Center Blog

Guest Post by: Wils Cain

The opening reception for Surveying the Immigrant Experience on April 27 provided all of those in attendance an opportunity to dig deeper into the diversity of the LGBT community, specifically art by immigrants that now call New York City home. The exhibition, running through September 1, showcases the art of 20 artists, which when shown as a group illustrates the wide range of backgrounds within the LGBT community. Diversity is the underlying theme of this show; in the regions the artists were born, their journeys to New York City, the medium of their work, and the messages they deliver.

The artists’ work is spread throughout the second floor of the Center with gilded world maps by Gilbert Baker, designer of the Rainbow Flag in 1978, leading the way from one region of an artist’s origin to another. Circumnavigating the globe this way it is easy to see the immense geographical range the show provides, with artists from Canada, China, Columbia, Cuba, Ecuador, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, India, Israel, The Netherlands, Philippines, Russia, South Korea, United States and Venezuela.

The show’s diversity is interwoven into the subject matter, the race and ethnicity of those depicted, style of dress, as well as  the mediums used themselves, including video, photography, oil and acrylic paintings, digital prints, answering machine recordings, found objects, spoken word and rap.

A highlight of the evening was the presence of so many artists standing by their work mingling with the crowd and talking about their work and experiences.

This show is important for the LGBT Center as it shows how much we have to learn from each other’s experiences.  It is important for us to seek out and learn more from one another and to share our own, and others, stories so we learn from them as well. Surveying the Immigrant Experience allows us to look closer at a segment of our community – immigrant artists, telling us their stories, all of whom just happen to be part of the LGBT community.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center has devoted the entire month of April to the issue of immigration and how it affects LGBTQ People. Our Cultural Programs department has hosted nearly a dozen events, ranging from “Strategies for Winning Asylum by Overcoming Stereotypes in Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity,” to “Immigration’s Impact on the Political Agenda.” And during Immigrant Heritage Week we hosted our “Third Annual LGBTQ Immigration Fair,” an event to connect LGBTQ immigrants to service providers that can address their unique needs. The Center’s Services for LGBT Immigrants’ Social Action Group worked tirelessly to organize the fair and their efforts paid off, as over 400 people attended the gathering.

These events give a glimpse into the vital work our Center does each and every day throughout the year to help LGBTQ immigrant populations find support in all aspects of their lives and we were honored to be presented with an official Proclamation from the New York City Council,  praising our Services for LGBT Immigrants Program.  The proclamation, signed by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, read in part:

“WHERAS: LGBT immigrants sometime flee their native country when merely being gay may be illegal, punishable by prison, and, in some cases, punishable by death. On this occasion, it is a great privilege to pay tribute to Immigration Services Program at the Center in New York City for its extraordinary support of LGBT immigrants facing these injustices and many other important concerns; and

“WHERAS: LGBT immigrants endure legal discrimination in many ways and need support for residency, mental health, HIV, family and other concerns. They also face numerous unique challenges, including their status as nearly invisible, highly stigmatized and marginalized individuals who often reside in generally underserved communities. Often, their undocumented immigration status interferes with access to their basic needs for shelter, health, employment, legal matters. These challenges are frequently compounded by social isolation from other LGBT immigrants, country of origin, asylum or residency, language issues, and more; and

“WHERAS: LGBT immigrants who visit the Center often seek help with dealing with the increased barriers to employment along with increased stigmatization and violence. They share how increasingly difficult it is to access and information that can assist them towards obtaining legal documentation. At the same time, they reveal the negative impact immigration barriers have on bi-national couples and their families. Due to the current inability for an American Citizen to sponsor their foreign born partners, LGBT individuals endure a devastating impact on finances, health and mobility of their families. Many nationals are forces to relocate abroad in order to keep their families together; and

“WHERAS: The Center has always been a tremendous resource for LGBT immigrants.  Services for asylum cases include: information and referrals, assessments and short-term counseling, letters of support in asylum cases when warranted, support groups and a social action group; and

“WHEREAS: The Center worked in coalition with other organizations as part of a movement wide effort to end the HIV immigration and travel ban. After two decades of discrimination and stigma, this went into effect on January 4^th, 2010. The Center also worked in coalition on the Uniting American Families Act, as well as on state identification issues which impact immigrant, transgender, young and homeless people; now therefore

“BE IT KNOWN: “That the Council of the City of New York gratefully honors the LGBT Center’s Immigration Services Program.”

As immigrant populations in this city reach and begin to exceed 40% of the population, the Center will continue supporting LGBTQ immigrants so they can bring all of themselves to this city and achieve all of their dreams. Congratulations to our Services for LGBT Immigrants Program and its extremely devoted Social Action Group!

If you are interested in the Center’s Services for LGBT Immigrants, you can learn more about the program by visiting this page on our website.

Glennda Testone

HIV and AIDS remains pandemic, killing 1.9 million people in 2009 worldwide, nearly 30-years after AIDS was first recognized. 2.6 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2009 and  40 percent were young people aged 15- 24.  In New York City young gay and bisexual MSM and transgender people of color in particular are at extremely high risk.

The Center is helping to get the word out about a very important event later this week. The United Nations is seeking young leaders to lend their voices to a one day conference on HIV and AIDS this Friday, April 8 at the UN. The 2011 Civil Society Hearing on AIDS is a series of interactive discussion panels convened by the President of the General Assembly, with leaders in the AIDS response from around the world. With people, communities and countries at a critical crossroad, the AIDS epidemic and the people whose lives it touches must help shape the future of the AIDS response. With 40 percent of new infections globally, young people are at the center of the AIDS epidemic and must therefore be at the center of the AIDS response.  In the lead up to the June 2011 UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS, this historic event will help ensure the voices of those most affected can influence the negotiation process for a new declaration, which will shape the AIDS response in years to come. Join the dialogue to create a new generation of diversity, shared action and community participation.

Events like the 2011 Civil Society Hearing on AIDS, programs like the Center’s Youth Enrichment Services (YES) and Center CARE and fundraising activities like Braking the Cycle and AIDS Walk New York, which benefit the Center’s HIV and AIDS services, help keep the spotlight on a disease that impacts so many members of our communities.

Here’s detailed information for those interested in participating in the United Nations Event:

LOCATION: United Nations HQ, General Assembly Hall (1st Avenue at 45th Street)

TIME: Friday 8 April, 10am – 5pm

RSVP REQUIRED: (By 5pm, Thursday April 7) to bienenstockr@unaids.org, including your full name and e-mail.

REGISTRATION: Use the entrance at 1st avenue opposite 45th street. You will need to pass through security, so do not bring large bags. Tickets can be picked up at the registration desk in the visitor’s foyer, adjacent to the information booth. Please arrive at 8.30AM to ensure there is time to pass through U.N Security and collect your ticket.

In In the last four months two people were hurt and two were killed in a rash of vicious anti-gay attacks in New York City.  The most recent attack happened this past Sunday morning, March 27, here in the West Village. Damian Furtch was brutally attacked by two men outside of a McDonalds who yelled anti-gay slurs.  Furtch sustained facial injuries and required stitches.  Just a few weeks ago the Center spoke out about another horrific hate crime incident in Queens, which claimed the life of Anthony Collao. The Center joined Anti-Violence Project (AVP) and a host of other local organizations in co-sponsoring a vigil for Collao on March 24.   As reported by the AVP:

On March 12, five men entered a party in Woodhaven, Queens, shouting anti-gay slurs and brutally attacked 18-year old Anthony Collao when he tried to flee. Collao died from the injuries he sustained. Collao did not identify as gay; however, this did not stop his alleged assailants from making an assumption about his identity and targeting him for violence.

Two others were attacked in February incidents in Brooklyn and Staten Island.  According to AVP on February 22, Barie Shortell, a 29-year old gay man, was viciously beaten in Williamsburg, Brooklyn by a group shouting anti-gay slurs. On February 26, Staten Island resident Ronald Jones beat and choked his friend, Robert Jenkins, to death. Jones has told police that he was driven into a murderous rage by Jenkins’ unwanted sexual advances.  AVP released this statement about the incidents:

“Recent attacks in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and now the West Village shows us that violence affects all of us,” said Sharon Stapel, Executive Director of the New York City Anti-Violence Project. “This is a wake-up call for every New Yorker: we must work to end violence this culture of violence—and not just violence against LGBTQ people—but all violence. We can end violence through the conversations we have, the relationships we build, and the connections we make. Together we can make our city safer for all people.”

The Center joins AVP’s Executive Director Sharon Stapel in denouncing all of these attacks, and continues to call on our community to condemn violent acts rooted in homophobia.  We send our heartfelt sympathies to all of the victims and to the families of Anthony Collao and Robert Jenkins. We also remind the community that the Center is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year as a safe and welcoming space for LGBT people to be who they are.   Visit our website to find out more about our lifesaving programs and services.

Last week staff members from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center participated in New York State’s Latino AIDS Advocacy Day in Albany. George Fesser, LMSW, coordinator of the Center’s LGBT Immigrant Services, along with other activists from across the state urged the Governor, members of the Assembly, state senators, and officials from the New York State Department of Health to increase their commitment to maintaining a healthy New York, specifically focusing on Latinos impacted by HIV/AIDS and other health conditions. 

According to 2008 data, there are 126,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in New York, and Latinos make up 31percent of this population despite making up only 16.3 percent of all New Yorkers. In our current political and economic environment, it is important to enhance the state’s comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, and our staff reminded members of the new Cuomo Administration of the necessity to respond to the public health crisis fueled by HIV/AIDS and other health challenges. 

In addition to participating in Latino Advocacy Day, the Center’s George Fesser and his colleague Cristina Herrera, a Gender Identity Project Counselor, also delivered workshops at the Latino Commission on AIDS Reunion Latina 2011 Training Institute.  This year’s theme:  “Addressing HIV/AIDS in the Context of Health Care Reform.” Herrera’s workshop focused on working with adolescents, TransLatina health and sexuality and building unity within our diversity.  Fesser presented information on HIV prevention and treatment; healthcare and public policy; and migrant/immigrant health issues.

The Center is committed to sharing our expertise on vital topics that directly affect our diverse constituency and building a wider community of support at conferences and gatherings like those held in Albany last week. We can make significant change in our world through sustained education and advocacy efforts.

This morning  the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center was thrilled to hear that New York City has implemented measures to ensure that transgender people have equal access to marriage licenses.  As part of that effort the Office of the City Clerk is instituting training for all City Clerk staff to ensure they are culturally competent on issues relating to gender identity and expression; the office reached out to the Center for our guidance and expertise in this area in early February. Today  the Center’s Director of Community Services, Carrie Davis, a social worker and expert on gender identity issues, conducted the first of several trainings for City Clerk employees happening throughout the Month of March.

The changes were enacted after a transgender couple was refused a marriage license  in 2009 and sought the help of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.  As NBC reported:

The transgender woman, who had been born as a male, and her opposite sex partner, who was born female, were denied a license to marry at the Bronx office of the City Clerk in December 2009. When the pair supplied identification, a worker in the clerk’s office asked for birth certificates in addition to the ID.

New Yorkers seeking marriage licenses are not required to show birth certificates if they produce government-issued photo ID.

After the couple threatened legal action and sought help from City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, City Clerk Michael McSweeney told employees this week that all marriage license applicants must be treated with dignity, and that transgendered applicants only need to produce the same ID as anyone else.

Quinn said Tuesday that the decision “ensures that all New Yorkers will be treated equally, and with the dignity and respect they deserve from a government agency.”

“Transgender people are challenged all the time about their status as men and women,” said Michael Silverman, executive director of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund. “We applaud the City Clerk’s office for adopting this policy and for taking steps to ensure that this does not happen again.”

You can learn more about the work that led to this change here. 

The Center’s Training Institute offers specialized training sessions for professionals who work with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the New York City area. Achieving culturally competent training to work with the LGBT community is essential to conducting business in a city as diverse as New York. Our series of trainings has been carefully developed to offer important information, resources, and creative skills to help enhance the lives of LGBT clients. You can  learn more by watching this video from our Gender Identity Project.  ”Transgender Basics” is  a 20 minute educational film on concepts of gender and transgender people and we are showing the film to the City Clerk staff as part of our training with them.

The Center applauds the efforts of Speaker Christine Quinn and TLDEF and commends the city for taking this step to ensure that transgender New Yorkers applying for marriage licenses will be treated equally from now on, and look forward to continuing our training sessions.

Is it so incredible that one could be involuntarily outed and functionally excommunicated “In This Day And Age?!” Sad to say, it is not. The selfsame title of the book by Isaac Namdar, M.D. chronicles his own personal experience of this tragedy which ultimately and paradoxically created a positive movement of communication within his strict Orthodox community. After being outed against his will and publicly censured by his rabbi and expunged from the membership roster of his synagogue, Dr. Namdar opened up an internet message board for all who wished to comment to do so publicly. This medium provided a podium which ultimately touched many chords that resonated within his close knit and very orthodox community. And he compiled all of the resultant dialogue into an eminently readable book which poignantly traces one man’s movement through the conflicts of loyalty to close knit ethnic identity, spiritual identity and sexual identity. It also tells a story of an ethnic minority struggling to come to terms with itself, its culture and its religion in a pluralistic society.

Isaac Namdar and Andrew Mitchell were married in a civil ceremony on July 1, 2009 and celebrated their loving union with a party for family and friends that October. A wedding website was subsequently created to share the happy stories and photos of the wedding and honeymoon for their intimates to enjoy. Little did either suspect the furor soon to be aroused in Isaac’s Orthodox community when this website was ‘crashed’ and the contents of the website made public in January of that year. A man who sought only privacy and peace had been outed by a stranger, against his will, and his world and his family’s world was certainly never the same.

The book “In This Day And Age?!” is a compendium of the discourse among members of Dr. Namdar’s tightly interwoven religious/ethnic community, as they grappled with the issues of spirituality, identity, Jewish law and customs and the morality attached to the denial or acceptance of the individual’s right to pursue his/her own path versus the needs of a community desperately seeking cohesion. The issues brought up by the many respondents on the message board Dr Namdar maintained as a forum are diverse, fascinating and show a genuine striving to come to terms with homosexuality as organic to their population and not some phenomena infiltrating from the outside.
Throughout it all, Dr. Namdar behaves with ultimate equanimity, reasonableness and an honorable willingness to engage in dialogue without compromising himself or his commitments. As he states, his goal in establishing a discussion board was to educate as many people as possible about equity and tolerance and, by the overall tenor of his account, he succeeded (of course, bigots on the fringes will exist within any religious or social group).

Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, spiritual leader of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah for nearly two decades, was the introductory speaker of the evening and moderator of the lively, open discussion that followed Dr. Namdar’s forthright presentation of his work. Renowned for her humanitarian outlook and unwillingness to back down in the face of controversy, Rabbi Kleinbaum’s presence gave evidence of New York’s Gay and Jewish work for dignity, equality and human rights for all.
CBST, not incidentally, is the largest LGBT synagogue in the world, and zealously pursues social action on all gay-related issues, including youth homelessness, health, aging and marriage equality as well as sponsoring an active transgender coalition. The synagogue’s “Strength Through Community” features guest videos by noteworthy members of the gay Jewish world who speak out against hate and bullying as well as directly addressing the epidemic of gay teen suicides.

Dr. Namdar’s book is available at amazon.com and makes for a lively and provocative read.

Written by Spencer Shear

Breaking news this afternoon!  President Obama has directed the Justice Department to stop defending the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) against lawsuits that challenge it as unconstitutional. Enacted in 1996, DOMA denies married same-sex couples federal benefits extended to other married couples, including Social Security survivor payments and the right to file joint tax returns.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. released a statement that read in part:

After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny.  The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional.  Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases.  I fully concur with the President’s determination.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center applauds today’s decision.  This moves our community one step closer to a day when loving committed same-sex couples are fully protected under the law. This month and next the Center is at the forefront of hosting marriage equality discussions, as we feature and continue to welcome a myriad of voices on the topic.  You can read more about our events here.
Today’s marriage equality news is a victory for our community and the Center is committed to furthering discussion and advocacy around this issue as we all continue to work towards full equality.

Glennda Testone

The New York Times editorial page voiced strong support for marriage equality this week, calling for an end to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which “denies married same-sex couples the federal benefits granted to other married couples, including Social Security survivor payments and the right to file joint tax returns.”

The marriage issue continues grabbing headlines across the country as more states move towards equality and others face threats from anti-gay forces trying to take marriage away from our community. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center is at the forefront of those discussions, as we welcome a host of voices on the topic this spring.  Four upcoming events scheduled here are literally putting the topic front and “Center.” 

On February 18, as part of our “Women’s Film Series” we are hosting a screening of “Till Death Do Us Part,” the first-ever comprehensive film exploring marriage for same-sex couples. On February 22 the “Center’s Speaker’s Series” features Dr. Isaac Namdar, who was excommunicated from his synagogue after the congregation learned that he married his partner. Dr. Namdar will discuss his new book about the ordeal, “In This Day And Age.” On February 28 we tackle the issue of immigration inequality, exploring the heart wrenching challenges faced by bi-national couples who must choose between the person they love and the country they love because of a lack of federal marriage protections. And on March 10 we bring together a panel of leading experts to examine the fundamental issues surrounding marriage, including Brian Ellner, Senior Strategist for the Human Rights Campaign; Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of Freedom to Marry; and Ross Levi, Executive Director of the Empire State Pride Agenda.

Marriage inequality creates great hardships for loving and committed same-sex couples who just want the same opportunity to take care of and be responsible for one another. There are numerous ongoing court challenges to the discriminatory (DOMA) and this week’s The New York Times editorial challenged the federal government to stop defending it. “By now, such blatant discrimination should be presumed to be unconstitutional, and the Justice Department should finally say so,” wrote The Times. The Center is excited to give marriage equality a substantial platform this month and next and we welcome you to our space to learn more, find out how you can advocate on this issue and explore the best options for protecting your partner and your family.

Glennda Testone

The New York City Department of Education has designated February 14 -18 as “Respect For All Week” in all NYC public schools. As part of that effort the Youth Enrichment Services (YES) program of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center is offering special programming to engage high school students on the importance of respecting each other and raising awareness about bullying and harassment.  The (YES) Program will lead tours of the Center and highlight its role in the LGBT movement. Students will learn about the resources we provide, including leadership programming and opportunities for youth to create safer school environments.

We also invite teachers to bring their students to our monthly Safe School Network Meetings. These meetings, facilitated by our Safe Schools interns, bring together high school students from across the city to exchange ideas about school safety and learn to start Gay and Straight Alliances. The next Safe School Meeting Dates are March 11 and April 1 from 5:30 PM-7:30 PM at the Center.

Tonight, February 17, the Center is also dedicating our newest permanent art installation. Titled “First Impressions,” this mural was conceived and created by (YES) participants under the theme of equality and diversity and in partnership with the Groundswell Community Mural Project and Farrow & Ball Paint. The mural is located in our Family Services Room.  

If you are interested in learning more about our youth leadership programming and the Safe Schools Internship, please contact The Center’s Youth Enrichment Services program at 212-620-7310.