Delivering food as part of the Center’s Senior Angels program and working in the new Pride Pantry has helped me cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and with the uncertainty of unemployment. As a freelance publicist, all my clients—mainly entertainment, leisure, and retail—have disappeared. Volunteering has been a productive way to spend my days. I have been so impressed with how quickly the Center got these food programs up and running. It’s a really great way to get clients to be part of community and to know that somebody gives a damn. Folks are so grateful to receive the food and…
Author: Greg Hernandez
AIDS/LifeCycle@HOME kicked off a busy week of virtual events on May 31 as nationwide protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death continued to escalate. Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Lorri L. Jean and San Francisco AIDS Foundation CEO Joe Hollendoner spoke about the unrest during the Opening Ceremony broadcast online. “As we begin a week intended to foster community and connectedness, the senseless murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, and countless other black people are front of mind for everyone,” Jean said. “Many of us feel grief and rage and a sense of…
I first started at the Center as a volunteer to give back to the LGBT community. The environment was so supportive that I soon applied for a staff job. It has meant a lot to be able to come to work and not worry about people judging or unaccepting. I have been able to bring my own life experiences to the job, and it has made me a better employee. The Facilities team that I am a part of is always ready to handle whatever we need to do in order to keep the Center moving forward. But, I think…
After more than two months of waiting, older adults who submitted a housing lottery application for the Center’s upcoming senior affordable housing units will find out if they obtained a coveted spot on the list. Notifications were mailed on May 22 to the 506 people chosen at random to be potential residents of The Ariadne Getty Foundation Senior Housing complex, which is scheduled to open in December. The Los Angeles LGBT Center received a total of 1,369 applications for a chance to live in one of the 98 units designed for people 62 years and older. “Senior housing is very…
By Greg Hernandez The Senior Services staff of the Los Angeles LGBT Center didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic prevent them from moving ahead with a special Honor Our LGBT Elders Day concert on May 16. The concert, comprised of both live and pre-recorded performances, was presented virtually and marked the first time in a few months that many senior clients had even seen each other’s faces. “We miss you all so much, we miss seeing you all in person,” said Activities Coordinator Kira Preston, who organized the event and also performed with musician Molly Allis. “This is definitely the next…
As a volunteer, I’ve done everything from stuffing envelopes to working at many of the Center’s events. Every one of these experiences was satisfying in the way that I had originally intended when I first started volunteering: I had in my mind a notion of being a positive pebble dropped into a community pond, and outwardly, in all directions, go good ripples. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve been making phone calls to LGBT seniors four or five days a week as part of the Center’s Hello Club program. Sometimes, folks are doing quite well and it’s just…
By Greg Hernandez Frankie Grande and his famous friends helped raise $54,870 for the Los Angeles LGBT Center on May 14 by headlining its first virtual fundraiser Rainbowthon, a three-hour show livestreamed on the Center’s Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, and Twitch channels. All proceeds benefited the Center’s CARE Fund which was established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dancer, actor, singer, producer, television host and YouTube personality Frankie shared the spotlight with such stars as Kristin Chenoweth, Margaret Cho, Jewel, and three of the judges from RuPaul’s Drag Race: Michelle Visage, Ross Mathews, and Carson Kressley. Frankie is a regular participant in…
It was 1977 and disco was all the rage. Chris Laib (left in above photo) and Lon Wahlstrom met at a gay dance bar in San Diego called West Coast Production Company and, 43 years later, they are still together. “Chris and I are opposites in so many ways, but snatching him from across the dance floor was the luckiest moment of my life,” Wahlstrom shared. “Thanks to him, our lives are never boring and seldom slow.” The couple’s staunch support of the Los Angeles LGBT Center began when Wahlstrom decided to ride in the seven-day, 545-mile AIDS/LifeCycle several years…
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, I have learned never to regret a day in my life. Good days give me happiness, bad days give me experience, worst days give me lessons, and best days give me memories. It’s very rewarding for me to be working at the Center through all of this because I love helping people. Part of my new duties has been connecting with senior clients on the telephone to talk to them about how they are doing through during this pandemic and if there is anything they need. I connected with a client who lives in Seattle…
On Thursday, May 14, from 6–8 p.m. PDT (9–11 p.m. EDT), the Los Angeles LGBT Center presents Rainbowthon, a two-hour event to be livestreamed on the Center’s Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch channels with all proceeds benefiting its CARE Fund, which was established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosted by dancer, performer, and influencer Frankie Grande, the virtual concert will include unforgettable performances and appearances by some of the Center’s notable supporters and Broadway’s favorites: Kristin Chenoweth; Jewel; Margaret Cho; Leslie Jordan; Ross Mathews; Carson Kressley; Michelle Visage; Deborah Cox; Taylor Dayne; Betty Who; Marissa Jaret Winokur; Courtney Reed; Shoshana…