In response to the reported murder of Yuni Carey, a trans Latina woman with deep ties to the Los Angeles transgender community, the Los Angeles LGBT Center issued the following statement: “During Transgender Visibility Week and just days before Transgender Day of Remembrance, our community is once again mourning the loss of one of our own, Yuni Carey. It is being reported that she was murdered by her partner in Miami on Tuesday, November 17. Yuni grew up in our community and went from someone who struggled at a young age to growing into a leader and advocate on behalf…
Author: Kelly Freter
In response to the results of the U.S. Presidential election, Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Lorri L. Jean issued the following statement: “Today the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the entire LGBTQ community stand with millions of Americans—people fighting for racial equity and justice, feminists, immigrants, youth, and other people of good conscience—to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. “In particular, we celebrate the election of our fellow Californian, Kamala Harris, to the office of vice president. Senator Harris will become the first Black woman—indeed, the first woman—and the first Indian-American elected to one of the two…
The Los Angeles LGBT Center joined a federal lawsuit filed on Monday by Lambda Legal and Ropes & Gray which challenges the Trump administration’s recent Executive Order to prohibit federal contractors and grantees from conducting workplace diversity trainings or engaging in grant-funded work that explicitly acknowledges and confronts the existence of structural racism and sexism in our society. Describing the trainings, which cover topics such as implicit bias or critical race theory, as “divisive” and “un-American,” the order directs agencies to suspend or deny funding to contractors and grantees whose trainings or grant-funded activities cover these topics. “The reality is you cannot segregate…
With no clear winner emerging from Tuesday’s General Election, Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Lorri L. Jean issued the following statement: “We do not yet know the final result of the Presidential election and, depending upon what happens with the as yet undecided states, we may not know for several days. Given this turn of events, many in our community are nervous and fearful—and with good reason: There is so much at stake. “Today, however, we must put those feelings aside and get to work. We must do everything in our power to see that the outcome of this election…
By Kelly Freter Two years ago, Seven Graham’s body was failing for no apparent reason. Their ankles had gotten so bad, they thought they would end up unable to walk and in a wheelchair. After six months of pain and fear, Seven came to the Los Angeles LGBT Center for help. “When I came to the Center, I met a wonderful doctor who really looked out for me,” says Seven (pictured left). “We discovered that my body was rejecting the estrogen replacement therapy that I had been on since I was 12 years old.” At age 8, Seven had been…
Showing an unmatched commitment to end AIDS amid the COVID-19 pandemic, AIDS/LifeCycle announced today a new charity event, TogetheRide, geared for cyclists of all ages and abilities worldwide in which they raise critical funds and collectively pedal 1.2 million miles (representing the 1.2 million people in the Unites States living with HIV and AIDS). Organizers have set June 2021 as the deadline for all riders—ranging from longtime AIDS/Lifecycle participants to home exercise bike enthusiasts, road cyclists, mountain bikers, indoor cyclists, bike commuters, and even tricyclists—to fulfill the ambitious challenge at the riders’ own pace and time commitment. “TogetheRide is a new way…
So much is at stake for LGBTQ people in this election, including several state propositions in California and local measures in Los Angeles. The Center is recommending: PROPOSITION 15: YES USE COMMERCIAL PROPERTY TAXES FOR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES A “yes” vote on Prop 15 will require that commercial property valued at greater than $3 million is reassessed at fair market value every three years. Prop 15 is a fair and balanced reform that closes property tax loopholes unfairly benefiting wealthy corporations, provides small business tax cuts, and reclaims upwards of $12 billion every year to invest in our schools and…
In response to the brutal attack of Daniela Hernandez, a trans women of color, in MacArthur Park this week, the Los Angeles LGBT Center issued the following statement: “Our loving thoughts are with Daniela Hernandez as she recovers from this brutal attack. We stand with our sister organization, the TransLatin@ Coalition, where Daniela volunteered, in decrying the epidemic of violence against trans women of color. There have been more than 31 known murders of trans or gender non-conforming people in the U.S. this year—the majority of whom were black trans women. And for every transgender homicide, countless others face violent attacks…
In response to President Trump’s nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to serve on the United States Supreme Court, the Los Angeles LGBT Center issued the following statement: “The Center calls on all U.S. Senators to reject the radicalism exemplified by President Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett. Yet again, Trump has nominated a candidate whose judicial views—as evidenced by her court rulings, speeches, and public statements—place her far outside the mainstream. Barrett’s judicial opinions—ranging from the rejection of protections for the LGBTQ community to extreme views on reasonable gun reforms to limiting the reproductive rights of women—should frighten all people…
In response to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s announcement today that a grand jury will not bring charges against Louisville police officers for the killing of Breonna Taylor, Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Director of Policy and Community Building Terra Russell-Slavin issued the following statement: “The Los Angeles LGBT Center is outraged by the grand jury’s decision. Not surprisingly, today’s decision reinforces the systemic inequity of the justice system and its continued failure to hold law enforcement culpable for killing Black community members—in this particular case, the killing of a Black woman in her own home.” “The Center joins millions of…