.gay Community Spotlight on CenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ+ Centers.

This week for our .gay Community Spotlight we chatted with .gay’s beneficiary partner, CenterLink: The Community of LGBTQ+ Centers.

How would you describe your organization’s mission? 

CenterLink strengthens, supports, and connects LGBTQ+ community centers.

Tell us about how that mission is brought to life through your work?

A fundamental goal of CenterLink’s work is to help build the capacity of LGBTQ+ centers to address the social, cultural, health, and political advocacy needs of LGBTQ+ community members across the country. CenterLink plays a vital role in addressing the challenges centers face by helping them to improve their organizational and service delivery capacity, access public resources, and engage their regional communities in grassroots social justice movements

What would happen if your organization suddenly did not exist?

We serve over 300 LGBTQ+ centers and community based organizations across the country in 48 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, as well as centers in Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, and Uganda.. Without CenterLink’s existence, newly forming LGBTQ+ community centers along with existing LGBTQ+ community centers would miss out on opportunities such as networking, peer-based technical assistance and training, and a variety of capacity building services. Our efforts are based on the belief that LGBTQ+ community centers are primary change agents in the national movement working toward the liberation and empowerment of LGBTQ+ people, and we are here to support them.  

What can people do to get involved and help make sure that never happens?

People can go HERE to make a donation and learn more about CenterLink at CenterLink.gay!

Why does LGBTQ+ visibility matter to you?

LGBTQ+ visibility creates a very critical sense of individual belonging and security for LGBTQ+ people.  People who are safe to talk about their sexuality and gender often serve as role models for the wider community, including LGBTQ+ youth, who are often vulnerable to bullying. Also, being visible enables us to advance LGBTQ+ rights at the local, state, and federal levels.

In your own words, what does “LGBTQ+ safety and support” mean specifically?

Societal stigmas surrounding our community often impact the mental health of LGBTQ+ people, especially LGBTQ+ youth. LGBTQ+ safety and support means ensuring all LGBTQ+ people can be their authentic selves and feel safe and supported while doing it. This can be achieved through education and advocacy, which our community centers do on a daily basis.

Who are some of your LGBTQ+ heroes?

Bayard Rustin. Martin Luther King Jr delivered his iconic “I have a dream speech” at the March on Washington in 1963, and it was one of the most important organized protests in American history.  Bayard Rustin was one of the main organizers of the event, and he was a gay man who suffered discrimination both for the color of his skin and for loving other men. His work with events like March on Washington was largely behind the scenes, so President Obama posthumously honored him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.

Marsha P. Johnson. dShe was a transgender woman who fought against police brutality, demanded rights for the LGBTQ+ community, and worked to make life better for people in prison, sex workers, and homeless teens. She was part of the 1969 uprising at Stonewall Inn in 1969, a pivotal moment in LGBTQ+ and United States history.

If you could give LGBTQ+ youth one message, what would it be?

There’s nothing wrong with you - you are perfect just as you are, and you don’t need to change for anyone. LGBTQ+ centers across the country are safe spaces, and they can offer you support in the forms of housing, mental health assistance, nutritious meals, community building, and so much more.

Tell us about a time when you felt like the work you do at your organization really mattered or made a difference for the communities you serve?

We feel that every day because we hear it from our members!  Whether it’s answering questions about operations and board governance, or seeing our center leaders communicating and sharing resources on a listserve that we host, or connecting them with other centers or outside partners to further their work, or providing pass-through funding via grants and fundraisers…  We exist so that the boards of directors and staff at LGBTQ+ serving centers have a shoulder to lean on, have a place to turn for help, and don’t have to re-invent the wheel!  We try to make the job of running a center just a little bit easier, so that the center can continue to  the work that they do, providing amazing, and often life-saving, services to their communities!

Anything else you would like to share with the .gay audience? 

We are grateful to .gay for all of their support, and we love partnering with them!

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