My name is Psyche Calderon Vargas (she/her), Director of Latin@x Services at The Center, and I am excited to announce our upcoming events as we celebrate Hispanic/Latin@x Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15!

Celébrate in Spanish means “celebrate who you are,” and this month is an opportunity to do just that as we look deeper into the rich, beautiful tapestry of who we actually are as a Latine community. Our roots run far deeper than a single definition, encompassing Indigenous, Black, brown, migrant, trans, and queer identities. By broadening how we define our heritage, we honor the full diversity and intersectionality of our ancestors and our vibrant community today.

To celebrate, we invite you to come home to Latin@x Services at The Center, where we will remember, dance, sing, and love out loud for our LGBTQ+ Latin@x communities in San Diego. In a world that often asks us to blend in, gathering together in our full authenticity is a beautiful act of joy and resistance.

Here are all the ways we can come together:

Latin@x Services Open House × Generation Z
Wed, Sept 16 · 4–7pm · The Center

This event will feature a book talk with San Diego author Peter J. Cervantes, who will discuss his memoir, The Road Back to Me. His book offers a moving, first-generation Mexican-American perspective on queer healing and breaking generational trauma. To ensure that our entire family can participate, this will be a fully bilingual conversation featuring live English↔Spanish interpretation as we discuss the contemporary experience of being LGBTQ+ and Latinx.

Attendees can also look forward to Mexican food and joining together for our very own grito de independencia.

LGBTQ+ Resource Fair × Consulado General de México

Tue, Oct 6 · 9 am–12 pm · Consulado General de México en San Diego (1549 India St, San Diego)

In celebration of Binational Health Week, this event brings vital health and social resources directly into our community. Through our partnership with the Consulado General de México en San Diego, we are meeting people exactly where they are and honoring the cross-border bonds that unite us.

This initiative provides attendees with direct access to essential support services and community resources in a welcoming environment.

Día de las Rebeldías Lésbicas

Tue, Oct 13 · 5–7pm · The Center

This event marks San Diego’s first-ever celebration of its kind, deeply rooted in the history of the Latin American feminist movement. The evening will feature a compelling panel discussion titled “Cruzando la línea: cultura y rebeldía lésbica en la frontera,” highlighting the insights of four transborder leaders: Liliana Hueso, Cristina Márquez, Sire Córdoba, and Ana Hernández. Moderated by Carolina Alcoser Ramos.

We will provide a light dinner before the conversation begins. Everyone is welcome, especially our lesbian community!

Festival Mictlán: Our Día de Muertos Celebration

Sat, Oct 24 · 2–7pm · Liberty Station, Central Promenade, San Diego

Festival Mictlán serves as our community’s unique ofrenda within Latine Pride—our major cross-community celebration produced in partnership with the Latine Coalition and San Diego Pride. While the main Latine Pride stage will be filled with music, dance, and spoken word, our dedicated Festival Mictlán space will feature its own stage, games for all ages, a salsa class, and a sober corner serving Día de Muertos mocktails.

The festival will also host two contests: Catrinas and Altares de Muertos, with cash prizes of $500 for first place, $300 for second place, and $150 for third place for each contest. At the true heart of the event is “Ecos del Mictlán: A Choral Journey to the Afterlife,” a powerful original musical arrangement that unites choirs and singers from both sides of the border.

Sing With Us: We Need Your Voice

For Ecos del Mictlán, we’re forming a community choir to sing an original arrangement of “La Llorona y La Bruja,” alongside Tijuana Queer Coral, Coro Meraki, and singers from San Diego. You do NOT have to speak Spanish! Rehearsals are fully bilingual, and it’s just a few hours before the festival. Music is one of the most powerful ways to show we are united and will not be oppressed any longer. There is power when our voices rise together.

If you are interested, please fill out our online form.

Pasión y Corazón: Our First Latinx Pageant

Sat, Nov 7 · 6–9pm · The Center Auditorium

Save the date for Pasión y Corazón, a pageant celebrating Latine drag talent, a night filled with delightful surprises!

Produced with community leader and host Lady Blanca, this pageant is back for its third year to celebrate and uplift Latinx drag, including our artistry, our joy, and our refusal to be anything but fully ourselves.

These vibrant events are powerful spaces to connect, heal, and uplift the beautiful intersection of our LGBTQ+ and Latin@x identities. Whether you are coming to dance, to honor our ancestors, or simply to be surrounded by community, your presence matters and makes our collective voice stronger. We invite you to join us, bring your loved ones, and celebrate the resilience, artistry, and joy that define our community.

I cannot wait to celebrate our Latine community this month with you!

En comunidad,

Psyche Calderon Vargas (she/her)
Director of Latin@x Services