When I think about all the dedication, commitment and money that queer people across the nation have given to establish their own community centers it makes me excited and proud.
In large cities, we have the privilege of the support for our queer community centers from even our straight-allies, like the City of Philadelphia and other institutions that have donated money and time to the William Way Community Center.
In smaller cities, like Memphis, without city or state government support, local queer philanthropists become their angels and underwrite the building, the staff salaries and the programs.
I recall at times like these, having stood in awe at the opening of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, only a year later to have purchased a brick in mine and my deceased lover's names, etched together on the lobby's walls forever lovingly and proudly.
Living in our global village, it's only appropriate that we wish "Happy Anniversary" for 25 years of service to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York City!
Claiming the title as "the nation's leading and most comprehensive queer community center" the major event, the center's annual gala, took place this week as the ceremonial kick-off to scores of celebratory events, including a community festival, a rare, extensive exhibition by the Center's National Archive of LGBT History, and the largest ever Garden Party, which is New York City's annual pride week kick-off event on June 23. (The center's official birthday takes place for the second largest queer community center in the world, on July 6.)
"From the Bronx to Staten Island and everywhere in between, we want the LGBT community, our straight allies, and all of New York City, to join us in celebrating the Center's 25th Anniversary," said Center Board Member Tom Kirdahy, who chairs the Center's 25th Anniversary committee. "We want people from all walks of life take part in our year long celebration as we honor the past and prepare for our future."
More than 6,000 lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender persons from the tri-state area pass through the Center's doors each week with a total of more than 300,000 who cross the center's threshold each year.
"We're about building community. We're about saving lives and celebrating our culture. LGBT people will always need a safe place to call home," said Executive Director Richard Burns, who joined the organization in 1986.
Over its 25 years, the center has been a beacon of diversity and promise, building and supporting its community through health, arts and culture, and advocacy programs as well as meeting and conference services and provides a safe and welcoming environment.
It has been recognized and respected for its innovative programs, from YES (Youth Enrichment Services) for teenagers and young adults, to its Pat Parker/Vito Russo Library, among many other programs.
"Now our families are growing. We are seeking recognition and respect for our families. We're reinventing the concept of family. Family isn't just a nuclear heterosexual family. It can be a queer couple with kids, or a close-knit group of friends who take care of one another. We have our family of origin, and then we have our family of choice. The Center is both a home and hearth for all of our families," Burns explained.
In recounting the achievements and rewards of the center, Woodworth said, "The Center is a classic tale of seizing opportunity out of difficult circumstances. Two crises - the AIDS epidemic and the threat that skyrocketing rents would bankrupt fledgling gay organizations - rallied gay and lesbian people to an unprecedented degree of community organizing and philanthropy."
The queer community congratulates everyone connected with the community center in New York City as they celebrate their landmark year from now through July.
Even if you don't use your queer community center wherever you live, be generous and kind and donate something for our cause and our lives.
For more information, visit www.gaycenter.org
All Jazz(ed) Up In Flowers!
This year's 2008 Philadelphia Flower Show, presented by PNC, has really gone all out to celebrate the wonders of New Orleans with the theme of "Jazz It Up," a spectacular 10-acres display of area gardeners expressing themselves through plants, colors and textures, literally, "jazzing up" their own spaces at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch Streets, Philadelphia, March 2-9.
Exuding the energy and spirit of the Big Easy's French Quarter, the entrance to the show welcomes visitors under a massive archway of larger-than-life floating piano keys, musical notes and a waterfall. From there, visitors can enter the Rhythm Rooms Jazz Club for a contemporary twist on the popular speakeasies of the 1920s. Hanging from above, the floral chandeliers are over-the-top in terms of their design, further enhanced by the full-size palm trees, imaginative garden rooms and "outside-in" decor with plants from the South, including magnolias and oleanders.
On The Legends Stage, the setting features live classical and contemporary musical performances hosted by Philadelphia's own Settlement School.
The tribute to the Big Easy continues with music heard throughout the center, among the hanging gardens and the cast-iron balconies that are reminiscent of the French Quarter, where groups like Big Sam's Funky Nation perform N'awlins style jazz, at the Bourbon Street Stage.
The exhibitions themselves are the handiwork of some of the nation's leading landscape and floral designers who approach the jazz theme fully with great gardens featuring everything from orchids on the bayou to a juke joint in the woods.
My vote is happily a thumbs up! You've got three days left to catch it! What are you waiting for?
For more information, visit www.theflowershow.com
