By Greg Hernandez Human rights activist Raiza Aparicio feared for her life when she fled El Salvador last year after being physically assaulted by four police officers in her home. Like many other LGBT asylum seekers who are victims of sexual or gender-based violence, Aparicio is transgender; her destination was the United States. She made it through Guatemala and Mexico by crossing rivers and hitching a ride on what has been called the “train of death,” a network of cargo trains that hundreds of thousands of migrants risk their lives by riding on top of each year. The harrowing journey…
Author: Kelly Freter
By Jeremy Kinser For a few hours on the last Saturday night in June, Pickwick Gardens, a popular event venue in Burbank, became a time machine that transported hundreds of LGBT seniors back to the halcyon days of the late 1970s, when dance music divas such as Donna Summer and Sylvester ruled the airwaves and disco balls hung from the ceiling of every nightclub. The occasion was the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s 20th annual Senior Prom. The space was transformed into a dance hall that resembled New York’s legendary hotspot Studio 54, as more than 300 clients of the Center’s Senior…
By Greg Hernandez Members from the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Senior Services program recently turned West Hollywood Council Chambers into a cabaret venue for a two-night run of NewStages’ Heroic Lives show. At 91, Janet Devaney was the oldest of the 18 cast members whose five minutes of storytelling and songs focused on heroic figures in their lives. Devaney shared with the audience the joy she experienced in the 1950s when she and her brother both realized they were gay. “Being gay in the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s was a struggle—especially for my brother Jack who worked in the business world,” Devaney…
By Greg Hernandez Mayor Eric Garcetti said he had a very good reason for choosing the Los Angeles LGBT Center to hold this summer’s kick-off for the HIRE LA’s Youth program. “For almost a half century this place has been all about nurturing young people and a community. So it makes sense for us to gather here to commit to doing the same thing for young people throughout our city,” Garcetti said during a press conference on Monday at the Center’s Village at Ed Gould Plaza. Garcetti encouraged young Angelenos to apply for summer jobs through the program which helps people between…
By Greg Hernandez Bria Kam and Chrissy Chambers finished performing their powerful anthem Can’t Break Me, shared a quick kiss, then as if on cue, Disneyland’s nightly fireworks began exploding in the sky. The married singing duo known as Bria and Chrissy were among the performers at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s inaugural OUTfluence celebration on June 21 and held at the rooftop venue The FIFTH, located across the street from the Magic Kingdom. “I was supposed to tell you guys we have a surprise with the fireworks, but it was beautiful the way it happened at the end of their performance with…
By Greg Hernandez Andrea Jenkins became the first openly transgender African-American woman elected to office in the U.S. when she won a seat on the Minneapolis City Council in 2017. But there was a time when being such a public person seemed out of the question. “I was terrified to leave the house or be anyplace outside of my workplace,” Jenkins said at Big Queer Convo: An Evening with Andrea Jenkins that kicked off Trans Pride L.A. on June 15. “And here I am sitting on a stage in Los Angeles, California. It’s true. It does get better.” She became increasingly more…
By Greg Hernandez Classic anthems such as Born This Way by Lady Gaga and I’m Coming Out by Diana Ross blasted from stereo speakers as more than 400 people representing the Los Angeles LGBT Center made their way down Santa Monica Boulevard during the annual LA Pride Parade in West Hollywood on June 10. The parade came just days after a U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in favor of a Colorado baker who, based on a religious objection, refused to bake a cake celebrating the marriage of a same-sex couple. Lead marchers wore pink “You Can’t Stop the March for Equality” T-shirts and carried pink signs stating…
By Greg Hernandez “I am a gender non-conforming gay person,” announced Alex from center stage. “I believe that is how I was born.” Alex received massive cheers from the crowd of more than 1,500 Hollywood High School students during an assembly planned by the student LGBT Club, which is supported by the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Community Action Network (CAN). As part of the Center’s LifeWorks youth development and leadership program, CAN collaborates with Gay-Straight Alliances and LGBTQ clubs at local high schools and middle schools. This was the third year CAN helped with the Hollywood High assembly. CAN Program Supervisor Mike Freeman…
By Greg Hernandez Following powerful testimony from students, teachers, parents, and community groups on June 12, the Los Angeles Unified School District unanimously passed a resolution that outlines ways to better serve its LGBTQ students. The Los Angeles LGBT Center was among the groups who urged the district’s board of education to take action in a wide range of areas including increased LGBTQ+ competency training for teachers, staff, and administrators. “I know LAUSD has strong policies. This is an issue of implementation,” the Center’s Education Policy Manager Krystal Torres-Covarrubias told the board. “I get calls from school members across the…
By Greg Hernandez As a crowd of more than 200 people watched, a crane hoisted the final steel beam high into the air and placed it on the northeast corner of the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus on May 24. It was the key moment in an emotional topping off ceremony, a traditional event held by builders when the last beam is placed atop a structure during its construction. “It’s such a powerful, moving moment and I’m overwhelmed by it,” Center board member Michael Lombardo said after the beam was put in place. “This is my first…