Growing up over the mountain in Temecula, Chad Allen Ortiz was lucky to have a much older brother who paved the way for him, both as a dancer and member of the LGBTQ community.
Renae Punzalan—who goes by the stage name Renae McPhearson—is currently the Director of Outreach at the Transgender Health and Wellness Center in Palm Springs.
At a time when testing positive for HIV/AIDS was a death sentence, a small, dedicated group of activists and health professionals created what would become the most successful program of its kind in the world.
“It’s really about coming together at the table and exchanging culture through food,” says Anne Rowe, director of Heritage at Sunnylands, the former Rancho Mirage estate of Walter and Leonore Annenberg.