LGBT community centre
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An LGBT community centre (
Functions
Common focuses for LGBT community center activities include
- provision of material for people who are discovering their sexuality or gender identity
- provision of material and services for LGBT people who suffer from AIDS/HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases
- hosting cultural events, including the beginnings of local pride parades, sporting events, and other cultural outings
- hosting fundraisers and drives for community empowerment and LGBT rightspurposes
- hosting town hall meetings between LGBT residents of the area and important figures, i.e., politicians, businesspeople, religious leaders, activists, etc.
- serve as archives or museums for the LGBT history of a region
A number of LGBT community centers are youth-centric "drop-in" establishments, allowing usage or participation by young people aged 30 or lower.
Geography and history
LGBT community centers are often the most visible LGBT institutions in high-density municipal areas where gay villages are not in effective establishment (e.g., in Israel, where municipal community centers are established without the presence of a high LGBT demographic concentration); as a result of such local visibility, LGBT community centers often have come under both verbal and violent attack from anti-LGBT individuals and groups.
Opened in 1970, the
In a few countries, LGBT community centers and their operators have federated into voluntary organizations for coordination purposes, i.e.
See also
- Gay village
- List of LGBT community centres
References
- ^ Knowles, Jeremy (2009), An Investigation into the Relationship Between Gay Activism and the Establishment of a Gay Community in Birmingham, 1967-97 (PDF), Birmingham: University of Birmingham, p. 24, retrieved 2011-07-02
- ISBN 9780815333548.