Los Angeles LGBT Center

History

The center was founded in 1969, by gay and lesbian rights activists Morris Kight and Don Kilhefner, along with other activists. Originally called The Gay Community Services Center, the original center was located in an old Victorian house on Wilshire Boulevard and was the first nonprofit organization in America to have the word "gay" in its name. In 1998, the organization named its library the Judith Light Library after one of its benefactors, actress Judith Light. The current chief executive officer is Joe Hollendoner.

On October 2, 2010, the center became the recipient of a $13.3million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families in order to create a model program for LGBTQ youth in foster care. It was the largest-ever grant by the federal government to an LGBT organization.

In 2015, the organization partnered with Latino Equality Alliance to open Mi Centro, a culturally sensitive facility in the predominantly Latine Boyle Heights neighborhood.

In 2016, Holly Woodlawn's estate founded the Holly Woodlawn Memorial Fund for Transgender Youth at the center, in order to benefit some of the center's programs, including Trans Pride L.A., Trans* Lounge, Transgender Economic Empowerment Project, and trans health care services. Woodlawn was transgender herself."

In 2020, the organization opened Center South in Leimert Park to serve the neighborhood's predominantly African-American population.

As a crowd of more than 200 gathered outside a June 2023 Glendale Unified School District Board of Education meeting, the Los Angeles LGBT Center joined organizations such as GALAS LGBTQ+ Armenian Society, the Armenian American Action Network, and Southern California Armenian Democrats in voicing support for the school district's LGBTQ+ policies.

Services

The center's website lists services, programs and activities they offer. These include youth, senior, transgender, survivor, medical, legal and housing services. They provide a number a programs including community & support groups, trainings and vocational programs, and they host various arts and events.

Locations

The Los Angeles LGBT Center operates facilities in various Los Angeles locations:

• Anita May Rosenstein Campus – Santa Monica Blvd at McCadden Place (new HQ in 2019)
• McDonald/Wright Building – 1625 N. Schrader Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028-6213
• The Village at Ed Gould Plaza (including Renberg Theater) - 1125 N. McCadden Place, Los Angeles, CA 90038
• The Center Weho – 8745 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069
• Triangle Square – 1602 Ivar Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028
• Mi Centro – 553 S. Clarence Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033
• Trans Wellness Center – 3055 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 360, Los Angeles, CA 90010

References

References

1. "[https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/details/ Los Angeles Lgbt Center]". ''Tax Exempt Organization Search''. [[Internal Revenue Service]]. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
2. "[https://lalgbtcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Fiscal_Year_2022_Form_990.pdf Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax]". ''Los Angeles LGBT Center''. June 30, 2022.
3. "Los Angeles LGBT Center Announces Selection of New Chief Executive Officer".
4. "[https://lalgbtcenter.org/about/staff/ Staff]". ''Los Angeles LGBT Center''. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
5. (June 17, 2019). "The Biggest LGBT Center In The World Just Got Bigger — And Better". HuffPost.
6. [https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf9k4009gs/ Morris Kight Papers, 1975-1993 at UCLA Special Collections]
7. (20 January 2003). "Morris Kight, 83; Gay Rights Pioneer in the Southland". Los Angeles Times.
8. (30 May 2018). "Los Angeles LGBT Center making more history visually".
9. "Judith Light". Faith in America.
10. (October 2, 2010). "L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center wins $13M grant to help foster youths". [[San Diego Gay and Lesbian News]].
11. (October 2010). "L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center gets unprecedented grant". Washington Blade.
12. Hailey Branson-Potts. (October 1, 2015). "A new center in Boyle Heights is a 'little piece of heaven' for gay Latinos". [[Los Angeles Times]].
13. (15 February 2016). "Warhol Muse Holly Woodlawn Endows Fund for Trans Youth".
14. Rance Collins. (January 13, 2020). "Los Angeles LGBT Center opens new huge Center South in Leimert Park". [[Los Angeles Blade]].
15. Harter, Clara. (June 6, 2023). "LGBTQ protections and gender policy sparks Glendale school board war". [[Los Angeles Daily News]].
16. "Los Angeles LGBT Center".
17. (2019-04-04). "LA LGBT Center's ambitious Anita May Rosenstein Campus opens".
18. "Locations".