Center Blog

Center Staff from left: Migdalia Santiago, Cristina Herrera (LUNY Award Winner) and George Fesser

On Saturday October 15, the Center’s Gender Identity Project Counselor, Cristina Herrera (pictured in middle, photo above left) received the prestigious Latinos/as Unidos de New York  (LUNY) Award, along with several other community leaders in New York City. Latinos/as Unidos de New York, Inc. bestows the honor on individuals for their outstanding contributions and service to Latino and Latina LGBT people in New York City.

Community members gathered at the Church of the Holy Apostles in Manhattan for the festive event.  Herrera identifies as TransLatina and has been working in the field of HIV prevention, advocacy and community organizing for over 11 years.

In her current position at the Center her primary focus is working with transgender and gender non-conforming communities. She facilitates the TransLatina Group in Western Queens and co-facilitates the Feminine Spectrum Group at the Center. In addition, Cristina is the Chair to the Transgender Advisory Group at the Prevention Planning Group for the NYC Department of Health, where she brings awareness to issues that are affecting transgender populations.

We are proud to have her on our staff and congratulate her on receiving this distinction.

Guest Post by Otto Coca

Frank Bruni joined the Center’s venerable Second Tuesday lecture series recently for an event that was ostensibly about his best-selling memoir Born Round, but Bruni’s fame as a food critic and as the first openly gay op-ed contributor to the New York Times dominated much of the lively discussion. 

With the room at capacity, event coordinator Howard Williams introduced Mr. Bruni with an anecdote about having read his writing when they both lived in Detroit and Mr. Bruni worked for the Detroit Free Press. “I thought Frank might be gay when he reviewed a restaurant of questionable merit by saying ‘Where only the salad is well dressed.’” To laughter and high-spirits, Frank Bruni took to the podium and announced that this wouldn’t be a lecture, per se, but that he would prefer to simply take questions and the audience was ready and eager to comply.

“What is this preoccupation with food? I don’t get it!” was the very first question to Mr. Bruni as the audience let out an embarrassed gasp. Mr. Bruni seemed as amused and surprised as the ‘foodies’ in the audience. “Some say food is the new theatre, but I think it’s really the new porn,” he quipped and many clearly agreed with him. For a writer who has published an acclaimed book about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, A Gospel of Shame: Children, Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church, 1993 with Elinor Burkett; and published his experiences following George W. Bush on the campaign trail in Ambling Into History: The Unlikely Odyssey of George W. Bush, 2002, it was clear that this audience saw him as a ‘Food Icon’ and Mr. Bruni obliged.

 “Did you wear disguises?” kicked off a lively discussion as many in the audience revealed themselves to be restaurant professionals and advanced home chefs. “I’ve worked in food service for over 20 years. How do you feel about writing and commenting on someone’s creativity?” For this Mr. Bruni became very serious and explained that he believed his main responsibility was to the customer for whom a fine-dining experience could run hundreds of dollars. “The chef or restaurateur has all the support and encouragement, but the diner goes in alone. I don’t try to insult anyone’s creativity but I do need to keep the patron first in mind.”

It was 45-minutes into the lecture when the conversation turned briefly to politics. Someone with a long memory for New York City social issues asked, “When do you think the homophobic nature of the New York Times changed?” This was a challenging question for Mr. Bruni, now a respected voice at the Times. Mr. Bruni thought that AIDS effectively brought about the change and talked of a beloved journalist at the Times who had died and whose passing forced a re-consideration of the way the Times addressed gay issues. While the questioner did not seem to completely agree, and the ensuing conversation was simply too nuanced and thoughtful to paraphrase, it was illuminating for all present to listen to two individuals with relevant points of view amicably agreeing to disagree on the issue of the Times’ LGBT sensitivity.

Before the evening was finished we did learn some important facts: the lamb burger at The Breslin comes highly recommended; he has tried disguises, twice, and it wasn’t worth the effort and finally, that Mr. Bruni is indeed ‘taken’ with a boyfriend in kidney research with whom he seems very fond.  A very enjoyable evening , and as the crowd exited down the stairs, one young man holding a paperback of Born Round said to a friend, “I wanted to talk more about the book!” But he did not seem at all disappointed.

DeEbonie Swindell

The Center is pleased to announce that four young people from our Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Program are featured in the new “Amplify Your Voice!” anti-LGBT bullying public service announcement campaign created by The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

Devin Greene

The campaign includes dozens of celebrities speaking out about the harms of bullying and each PSA is introduced with a personal bullying story from our YES participants, who have all found strength and empowerment through our program. The young people featured are 18-year-old Antonio Fernandez, 20-year-old Dillon Seebalack, 22 year old DeEbonie Swindell,  and 22 year old Devin Greene.

The campaign coincides with National Bullying Prevention Month and Spirit Day on October 20. You can read much more here in GLAAD’s official press release:

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, today announced an initial list of participants in Spirit Day as well as the launch of its “Amplify Your Voice!” public service announcement (PSA) campaign featuring celebrity talent and young people speaking out against anti-LGBT bullying.The PSAs urge viewers to take a stand against anti-LGBT bullying and direct viewers to GLAAD.org for resource kits offering best practices to parents, teachers and students. The free kits feature resources from the American Federation of Teachers, GLSEN, the National Center for Transgender Equality and The Trevor Project, among others.

Celebrity participants in GLAAD’s ‘Amplify Your Voice’ campaign — a project developed with the American Federation of Teachers — include: Chaz Bono, Kristin Chenoweth, Vinny Guadaginino, Rashida Jones, Dustin Lance Black, Sandra Lee, Mario Lopez, Shaquille O’Neal, Amy Poehler, Naya Rivera, Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott, Ariel Winter, and the cast of ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars. The campaign also features the personal stories of young people from New York’s LGBT Community Center (the Center). The Center’s Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Program is open to LGBT and questioning people between the ages of 13 and 22, and provides them with community support to foster healthy development in a safe, affirming and drug-free environment.

Videos and resource kits are available here: www.glaad.org/amplifyyourvoice. Media interested in posted the videos can find instructions here. Comcast will serve as a leading media partner for the PSA campaign, contributing $3 million in national airtime and bringing this important message to more than 20 million homes over the next year. Additional videos to be released in coming weeks.

GLAAD also announced initial participants who will join millions of Americans by wearing purple on October 20, 2011, to take a stand against anti-LGBT bullying and show support for LGBT youth on Spirit Day. GLAAD is working with organizations including GLSEN, GSA Network and the Trevor Project as part of National Bullying Prevention Month to inspire individuals, schools, organizations, corporations, media professionals and celebrities to wear purple.

For a list of celebrity participants, media outlets, TV networks, organizations and corporations visit www.glaad.org/spiritday. Additional participants will be announced in coming days.

Hosts from the CNBC, CNN, E!, the Dr. Drew Show, MSNBC and The View will be wearing purple on-air.

MTV will be turning the on-air logo purple along with their Facebook, Twitter, MTV.com and MTV Act logos.

Celebrity participants include: Tamra Barney (Bravo, Real Housewives of Orange County), Laura Bruce (WE, Downsized), Andy Cohen (Bravo), Aisha Dee (Fox, I Hate My Teenage Daughter), Drew Ginsburg (Bravo, Most Eligible Dallas), Carson Kressley (ABC, Dancing With The Stars), Padma Lakshmi (Bravo, Top Chef), Kristi Lauren (I Hate My Teenage Daughter), Katie Leclerc (ABC Family, Switched at Birth), Vanessa Marano (ABC Family, Switched at Birth), Shay Mitchell (ABC Family, Pretty Little Liars), Mary Murphy (So You Think You Can Dance), David Nadelberg (Sundance Channel, The Mortified Sessions), Matt Nordgren (Bravo, Most Eligible Dallas), Rosie Pope (Bravo, Pregnant in Heels), Garo Sparo (Sundance Channel, Unleashed by Garo), Steve-O, TJ Thyne (Bones), Diann Valentine (WE, I Do Over), Kathy Wakile (Bravo, Real Housewives of New Jersey), Joe Zee (Sundance Channel, All on the Line with Joe Zee), and the cast of Sundance Channel’s Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys are among celebrities who will participate by wearing purple or changing Twitter and Facebook photos for the day. Participants in 2010 included Cyndi Lauper, Ricky Martin, Khloe Kardashian, Ryan Seacrest, Perez Hilton, Kristin Chenoweth, the Dixie Chicks, cast members from of Glee, Joan Rivers, among dozens of others.

Companies including American Airlines, AT&T, B|W|R Public Relations, Comcast, Facebook, Goldman Sachs, McGraw-Hill, NBCUniversal, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Verizon, Yahoo! and Yahoo! Pride will participate in 2011. Participating companies will be distributing information to employees about wearing purple. Some have also pledged to turn logos purple for the day. For more information on specific plans visit: http://www.glaad.org/spiritday/corporate.

The Sundance Channel employees will be participating and the Sundance Channel social media logos will turn to purple on Spirit Day.

LOGO will air a Spirit day purple ribbon on the channel to drive viewers to NewNowNext.com to increase awareness against bullying. Additionally, their Twitter (@LogoTV) and Facebook photos will ‘go purple’ and pictures of staff, fans and talent will be posted to Tumblr throughout the day.

Here Media will turn logos on Advocate.com, Out.com and SheWired purple for the day.

Spirit Day coincides with GLSEN’s ‘Ally Week’ (October 17-21), a week for students to organize events that serve to identify, support and celebrate Allies against anti-LGBT language, bullying and harassment in America’s schools and communities. GLSEN has partnered with GLAAD to promote Spirit Day as an event for students to participate in during ‘Ally Week.’ For more information about ‘Ally Week’ visit www.allyweek.org.

In addition to GLSEN, GSA Network and The Trevor Project, dozens of local and faith-based organization are also participating in Spirit Day including: Basic Rights Oregon, COLAGE, Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry, Pacific School of Religion, Coalition of Welcoming Congregations of the Bay Area, DignityUSA, Equality Hawaii, Equality Michigan, Equality Utah, Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), Human Rights Campaign’s Religion & Faith Program, Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Keshet, Lutherans Concerned/North America, More Light Presbyterians, Nehirim: GLBT Jewish Culture and Spirituality, PROMO, Religious Institute: Faithful Voices on Sexuality and Religion, Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER), United Church of Christ Office for LGBT Ministries, Straight But Not Narrow.

Spirit Day was started in 2010 by teenager Brittany McMillan as a way to show support for LGBT youth and remember those lives lost to suicide. Millions of teachers, workplaces, media personalities and students wore purple, which symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag.

“From Hollywood to corporate America, it’s clear that an overwhelming number of Americans today support LGBT youth and believe that no one should be bullied for being who they are,” said GLAAD Acting President Mike Thompson.  

“On Spirit Day and with our new ‘Amplify Your Voice!’ campaign, some of the greatest Hollywood, news and sports voices will be brought into America’s living rooms, reminding millions that no matter who you are, you have the power to make a difference.”

You can read more here in a blog post by GLAAD and view the videos featuring YES youth.  You can also learn more about their individual bullying stories in GLAAD’s “Amplify your Voice” Resource Kit.

Dillon Seebalack

The Center is honored to be a part of this vital campaign and sends a heartfelt thank you to GLAAD for including our inspirational youth voices!

Antonio Fernandez

LGBT Pioneer Activist Frank Kameny

The Center learned tonight that our community had lost a giant in the LGBT movement for full equality. Frank Kameny died in his home this evening in Washington, DC, fittingly on National Coming Out Day. He was 86.

Dozens of media outlets have published stories about Kemeny’s passing, including Metro Weekly, which reported:

”It is with great sadness that I must report the death of Dr. Franklin Kameny, an activist and friend of the LGBT community,” Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Edward Delgado wrote in an email to media outlets on Oct. 11.

Speaking about 8 p.m. Oct. 11 from Kameny’s home, a designated historic landmark, Charles Francis confirmed that Kameny died in his bed and that his body was being removed. Others on the scene included Bob Witeck. Both Francis and Witeck were part of the effort to have Kameny’s personal papers installed in the Library of Congress.

Marvin Carter, board member of the organization Helping Our Brothers and Sisters, which aided Kameny, says he was contacted by Kameny’s housemate about 5:30 p.m. Oct. 11 and given the news that he had discovered Kameny’s body.

”It appears to have been of natural causes,” says Carter.

Kameny’s beginnings in advocacy work came after he was fired from his job as an astronomer for the Army Map Service because he was gay in 1957. He challenged the firing, though, and took the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Although the court declined to hear the case, an activist was born.

Kameny went on to become one of the leading advocates for lesbian and gay equality in the years before — and since — Stonewall. In 1961, he co-founded the Mattachine Society of Washington. In 1965, he and others with the group famously picketed the White House in shirts and ties, sending a letter to the White House explaining their presence.

Along with Barbara Gittings, Kameny successfully worked with experts in the field and others to convince the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from its list of disorders in 1973. The next year, he and Gittings served as counsel to Otis Fancis Tabler, Jr., successfully keeping the Defense Department employee from having his security clearance revoked due to being gay.

Witeck talked with Metro Weekly on Oct. 11 after returning from Kameny’s house, saying, ”When I was in high school 43 years ago – there’s nothing, nothing. No internet. Library books were atrocious. The only thing I knew was Frank Kameny’s name, from the newspapers, and the Mattachine Society. And I called the Mattachine Society, and I didn’t know it at the time – but that was Frank.

”Frank was the first gay person I spoke to in all of my life,” he says. ”And I wasn’t the only one with the story.”

Despite the many victories for equality of which Kameny was a part since, it wasn’t until June 24, 2009, that he received a formal apology from the government for his firing. In a letter that called the firing ”a shameful action,” the director of the Office of Personnel Management wrote to him, ”Please accept our apology for the consequences of the previous policy of the United States government, and please accept the gratitude and appreciation of the United States Office of Personnel Management for the work you have done to fight discrimination and protect the merit-based civil service system.”

The director, John Berry, is an out gay man and the highest ranking out LGBT official in the Obama administration.

Kameny’s death was noted quickly and felt widely across the LGBT community.

Rick Rosendall, who knew Kameny for the past 33 years through their work with the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance, told Metro Weekly, ”Frank was a force of nature. His level of courage and ferocity in standing up for his principles was amazing at a time when he had no backups.”

In his email, Delgado noted, ”Dr. Kameny is a friend of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit; which he advised during it’s infancy stage. My condolences go out to the Kameny family and the entire LGBT community.”

Richard Socarides, who served as the lesbian and gay liaison to President Clinton, told Metro Weekly, ”Frank was such a brave person. To do what he did when he did it. A shinning example for us all. An amazing, inspirational figure who stands out among the giants of our movement.”

On June 10, 2010, a crowd gathered on 17th Street NW for the unveiling of the street sign naming the stretch of the street between R and Q Streets ”Frank Kameny Way NW.”

A little more than six months later, Kameny was present for another landmark moment – the signing of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act. The World War II veteran told Metro Weekly he was overjoyed to be attending because, as he said, ”I didn’t think I’d live to see it.”

Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese noted in a statement, ”From his early days fighting institutionalized discrimination in the federal workforce, Dr. Kameny taught us all that ‘Gay is Good.’ As we say goodbye to this trailblazer on National Coming Out Day, we remember the remarkable power we all have to change the world by living our lives like Frank — openly, honestly and authentically.”

Witeck echoed that, saying, ”Frank also, truly, truly, was a lifelong lesson in being principled. It’s just an amazing gift – and an annoying gift. All of us have doubts; Frank didn’t have a one. If he did, he didn’t tell anyone.”

Talking about Berry’s role at OPM, the repeal of DADT and other successes of recent years, Witeck says, ”Every single thing that we have touched, Frank had been there before.”

A public memorial will be held, Witeck told Metro Weekly, noting that Nov. 15 is the 50th anniversary of the Mattachine Society of Washington and that, accordingly, plans were being considered to hold the memorial that day. He noted, though, that Kameny often said that he did not want a religious ceremony and that, as such, it would not be religious and would be held in a public place.

The Center joins the entire LGBT community in mourning the loss of this true legend in our movement.

The Center is saddened to learn that our community has lost a tireless leader in the LGBT movment for full equality. Paula Ettelbrick died of cancer today.

She most recently served as the Executive Director of the Stonewall Community Foundation, which released this statement:

Paula Ettelbrick, a pioneering LGBTQ rights crusader and immediate past Executive Director of the Stonewall Community Foundation, died this morning, Friday, October 7, 2011 surrounded by friends and family after a heroic battle with ovarian cancer. 

 

As a lifelong advocate for LGBTQ people across the globe, Paula will always be remembered for her leadership roles at Lambda Legal, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and the Stonewall Community Foundation.  

 

Paula, Stonewall’s first female Executive Director, launched Out In Front New York, a comprehensive training initiative for LGBTQ non-profit leaders and board members, and laid the groundwork for the Foundation’s newest giving circle, Stonewall Professional Alliance, a program which combines monthly giving with community service.  Paula championed expanding programming and reaffirming the role of the Stonewall Community Foundation as a thought leader for New York City’s LGBTQ community.  In the words of Matthew Ryan, Stonewall Community Foundation President of the Board of Directors, “Paula Ettlebrick has been a champion for our community for decades. Stonewall benefitted tremendously over the past year from her historic perspective and her unique talent in bringing people together. Both the Stonewall membership and the New York City LGBTQ organizations that Stonewall supports offer our deepest condolences to her family and friends.”      

 

Paula spent her life working to address the critical issues facing the LGBTQ community.  From 1986 through 1993, Paula was an early staff attorney and Legal Director at Lambda Legal.  Paula’s leadership in working to reform family policy law led to significant strides for LGBTQ families across the country and helped make Lambda Legal the nation’s leading LGBTQ legal advocacy group.  After Lambda Legal, Paula held positions at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Empire State Pride Agenda and the National Lesbian and Gay Task Force.  At the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Paula served as Executive Director from 2003 to 2009 and challenged human rights abuses and discrimination worldwide.  Paula taught courses on the law and sexuality at Barnard, Columbia Law School, the University of Michigan Law School, New York University School of Law and Wayne State University.   As a professor and widely cited author, Paula’s significant contribution to feminist and queer academia promises to continue inspiring students for generations to come. 

 

In late August, Paula announced she’d be stepping down from her post as Executive Director at Stonewall due to her ongoing battle with cancer.  In the words of Interim Executive Director, Richard Burns, “There are countless LGBTQ citizens around the world whose lives are better today because of Paula.  Paula was a passionate and powerful advocate for all LGBTQ New Yorkers and a true friend.  At Stonewall, we’re grateful for all she did for the foundation and we’ll miss her greatly.”    

 

A memorial service will be announced at a later date. 

 The Center sends its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Paula Ettelbrick.