The new
Bronx LGBTQ Center (the “Center”) is pleased to provide an
update today, which marks the one-year anniversary of its birth as a
New York State Not-For-Profit corporation.
“One year ago today, we
incorporated our new Bronx LGBTQ Center with nothing more than a
small handful of individuals and a dream. On our one-year birthday,
I'm so happy to announce that we have initiated programs to help our
LGBTQ brothers and sisters, are making progress on raising the funds
necessary to build a new Center, and are working on bringing event
more programs and services to LGBTQ and supportive individuals in the
Bronx and surrounding areas,” exclaimed Tym Moss, the Center's
president.
The Bronx LGBTQ Pride &
Health Fair was a success. On July 20th, nearly 50
organizations interacted with nearly 2,000 participants over a
six-hour time frame – a strong showing that the Bronx LGBTQ
community has individuals and organizations who care about them and
will provide services. The event received support from prominent
elected officials, including attendance by Bronx Borough President
Ruben Diaz, Jr., NYC Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, NYS Senator
Jose M. Serrano and his father, Congressman Jose E. Serrano, and NYS
Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo and her daughter, NYC Councilwoman Maria
del Carmen Arroyo.
On August 20th,
nearly 20 of the 60 candidates running for office in the September
10th primary election who were invited appeared at the
Center's Candidates Forum on LGBTQ Issues
at the Bronx Library Center, where the candidates answered
questions on topics such as hate crimes, safety, homelessness,
government services, and even revealing something personal about
themselves, such as coming out about something. The forum can be
viewed on YouTube in its entirety at http://youtu.be/V_rxmWaPyjY
“We are so fortunate to
have a number of organizations who have come forward to work with us
in providing services to our LGBTQ communities. We thank each and
every one of them, because without their tremendous support and
assistance, we would not have made the progress we did or be in the
position we are in now to begin offering the services and programs
that are planned to launch in the coming months,” Mr. Moss
stated.
September was a particularly
busy month for the new Center. On the 3rd, it brought
LGBTQ culture to the Bronx with an Open Mic at The Clock Bar. A
packed house enjoyed poetry readings, spoken word performances, and
musical interludes. On the 6th, the Center partnered with One
Sandwich At A Time and St. Barnabas Hospital to make 500
sandwiches, which were then donated to help feed homeless LGBTQ youth
through the Ali Forney Center and Sylvia's Place, two wonderful
non-profit organizations dedicated to serving our LGBTQ youth
populations, among others.
A Free Legal Clinic began
operating on September 17th. A collaboration between the
Center, the LeGaL Foundation, and Union Community Health
Center, the legal clinic will offer guidance and referrals to
individuals on a range of matters. It operates on the 1st
and 3rd Tuesday of each month, from 6-8 pm at Union's main
offices at 260 East 188th Street, Bronx, NY. Full details
can be found at http://le-gal.org/bronx-legal-
“We will soon be launching
a number of additional programs, services, and events that we have
been working on bringing to the Bronx,” Peter C. Frank, the
Center's secretary and lead organizer, advised. “In the coming
months, you can expect to see a weekly LGBTQ Youth Group, weekly
women's and men's educational and informational groups, more
community outreach walks (next scheduled on October 11th
for NCOD), a peer support services network that will provide weekly
support groups, a “12 Steps to the Rainbow” recovery initiative,
legal and financial services workshops, and more social
programming—including a Halloween Costume Ball on October 29th,
as well as a pot-luck Thanksgiving dinner as part of our Family
Holidays program,” he added. A new web site is also in the
works.
For more information about the
Center and its upcoming programs and events, visit
http://bronxlgbtqcenter.org
Contact Peter C.
Frank with questions: e-mail secretary@bronxlgbtqcenter.org
or call 914-417-9579.
