• Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • 2nd Annual Sabor de Mi Centro Block Party Boogies in Boyle Heights
  • Senior Prom Celebrates 25th Anniversary
  • “Solidarity Forever”: Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr at Trans Town Hall
  • “We Are Immense, and We Are Abundant”: Trans Pride LA Organizer Gina Bigham Looks Back on a Decade-Plus of Highlights and the Biggest Trans Pride Yet
  • Trans Actors, Athletes, and Activists Celebrate Community and Solidarity at First-Ever Trans Town Hall
  • “My Crown Is Paid For”: 12 Center Portraits of Juneteenth
  • House of Avalon, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Join Center Staff and Supporters for LA Pride: “F*ck the Margins. We’re the Center.”
  • This Year’s AIDS/LifeCycle Participants on Why They Ride
Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube
LGBT News Now
Learn about career opportunities at the Center
  • Equality
  • Community
    • Health
    • Youth
    • Seniors
  • Voices
    • From the CEO
    • Take Five
    • Why I Give
  • About the Center
  • Galleries
  • Calendar
LGBT News Now
You are at:Home»Voices»From the CEO»Center CEO Joe Hollendoner: “Our Work Is Never Done”

Center CEO Joe Hollendoner: “Our Work Is Never Done”

0
By on November 14, 2022 From the CEO

By Joe Hollendoner (Published in Fall/Winner 2022 Issue of Center’s Vanguard Magazine)

I began my tenure as CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center in July, just as our community began to face yet another public health crisis: human monkeypox.

The first case of monkeypox was diagnosed in the United States in May, and within a few weeks, cases were being identified in major cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles. By July, it was clear that—just like with HIV/AIDS—gay and bi men were being disproportionately affected, and our community would once again need to come together to protect ourselves.

The federal government took no immediate action to stop human monkeypox, despite being able to predict that an outbreak in the U.S. was likely. Worse, effective vaccines and treatments existed but were not being made available. Medical providers refused care to their patients, with some citing lack of familiarity with the virus and others outright discriminating against LGBTQ+ people. Media reports not only stigmatized, but also dehumanized gay men by spreading misinformation about who was at risk for infection. Conservative elected officials furthered their attacks on our community by calling gay men “unclean,” “diseased,” or somehow “deserving” of this virus.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center stepped into the leadership void created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal agencies, taking immediate action and doing what we do best: caring and advocating for our community. Our healthcare professionals diagnosed and treated human monkeypox cases and administered vaccines at our sites throughout Los Angeles. Our policy team demanded that state and federal law and policymakers provide resources to stop the outbreak. And we launched community outreach programs and websites to provide medically accurate and sex-positive education about human monkeypox prevention.

Make no mistake about it: the current decline of monkeypox cases in Los Angeles County is a direct result of the Center’s efforts. If the Center hadn’t stepped in and stepped up, I have no doubt that cases would still be on the incline today.

All too often in public health, we use data to measure our success. Interpreting data is critical to crafting a successful response, but it only tells one part of the story. We must never forget the individuals represented in the numbers. I can assure you that while our researchers kept a careful eye on the trends we were seeing in our clinics, our providers never lost sight of the human impact of this crisis.

Every time I visited one of the Center’s human monkeypox vaccination clinics to thank our hard-working staff, a patient would stop me and share their story. While the specifics of each story differed, what remained consistent was how they came to the Center with fear or confusion, but left our doors feeling empowered and informed. I will never forget the relief I saw in these patients’ eyes and the deep gratitude I could hear in their voices.

Our work to educate, vaccinate, and advocate in response to human monkeypox has been invaluable. Unfortunately, we have not received a single dollar from the federal, state, or county governments to fund these efforts. I am optimistic that this will soon change, but had the Center not used funds provided by our individual donors to support our actions, I fear we would still be contending with another epidemic that disproportionately affects our community. If you’re reading this, the chances are good that it was your donation that allowed the Center to act when our community needed us most. I continue to be inspired by the way that queer and trans people show up for one another. I’m even coming to realize that the LGBTQ+ community in Los Angeles shows up like nobody else in the movement.

To have led the Center through this particular crisis reminded me of two things. The first is that, despite decades of progress, our community still needs to come together to fight and advocate for ourselves. Whether it’s public health emergencies or Supreme Court atrocities, we must remember that our collective resilience makes us unstoppable. The second is that there is no organization better equipped to mobilize our community for the many fights ahead than the Los Angeles LGBT Center. We have over five decades of experience defending and advancing the rights of LGBTQ+ people, and that experience will be leveraged to its fullest in response to whatever is on the horizon.

Expanding our community’s fight for equality—even just sustaining our hard-fought gains—is a big task, I know. But I can promise you this: You will never have to do it alone. In the face of any political or public health threat to our community, you can depend on your Center to be there, championing you and your right to exist as a healthy, equal, and complete member of society.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Related Posts

Lorri L. Jean: “Great Things Must Come to an End”

Center CEO Lorri L. Jean: “It’s Been a Wild Ride — But We’re Still Hanging On”

Center CEO Lorri L. Jean on why LGBTQ+ Californians need to vote on September 14

Comments are closed.

Upcoming Events

  • There are no upcoming events.
About Us

LGBT News Now

LGBT News Now is a publication of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, the Center is the largest LGBT organization in the world, dedicated to building a world where LGBT thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org.

Follow Us on Instagram

lalgbtcenter

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is building a world where LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society.

🚨 #LACounty is ending all HIV prevention contra 🚨 #LACounty is ending all HIV prevention contracts by May 31—putting lives, jobs, and decades of progress at risk. The Center and our community won’t stand by. Silence = Death. We’re fighting back @LACountyBOS #ActUpLA. Take action at the link in bio!
Celebrating the brilliance, vibrancy, and joy acro Celebrating the brilliance, vibrancy, and joy across our AANHPI diaspora—where queerness and ancestry intersect in ways both tender and powerful. 🌈🌺 #AANHPIMonth #QueerJoy
🚨The Department of #HHS released a federal repo 🚨The Department of #HHS released a federal report promoting conversion therapy under a new name—dismissing decades of science-based evidence for lifesaving, gender-affirming care for #TGNBI+ youth. Swipe to learn what’s at stake and visit our Take Action page at the link in bio. #ProtectTransYouth
Happy 70th to the iconic and first ever Center glo Happy 70th to the iconic and first ever Center global ambassador, @donatella_versace! Forever [stuck] in our hearts and thankfully not our elevators!
⚠️TW: A 61-year-old transgender woman in #West ⚠️TW: A 61-year-old transgender woman in #Westlake has been the target of multiple violent hate-motivated attacks. #LAPD is seeking help identifying the suspects and any additional victims. Anyone with possible information is encouraged to contact the Rampart Division detectives at (213) 484-3495 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. Swipe to learn more.
🌅#GoldenHour is back May 17! This all-ages #AAN 🌅#GoldenHour is back May 17! This all-ages #AANHPIMonth night market honors @lararajj of @katseyeworld! Curated by and for queer AANHPI communities—expect karaoke, tea tasting, cultural bites, live performances & more. Presented by @gileadsciences and @mayumi_market 
RSVP: lalgbtcenter.org/GoldenHour
On Saturday night, our Anita May Rosenstein Campus On Saturday night, our Anita May Rosenstein Campus came alive with love, recognizing the resilience of our community at the Center’s #LAForever Celebration. Nearly $800K was raised for our life-saving services, with unforgettable moments from honorees @thesherylleeralph and Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy of CHLA, and our vibrant host @bobthedragqueen. Thank you to everyone who showed up, stood up, and reaffirmed that our lives are worth defending. Read more at the link in bio 💜
Lesbians: visible, powerful, and probably funnier Lesbians: visible, powerful, and probably funnier than you. Happy Lesbian Visibility Week! #LV25 #QueerJoy
Celebrating the unforgettable Jiggly Caliente, a f Celebrating the unforgettable Jiggly Caliente, a fierce performer, advocate, and trailblazer whose light touched so many. Her loss leaves a deep ache in our community, and we hold her loved ones close in our hearts during this time.
Follow on Instagram
Stay Connected
Subscribe
Copyright © 2022 Los Angeles LGBT Center
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.