Center Blog

This just in: we’re announcing the winners of Project Pushback, our marriage equality contest (our joint project with the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center).  Congratulations to Family Values, the Grand Prize winner and Blaire Wedding Project, the People’s Choice winner!

Grand Prize Winner:
Family Values by Andrew Putschoegl

People’s Choice Winner:
Blaire Wedding Project by Samantha Lavin and Lori Brener

Family Values was selected by the Project Pushback judges, from the 11 finalists, as the Grand Prize winner, earning creator Andrew Putschoegl the $2,500 grand prize! The $1,000 People’s Choice Award winner was Blaire Wedding Project, created by Samantha Lavin and Lori Brener.

Congratulations to Lisa R. who won the drawing for the Sony HD video camera.

Watch all of the entries here.

Learn more about Project Pushback.

When I started working at the Center more than three years ago, Garden Party was an entirely different type of event than the one we’re producing nowadays. It’s hard to believe that this is my fourth Garden Party! But from a career-perspective, I am proud to say that this event is professionally and personally a milestone, because Garden Party is now officially the only LGBT-tasting event in the country!

There is no better way to kick-off Pride Week in NYC than on a full stomach. And this year, with more than 35 restaurants serving some tasty and mouthwatering fare, you can’t go wrong. Garden Party’s menu this year will feature more than amuse bouches, and will definitely amuse your bouche. Our menu is not only eclectic, but it is out-of-this-world delicious! When is the last time you had a meal comprised of Pulled Turkey Sliders with crispy shallots; Mini Boerewors Rolls; Escargots Au Pastis on garlic bread croutons; Mini Pulled Pork Sliders; Housemade Tofu with wari-joyu; Chilled Cucumber Garden Soup; Chorizo Croquettes; Corn Fritter with tomato jam; Swedish Meatballs with lingonberries and house-cured gravlaks; Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with basil oil; Mini Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Red Velvet Cupcakes and Chamomile Tea Cookies; and Mini Maine Lobster Rolls on brioche buns? Drooling yet?

We’re not the only ones with excited tastebuds. A few weeks ago New York Magazine’s “Grub Street” picked up on our delicious tale, and though they noted our Foodies Silent Auction would not include a date with Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” Host and Head Judge Tom “the Bear” Colicchio, they headlined the write-up with our mantra, which is that Garden Party promises to be a gay old time (nymag.com). And yesterday Garden Party was Zagat approved! Okay, maybe not approved, but we made it onto Zagat’s New York City Edition of Zagat Buzz, helping to make our ticket sales soar through the roof this morning (zagat.com).

And this year’s exciting line-up of celebrity chefs was hand picked by our returning Event Chair, Gourmet Editor-in-Chief Ruth Reichl. Our chefs include Daniel Angerer (Klee Brasserie), Rebecca Charles (Pearl Oyster Bar) and Dave Pasternak (Esca). And joining our celebrity chefs are Café Du Soleil, Chez Lucienne, Counter Organic Wine & Cocktail Bar, Dinosaur BBQ, EN Japanese Brasserie, Gotham Bar and Grill Restaurant, La Palapa, Poco, Rosa Mexicano, Sonnier & Castle, Treats Truck, Vynl and so many more. For a full listing of our participating restaurants click here. And buy your tickets now!

Hey, Center fans!  We want your feedback!  If you write a review of the Center on Great Nonprofits, you could help us win the Pride Choice Awards 2009!  Just post your review by June 30.  Review the Center here!

Here is more information about the contest from Great Nonprofits:

Which LGBT nonprofits have made a difference for you or your community? TELL US.

Nonprofits with the most positive reviews in their category will be announced as winners and receive media coverage. Awards will be given out of 8 categories (5 geographic US regions and 3 budget size – small, medium or large). Contest Deadline: June 30th.

This is an opportunity for nonprofits to engage their stakeholders – clients, volunteers, board members, donors and other stakeholders . They can share their experiences with one another and the larger public. All reviews will appear on both GreatNonprofits.org and on GuideStar.org, the premiere site for philanthropic research. Nonprofits can also later use these reviews in their marketing and brochures.

Plus everyone who writes a review is eligible to win fun prizes such as delicious Alter Eco fair trade chocolate, a subscription to Stanford Social Innovation Review, a getaway at Kimpton hotels (thanks Academic Ambassadors!) and more!

Check out what other people have written about the Center and post your own review!  Go to Great Nonprofits now.

@LGBTCenterNYC

The Center will be giving away two free tickets to Garden Party 26 via Twitter! If you don’t already know about Garden Party, the only LGBT tasting festival in the country, check out the Center’s website for details about the event. Garden Party 26 will be held on Monday, June 22nd at Pier 54 in Manhattan from 6-10 PM.

How will we pick a winner? We want to hear why you want to go to Garden Party. Is it one of the restaurants that excites you? Are you excited about the lineup of celebrity chefs? Do you want to be at the only LGBT tasting event in the country? Do you want to live tweet from Garden Party? Do you want to be at an event that supports the Center, the largest LGBT center on the East Coast? Tell us! Be creative!

• You must be following the Center on Twitter (@LGBTCenterNYC)
• You must use this hashtag in your Twitter update: #gardenparty
• You must tweet after noon EST on Wednesday, June 17 and before noon EST on Friday, June 19, 2009.

Don’t forget to include #gardenparty in all of your tweets about Garden Party!
See what others are tweeting about Garden Party on Tinker or Twitter Search.

The winner will be announced this Friday, June 19, 2009.  Good luck!

Center Young Leaders Council Pre-Pride Celebration
Thursday, June 18, 9PM-12AM
The Park, 118 10th Ave, NYC

Join us Thursday for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center’s recently formed Young Leaders Council (YLC) Pre-Pride Celebration! The event is hosted by Gavin Creel, his fellow Tony award-winning cast of HAIR and comedian Murray Hill at The Park on 10th Avenue from 9PM-Midnight. Open Bar 9PM-10PM. This event is 21+.

Free admission with RSVP. RSVP on the Center’s website or on Facebook!

The Young Leaders Council (YLC) is one of the newest initiatives of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. We seek to build an active and diverse community of young New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s committed to raise awareness and funding for the Center and its work. The YLC develops programming to engage its demographic as Center supporters, members, volunteers, and leaders. Want to be sure you hear about future YLC events? Join the YLC Facbook group and sign up for the YLC E-Newsletter!

Hi, I’m Amanda and I work in the fundraising department. Specifically, I work on the events that raise money to keep the Center going strong.

New York City is gearing up for its annual Pride Week, and we’ve been doing the same in our fundraising office! I’ve spent the past few months recruiting food companies to take part in our annual Pride celebration, Garden Party 26, which will take place next week on Monday, June 22nd at Pier 54. And can I tell you, it’s been a blast! We’ve enjoyed an amazing response from local food companies this year; it’s been really exciting to work with all these businesses who want to support the Center!

Look at these numbers:

* 36 food participants this year — this is a record! This includes restaurants, caterers and specialty foodmakers. Many of them have also contributed to the “All Food” Silent Auction that will take place at the pier.

* 22 of these participants are new to the Center! Food companies want to be a part of the only LGBT tasting festival in the country!

* More than 10 of these food companies have participated for two years or more! That tells us that they feel it’s important to support our community and that they see the benefits of attending this event.

* 26 amazing auction items at the “All Food” Silent Auction that will take place at Garden Party 26. Come bid on tickets to Saturday Night Live, elegant dining packages, theater tickets and more!

Sometimes my stomach rumbles when I read my email: restaurants have been sending me menus for months now. (My friends are jealous that I get to work with restaurants all day!) How do these menu items sound:

* Shrimp & Scallop Ceviche
* Corn Fritter with Tomato Jam
* Asian Chicken Salad & Watermelon Lemonade
* Mini Pulled Pork Sliders
* Spicy Gazpacho with Smoked Lobster

Delicious, right! Well, you can try all this and more when you come to Garden Party 26. Purchase your ticket on our site and “Eat your pride out!”

www.gaycenter.org/specialevents/gardenparty26

Don’t forget to support your neighborhood restaurants! We have been overwhelmed by the response from local businesses, especially those in Chelsea and Village neighborhoods, and are truly grateful for their support of the LGBT community.

See you on the pier!
Amanda

Bishop Gene Robinson

Start your week at the Center with New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the invocation speaker at the opening event for President Obama’s inauguration, and the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church.  He will be at the Center on Monday 6/15, presented by the Center and The New York Times.

On Tuesday 6/16, learn about the first site ever associated with LGBT history to be so recognized by the federal government at  The Stonewall National Historic Landmark: 1969, 1999, and Beyond, presented by Second Tuesdays.  On Wednesday 6/17, see author author Jeffrey Escoffier read from Bigger Than Life.

Meditation on a Theme: Sexual Healing on Thursday 6/18 will ask where are we as sensual beings in a country said to be both oversexed and highly puritanical?  Later on Thursday 6/18, join the Center’s Young Leaders Council for a Pre-Pride Celebration with the cast of Hair.  Event is 21+, and RSVP is required!

On Saturday 6/20, join the Center at these Pride events: Bronx Pride, Folsom Street East, and Leather Pride Night.  To volunteer with the Center during Pride events, go to www.gaycenter.org/pride.

Week 2 of Pride Month is packed with events!  First, two well-known figures read at the Center.  On Tuesday 6/9, you can see author Staceyann Chin read from The Other Side of Paradise. Then on Wednesday 6/10, Kate Clinton is back with a new book Told You So, a hilarious, bittersweet, politically acute survival guide.

The Center’s Summer Art Exhibitions open on Thursday 6/11 with a reception.  Exhibitions include:   Ellen Shumsky: Portraits of Transformation: 1967–1973; Steven F. Dansky: Gay Liberation Front (1969–1971); Gay & Lesbian Photography Club’s As We See It: The Fifth Annual Photography Exhibition; and Boris Torres: Portraits of a Congo and Positive Paintings. Visit Center Calendar for more information, and find this event on Facebook.

Catch Cause and Effect, an evening of new short plays by the Village Playwrights, on Friday 6/12 or Saturday 6/13. “Cause and Effect promises to be an emotional roller coaster ride and revealing look into some of the causes and effects of contemporary gay life.” More at Center Calendar, Facebook.

Saturday 6/13 is Brooklyn Pride this Saturday 6/13. First, visit the Center’s booth at the festival from 11AM-6PM, then march with the Center in the parade starting at 8:30PM.  Sign up to volunteer at Pride events with the Center or check out the Center’s list of Pride events at gaycenter.org/pride, or see Brooklyn Pride on Facebook!

As always, check the Center Calendar for the full list of upcoming events.

Project Pushback, our marriage equality video project with the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, was featured on KNBC-LA (see the video below) and in an Advocate article.  Don’t forget to vote for your favorite video at equalityvideo.org!

KNBC-LA
Advocate
Project Pushback

As part of Internet Week New York, the Center will be participating in New York Social Media Roundtable,where some of the leaders working in social media will be on hand to talk about how non-profit organizations can utilize social media in their work.  The Center’s Web Manager, Allison Palmer, will be participating as a panelist at the event, along with other innovative social media professionals. 

Full description of the event, or find it on Facebook:

Social Media for Non-Profits

Meet, mingle, and learn from today’s social media pros for free at Flightpath’s New York Social Media Roundtable (NYSMRT).

We gather the smartest voices and innovative thought leaders in social media every month to talk about how to advance your goals with social media tools.

Our June roundtable considers how non-profit organizations can use social media to promote altruism and motivate member bases:

• Prepare for challenges unique to non-profits using social media
• Chart the future of social media and non-profit platforms
• Integrate best practices tested by successful NPOs
• Participate with audience questions and open discussion

Get to know the social media pros in and around New York, too! Flightpath is serving snacks and beverages, so you can leverage some real-life social networking after the panel.

Non-Profit Roundtable Panelists

• Matthew Knell—Co-Founder, SM4SC
• Allison Palmer—Web Manager, The Center
• Rachel Sklar—Founder, Charitini
• Soraya Dorabi—
  Manager of Digital Partnership & Buzz Marketing for The New York Times
  Communications Board Founder, Goods4Good.org

   

 

 

Registration is now closed for this event, but you can virtually attend by following  @NYSMRT or @LGBTCenterNYC on Twitter for live tweeting of the entire event!