian history as a respected field of study. Her landmark books include Surpassing the Love of Men, Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers, The Gay Revolution, and the memoir, Naked in the Promised Land. A UC Berkeley and UCLA graduate and professor emerita at Fresno State, Lillian recovered LGBTQ+ stories long excluded from traditional histories. She is a San Diego resident and longtime supporter of Diversionary Theatre, and she has helped generations understand themselves as part of the American story.
Dr. Delores Jacobs (she/her)
Dr. Jacobs transformed The Center during 17 years as its longest-serving CEO. She expanded The Center’s budget, staff, reach, and facilities; established the nation’s first Latin@x Services department at an LGBTQ+ center; and created Sunburst Youth Housing for formerly unhoused LGBTQ+ youth. She also advanced HIV testing, youth and senior services, marriage equality, and the Community Leadership Council. A psychologist, mentor, and coalition-builder, Dr. Jacobs strengthened San Diego’s LGBTQ+ infrastructure and cultivated leaders whose work continues her legacy.
John Keasler (he/him)
John Keasler (he/him) has devoted more than 50 years to LGBTQ+ equality, HIV/AIDS advocacy, veterans, older adults, and the arts. A Vietnam-era Army veteran, he fought the Briggs Initiative, helped lead early San Diego Pride celebrations, and became Update Newsmagazine’s first editor. Living with HIV since 1988, John served Strength for the Journey for nearly three decades and supported HIV outreach and benefits counseling. He later advocated for LGBTQ+ veterans and older adults while using art to foster healing, remembrance, and community connection.
Big Mike Phillips (he/him)
For more than 36 years, Mike has strengthened San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community through fundraising, organizing, and hands-on service. He co-founded Ordinary Miracles, the Rob Benzon/Dan Ferbal Foundation, the Tavern Guild, and Grocery Hearts for Mama’s Kitchen, raising substantial support for HIV/AIDS services and people facing hardship. A former Imperial Court de San Diego president, Mike organized toy drives, meals, and essential-supply distributions. He also helped create San Diego’s AIDS memorial.
Lizbeth Pineda (she/her)
Lizbeth is a pioneering trans activist who, with Sandra Ramírez, co-founded and co-directs Transgénero 2000. For more than 25 years, she has built a trusted, Spanish-speaking community for transgender immigrants in the San Diego-Tijuana region. Through peer support and advocacy, Lizbeth has helped people access HIV prevention, healthcare, asylum assistance, and legal name changes. Transgénero 2000 was a 2024 San Diego Pride Community Grand Marshal, and The Center honored Lizbeth and Sandra with its 2025 Luminary Icon Award for their enduring leadership.
Sandra Ramírez (she/her)
Sandra transformed her experience as a migrant trans woman into more than 25 years of advocacy, mentorship, and community care. With Lizbeth Pineda, she co-founded Transgénero 2000, creating a trusted, Spanish-speaking home for transgender immigrants in the San Diego-Tijuana region. Sandra has helped community members access HIV prevention, healthcare, asylum support, legal name changes, and peer networks. Transgénero 2000 was a 2024 San Diego Pride Community Grand Marshal, and The Center honored Sandra and Lizbeth with its 2025 Luminary Icon Award.
Dr. Kenneth Riley (he/him)
Dr. Riley was a physician, public-health leader, and steadfast advocate for San Diego’s Black, LGBTQ+, and HIV communities. He continued serving the HIV Planning Group long after retiring in 2014, helping to keep community voices central to funding, policy, and care. He also supported San Diego’s first Ebony Pride. Honored with the 2022 Dr. A. Brad Truax Award, Ken is remembered for his wisdom, warmth, mentorship, and joyful generosity.
Pamela Morgan (she/her) and Joyce Rowland (she/her)
Pamela and Joyce were partners in life and in decades of advocacy, philanthropy, and leadership. Pamela advanced employment equity and served the Elections Committee of Orange County during the AIDS crisis. As a corporate executive, Joyce secured groundbreaking domestic-partner benefits and inclusive workplace policies. She later chaired boards for Equality California Institute and The Center, guiding The Center’s CEO search through extensive community engagement. Together, they supported LGBTQ+ organizations, mentored leaders, hosted fundraisers, and received Equality California’s 2017 Vanguard Leadership Award.
Veronica Zerrer (she/her)
A retired U.S. Army Major, Veronica has devoted her life to military and community service. After nearly 23 years in uniform, she became a leading advocate for transgender people and veterans, holding leadership roles with Neutral Corner, TransFamily Support Services, and The Center’s Veterans Wall of Honor Advisory Council. Twice appointed to the California Veterans Board, Veronica has strengthened care and representation for underserved veterans. With her wife, Michelle Dungan, she established a scholarship supporting LGBTQ+ students, especially transgender students and veterans pursuing higher education.
Celebrate with Us
We invite you to join us at the 2026 Community Wall of Honor Induction Ceremony on Wednesday, September 23, from 6-8pm at The Center, where we will officially celebrate these extraordinary individuals and ensure their contributions are never forgotten. You can also sponsor the Community Wall of Honor! Sponsors receive an ad in the printed program, VIP seating, and acknowledgement during the event. You must submit your sponsorship form and ad by September 9, so we can include it in the printed program.
We can’t wait to see you there and to uplift the people who exemplify LGBTQ+ excellence!
In community,
Jacob Duarte (he/him)
Community Organizing and Power Building Specialist