Los Angeles LGBT Center Chief of Staff Darrel Cummings sent this letter Tuesday to Center supporters: I hope this message finds you well and not too overwhelmed with the rapidly-changing news about COVID-19. As a vital supporter of the Center and someone who cares deeply about the important work we do for our community, I wanted to take some time to let you know how we are handling this challenging situation, and how you can help support the most vulnerable in our community. Businesses and schools are closing, and there’s much economic uncertainty for many of us. We’ve all been…
Author: Greg Hernandez
By Greg Hernandez Organizers of AIDS/LifeCycle, the world’s largest single event HIV/AIDS fundraiser, have put the brakes on this year’s ride due to health and safety concerns over the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The seven day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles benefits the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the HIV/AIDS-related services of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. “While we know that this is very disappointing to all of our riders and roadies, I want to assure you that we have not made this decision lightly, and we have made it in consultation with members of the AIDS/LifeCycle…
Ben Teller never thought of himself as an artist. In fact, he didn’t think he had a creative bone in his body. But the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Spirit of Survival: The Ancient Art of Mask-Making workshop not only helped unleash Teller’s artistic abilities, it also provided him with a way to process his emotions as he battles cancer. Teller (pictured above) was among 10 seniors who unveiled their deeply personal works at a February 27 reception held at the Center’s Pride Hall in the Anita May Rosenstein Campus. The group had worked on their masks during an eight-week workshop…
The Los Angeles LGBT Center is a safe place where you can be yourself, and being a Center volunteer has given me the opportunity to embrace and unite with my community. It has given me such a sense of pride and belonging. I became a volunteer seven years ago to actively participate in an organization that is aware of our needs and helps our community to reach its goals and to thrive. As a volunteer, I have helped in various ways from greeting and checking in donors at fundraisers, mailing out the senior monthly newsletter, and ushering seniors to the theater on Movie…
For 81-year-old Jim Wasson, landing a spot in one of the 98 affordable units in The Ariadne Getty Foundation Senior Housing complex would be a dream come true. He currently lives in an apartment which he can barely afford ever since his partner of more than 50 years passed away. But, Wasson faces stiff competition. He is among the more than 1,200 applicants. “I had no idea there would be so many people signing up for it,” Wasson said of the housing complex currently under construction at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus. “I’m doing whatever is…
By Greg Hernandez Nate Berkus sat onstage at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Renberg Theatre and tried, unsuccessfully, to hold back the tears. “I wasn’t going to cry today,” the famed interior designer and television personality told the audience of more than 100 people before jokingly adding: “I hate Camp Widow!” Berkus shared the harrowing story of losing life partner Fernando Bengeochea with attendees of Camp Widow, a daylong conference held on February 29 that was produced by the nonprofit organization Soaring Spirits International in partnership with the Center’s Senior Services for members of the LGBT community who have experienced…
Raising money seemed like the easy part compared to having to be at Dodgers Stadium by 7 a.m. on a Saturday. But an enthusiastic team representing the Los Angeles LGBT Center showed up by check-in time on March 7 to participate in The Big 5K. The team raised more than $32,000 to benefit the Center’s vital programs and services. Team members were tasked with raising at least $350 in donations. In the end, 36 met that goal, 12 raised more than $1,000, and two team members reached the $2,500 mark. Several other members raised hundreds of dollars each. “We didn’t…
I came to work at the Center to empower the very communities that nourished my journey in finding my queerness. In short, I love LGBT people, and I love my job! The Center’s Youth Academy, where I work, is a department of innovation and go-getters. If anyone in the Youth Academy brings forth a new idea, we always feel supported to make it happen. When it comes to developing new programming, everyone from entry-level staff to higher management has a say in the program’s implementation. We are encouraged to come up with new, appealing ideas that reflect the needs of…
There was nowhere else Adam Bass (pictured,left) wanted to cast his ballot than inside Pride Hall at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus. He was among the Center employees, senior and youth clients, and community members who recently voted at the location designated as one of Los Angeles County’s new flex vote centers leading up to the California Democratic Primary. Flex voting was available at the Center for one day, Friday, Feb. 28. To find out where you can vote on Super Tuesday, visit lavote.net. California is part of Super Tuesday on March 3, during which 14…
By Greg Hernandez Exemplifying the joyous spirit of the occasion, Jazzmun Crayton insisted on some audience participation when she accepted the Bayard Rustin Award at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s annual The Future is Black event on February 22 in commemoration of Black History Month. “Turn to someone next to you and say, ‘You’re gorgeous tonight,’” Crayton (pictured, above) requested to a packed audience at the Renberg Theatre which enthusiastically complied with her request. Crayton, recognized for her prominence in advancing the social movement of black and LGBT rights, accepted her award on behalf “of so many beautiful trans people…