Tag: Daniel Gonzales

All the colors of the rainbow at the 2014 Pride Parade

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By Rene Thompson, Editor in Chief

Pride and all colors of the rainbow were abundant at the third largest parade in the state of New Mexico on Saturday, May 31, with floats and fairies as far the eye could see down Central Avenue.

Pridefest not only brings thousands of New Mexico resi­dents to Albuquerque to celebrate pride month each year, accord­ing to abqpride.com, but also has vendors, politicians, and local businesses in attendance that sup­port the LGBTQ community here in New Mexico.

Rey Garduno, City Councilman for the Nob Hill and International areas of district 6 said that the Pride parade not only brings locals together in a great way, but also brings a better understanding of the community.

Garduno, who was in the parade and at the post family pride event at Morningside Park, said that the best part of the parade for him is when people of all cultures and diversities come together and the sense of antici­pation in the crowd when the parade starts at Girard Boulevard.

“I think this is a good and easy non-confrontational way of learning about each other, so that’s one of the things I enjoy about it, and besides it’s a lot of fun,” Garduno said.

He said the community has started to understand why these types of events are important and why the community needs to get together to support everyone.

“Oh it’s wonderful. Every year I think that it not only grows, but that it gets better and people seem to have a sense of what it is and that they can learn about it, including myself,” Garduno said.

Former CNM student and Social services major, Dawn Shores said that she thought that the parade turned out very well this year and that her organi­zations float from the United Church of Christ stood out this year among the rest.

“They’re (United Church of Christ) open and affirming, and actually my partner and I are getting married there next week with the church,” Shores said.

Shores did also comment on the amount of corporations that were in attendance at the parade, when she said that the parade was a bit heavy on floats having noth­ing really to do with the LGBTQ community.

“There are too many corpo­rations that are getting in the parade and it’s just advertising for them— it’s great that they want to support the community, but they weren’t here 20 years ago,” she said.

Psychology major, Daniel Gonzales, who attended the parade with his family, said that it is important for families to support the community any way they can, and by coming to the parade it shows that the people of Albuquerque really do care about the LGBTQ community.

“It was awesome, I liked it all —I like the people, I like watch­ing the parade, I like the diversity, it’s just everyone supporting the people,” he said.

Gonzales and his wife were at the family pride event doing children’s face painting with his wife’s company, Luna Sirena face painting, and said that they both love to be an active part of the community.

“I support all kinds of rela­tionships; it’s not my business who someone wants to love,” Gonzales said.

For photos of the pride parade, go to the CNM Chronicle website at thecnmchronicleword­press.com.

Tattoo supply company owner, student has big plans for future

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By Rene Thompson, Editor in Chief  | Photos by Rene Thompson, and courtesy of Daniel Gonzales

supply

Photo courtesy of Daniel Gonzales Daniel Gonzales with his band Blinddryve.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Gonzales
Daniel Gonzales with his band Blinddryve.

Psychology major and tattoo supply company owner of “Boneyard Ink,” Daniel Gonzales said he has a very specific philosophy when it comes to helping heal people and wants to enact that into his ultimate goal, which is to make or be a part of a special kind of substance abuse treat­ment center, he said.

Gonzales said that he hopes to support people through helping them gain some spirituality, as well as through proper diet, exercise, education and getting people back their roots.

“I have a culinary degree and I was a cook in Seattle, so I feel like good food is an important part of our healing process too, and when people are trying to detox off drugs or things like that, they are eating food that have a lot of chemicals, and I would like to get into a treatment center that is based around having organic farm to table foods, because I think connecting with the earth is important too. It’s kind of like getting back to our roots,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales not only goes to school full time and still runs his tattoo supply business, but has also played bass for the last eight years in a local Metal band called Blinddryve, and has five children, he said.

“I have five kids, two are in soccer, the other is in voice and acting classes, then I have the two little ones, and this semester I’m taking five classes, so it’s a lot of work, but I’ve always wanted to help people,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales said he had his own problems with substance abuse in his past and said he has learned so much since then that he wants to help others on their roads to recovery and a better wellbeing.

“I feel like I have some positive stuff to offer, I have life experience in that field and I want to go into counseling or therapy,” he said.

Gonzales said that his pas­sion for helping people comes from his sister, who has a con­dition called Rett Syndrome and has the brain capacity of an 18 year-old baby, so she has stayed at ARCA who provides services for individuals with developmental disabilities for the past 20 years, and where Gonzales and his family go to see her regularly.

Gonzales said his sister inspires and helps him to stay motivated to succeed in his goal of helping others.

“The doctors said people with her condition usually don’t live past 30 and she’s 46 now, so she’s one of the oldest living people with her condi­tion,” he said.

Gonzales said he opened his tattoo supply business in 2008 while working in the shipping department at The Zone, where they began to get art­ists who needed supplies.

Gonzales said artists would wonder why there was not a local source at the time that delivered supplies, because there was and still is a major demand, since Albuquerque has an abun­dance of shops and artists.

“I could see that there was a demand for it (tattoo supplies), because art­ists would say ‘it would be nice if there was someone who was local who could deliver supplies and then we wouldn’t have to get supplies online,’ so I’ve officially had the business for six years now,” he said.

His band Blinddryve, in their eight years, has played the Journal Pavilion, the South by Southwest Show, and has opened for Sevendust and Lucuna Coil, he said.

“I would say it’s definitely metal; it’s cross between Iron Maiden, Pantera, and maybe Kill-Switch Engage, and a touch of Queensryche,” he said.

For more information on Blinddryve shows go to blind­dryve.com or holdmyticket. com for advance show tickets.

G o n z a l e s said he really wants to go to Highlands University at the school of social work, because they have such a great program.

He said they also have a jump starter pro­gram that helps students get a Master’s degree in three years.

He also hopes to make a pro­gram that not only instills his philoso­phy but also sets up people with proper work skills to be able to succeed beyond treatment, to less likely keep repeating the cycle of being a multiple drug offender.

“I think that people who use are just sick, and some­times they were never taught that stuff, a lot of time people want to judge others, but some­times these people were never taught to take care of them­selves, or how to find to their own paths, and maybe they can get skills or certifications to have a better chance at being sober when they have a leg up. It could be 10 or 20 years from now, but my goal is to really help people beyond their immediate treatments and help to give them the skills to have a better life,” he said.