You haven’t heard much from us these past few months, and here’s why.
2013 was a time of major transition for the Center, brought on by starting the year without a space. We lost our home of more than a decade on Decatur Street to damage from Hurricane Isaac in September 2012. Without a building, we were unable to provide many of our former services: providing a community meeting space, answering phone calls and walk-in requests, and housing our LGBT library.
We were forced to consider our direction, the role we play in our community, and what would be our next best move. As a community center, if we wanted to rebuild in a meaningful way, we had to listen first to what our constituents’ needs and desires for their community center.
Between February and April we held community visioning sessions, bringing together people to discuss numerous possibilities for moving forward and building a coherent vision. We gained further input through a community survey and strategic alliances with other LGBTQ groups.
Over the summer we celebrated with Pride and Southern Decadence, enjoying the revelry with locals and visitors from around the country.
The summer also brought huge changes for the LGBT community across the US, when both the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 were overturned by the United States Supreme Court. We were at the Day of Decision Rally in Jackson Square to celebrate this historic change with other LGBT activist groups. Our board chair, Sebastian Rey, spoke to the crowd about the significance of this decision as well as the greater need to focus on local issues.
In the fall we moved into our new space at the Art Egg Studios, an administrative office from which to relaunch the Center based on the community’s priorities gleaned from our community visioning sessions, surveys, and outreach. At our 12/12 Founder’s Day event we announced our new Mission & Vision.
We are excited about everything to come next year, a comprehensive new website launching in January, new programming, and resources for community groups.
Thanks for your support as we move forward, building a community-driven Center takes time and effort, but we are grateful to be doing this work.
If you’d like to help us with our work, please consider getting involved or making a year end tax-deductible donation to the Center.
