By Greg Hernandez On a sunny Friday afternoon, the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Associate Director of Facilities Angela Echeverria is busy coordinating routes with drivers who volunteered to deliver food to the homes of the Center’s most vulnerable clients. “Good luck, everyone, and thank you!” Echeverria told the drivers as they departed with bags of fresh produce and boxes of pantry items. It’s a scenario that has taken place every week for the past year at Pride Hall, Pride Pantry’s headquarters located inside the Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus. In the early months of the pandemic, Pride Hall was transformed…
Author: Greg Hernandez
I place daily calls to the Center’s seniors enrolled in the Hello Club.During conversations varying in length from a few minutes to more than an hour, I get a sense of how they’re doing physically and emotionally and learn of any challenges they may be facing regarding their health, well-being, finances, and housing. If needed, I connect them with available Center or community resources. By doing this work, I have learned about the importance of connection, of having people in my life who matter, and how much I receive by giving of myself to others. There have been so many…
With more than 2.2 million followers on Instagram, model, photographer, and grooming expert Kyle Krieger knows how to command people’s attention. Krieger, a three-time participant in AIDS/LifeCycle, recently used his social media power to raise $16,304 for Center South —the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s location near Leimert Park—by selling “All Black Lives Matter” T-shirts on his Instagram account. “When I was first on social media, I thought it was all about me,” Krieger tells LGBT News Now. “You outgrow that because it sort of feels empty. You have all these eyes, and people looking and watching. You have their attention…
This week the second season of the reality competition show Full Bloombegan streaming on HBO Max, and the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Mi Centro location in Boyle Heights is highlighted in Episode 6. Vying for a $100,00 first prize, florists from all over world create floral arrangements with intricate designs as they are put to the test in various individual and team challenges. HBO Max doesn’t want to throw away all of the gorgeous flowers at the end of each episode. So, the show has been donating them to organizations and non-profits making a difference not only every day, but…
With colorful balloons, DJ Shane Ivan Nash blasting tunes, and tables filled with goodie bags, the courtyard of the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus was transformed into the most festive walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinic in town. For two consecutive Saturday evenings, the Center served as a vaccine site of a community-led initiative known as Vax to the Max tailored to members of the transgender and non-binary community who are among the most vulnerable to access quality health care. The free vaccines were administered on a first come, first-served basis. No appointment was necessary. The clinic was held…
By Greg Hernandez Sitting at a corner table inside Liberation Coffee House on Wednesday, John Blyth finished up his Caesar chicken salad and was thinking about making his way back to the front counter to buy a donut. “I needed to have lunch, be able to sit down, and do what you have to do in a café,” explained Blyth, whose table was covered with paperwork. “It’s nice to be able to do that here.” The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s 1,600-square-foot retail café opened last August at the Center’s flagship Anita May Rosenstein Campus, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented it…
Standing on the rooftop of the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus, Rainbowthon host Frankie Grande told viewers on Thursday evening: “I’m so excited for the queerest Pride kickoff event that there has ever been!” The Broadway dancer, actor, singer, producer, television host, and social media personality made it happen by calling on his famous friends—and his sister Ariana. JoJo Siwa, Tony Award winners Lena Hall and Marissa Jaret Winokur, Jewel, and DJ “Shangela” Pierce, among a bevy of incredible talent, helped to raise more than $47,000 for Center services and programs during the two-hour virtual concert. “I’m…
Richard Parker, 62, knows what it’s like to go to bed without having a proper meal. But being provided with a free lunch five days a week at the Los Angeles LGBT Center has made all the difference for Parker—especially during the pandemic. “What they serve here is very nutritious and healthy.” he said after picking up a lunch consisting of chef’s salad, whole grain roll and cantaloupe. Parker recently joined other seniors in a campaign urging the City of Los Angeles Department of Aging to approve multi-year funding for the programs and services provided from the Center’s Harry &…
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2020, I had a profound conversation with a friend about next steps in my career. I had started a private practice designed to be affordable and community-based, and my interest in working in a space that primarily served LGBTQIA+ individuals grew. I saw an opening for a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the Addiction Recovery Services branch of the Center’s Mental Health Services. My friend nudged me, and I decided to apply. I was thrilled when I got the job! It has given me the chance to support those facing addiction to achieve…
By Greg Hernandez On his 40th birthday, Los Angeles City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas celebrated at a popular jazz supper club called Marla’s Memory Lane, owned for decades by actress Marla Gibbs of The Jeffersons and227 fame. The councilmember, who represents the 10th district, returned to the building—now known as Center South—to tour the transformed space near Leimert Park, meet with staff members, and present an LGBT Heritage Month proclamation to Center CEO Lorri L. Jean. “I’m proud to recognize the contributions of an organization that is an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a…