You don’t usually think of a party and cancer in the same sentence. But the American Cancer Diversity Initiative is fighting the prevalence of cancer, as well  as the reluctance toward early screening for cancer, in the LGBT community in a variety of ways. One way is with the upcoming February 13^th Encore for Hope Bash.  “Our view is to raise money for the ACS diversity initiative – and all the important work we are doing — and have a great time while we’re doing it,” says Erica Blum, Manager, Distinguished events. 

The American Cancer Society is full of ideas for helping the LGBT community. Myrna Duarte and Erica Blum, both tireless advocates of the American Cancer Society (ACS) Diversity Initiative, are working hard to minimize the spread of cancer in the LGBT community.  These initiatives will be celebrated (and supported) at this pre-Valentine’s day party at Club 57, Providence NYC, 311 West 57^th Street, 6:30-10:30 PM.

The Encore for Hope Event will be fun filled with cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres flowing, while supporters take in stellar performances donated in support of the American Cancer Society’s efforts within the LGBT Community. Comedienne Judy Gold will be the emcee and Joey Aries, singer, comedian, performance artist and drag queen will be a starring act. Other notable celebrities and entertainers are The New York City  Gay Men’s Chorus, The Ben Allison Band, Sherry Vine, 2 To Fly Aerial, Manila Luzon, Sahara Davenport and celebrity DJ Choimatic.         

Lung cancer turns out to be one of the high risk cancers for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. “The smoking statistics for the LGBT population are staggering,” explains Myna Duarte, Director of Diversity Initiatives for ACS. LGBT youth have tobacco use rates as high as 59% vs 35% of non LGBT teens. “It is critical that we get to the teens before they become lifelong smokers,” says Duarte.

The American Cancer Society has launched QuitBuddy-a texting tool to help smokers kick the habit. Smokers who feel the need to light up simply send a text to their QuitBuddy and receive a text back with a tip to help them fight the urge to smoke. “Our hope is that together with our partners, we can get this tool out to the community and help lower those statistics. We need to communicate the same way the teens do. By text.” You can sign up here. 

Another challenge for the ACS diversity team is stressing the importance of early detection and screening to the LGBT community. Duarte explains, “ Lesbian and bisexual women often do not have health insurance that covers unmarried partners. Another issue is that gay and bisexual women fear discrimination and insensitivity by healthcare providers.”  With lower screening rates, cancer is often detected at later stages when it is much more difficult to treat. A common misconception by gay women and often their physicians, is the that Human Papillomavirus, HPV, which is one of the causes of cervical cancer, is not a necessary screening test for gay women.  HPV can be spread from woman to woman just as with heterosexual contact.

Many gay  and bisexual men have the same fear of discrimination as lesbians and bisexual women, and therefore they also tend not to seek consistent screening.

Transgender people have the highest incidence of lack of insurance, and therefore screening. The New York City department of health reported in a study done in 1999 that 21% of transgender people had no health insurance of any kind. To make things worse for this population, health insurance does not cover appropriate cancer screening. Transgender people have a high rate of an array of cancers — from Lung to liver cancer. The risk becomes even higher if HIV is in the mix.

American Cancer Society’s mission aims to ensure that nobody is left behind. They offer everything from survivors helping other survivors, treatment transportation funding, wig programs and more. All of these offerings are available to the LGBT community and you can learn more about it at the event, while having a great time. Don’t miss this important way to support the community and give greater meaning to the word “love” this Valentine’s Day.

VC August is the Author of The Healing Hour, a book “about love, hope and healing the heart, soul, and spirit when faced with life-changing struggles,” including Cancer.

This blog is crosss posted with permission from It’s Conceivable

Guest Post By Diana Adams, Esq, Attorney and Mediator

Adams is a trusted Center partner and supporter of our Center Families Program.

Many families today seek artificial insemination from a sperm donor, including lesbian couples, single women, and heterosexual couples in which the male does not have viable sperm. Despite the availability of sperm banks, many women prefer to collaborate with a male friend. In this situation of ‘informal sperm donation’, a Sperm Donor Agreement is essential.

A Sperm Donor Agreement is a contract between the sperm donor and the person seeking to use that donor’s sperm for insemination purposes, without using a sperm bank as intermediary. The primary purpose of this document is to clearly identify that although the sperm donor is the biological father, he intends to sever all legal rights and responsibilities of fatherhood, including visitation access, all decisions about the child’s health, religion, schooling, or anything else, responsibilities for child support, and any other care or support of the child.

Swept up in the excitement of planning parenthood, potential parents and a potential donor may not speak in detail about their expectations of the donor’s role. As with a romance, people often rush past important stages of trust-building and negotiation. The discussion and reflection involved in crafting a well-meditated agreement will help prevent future misunderstandings and disappointments.

For instance, everyone must be in agreement about the role of the sperm donor in the child’s life, if any. A lesbian couple may choose a sperm donor who is a relative of the woman not intended to give birth, so that the child will be related by blood to both women. In other instances, a trusted friend may be invited to be a donor. In either case, it is likely that the donor and the child will come into contact, and it is in the best interest of the child that the donor and potential mother (or couple) come to agreement about the expected level of contact, if any. In some families, the donor may be treated like a special uncle, always present at birthday parties and family gatherings. The child may know from a young age that this man is his donor, and that they have a special connection. Other families choose for the child and donor to have little or no contact. There is not one right way to handle this issue, conflicting expectations lead to conflict.

What issues should be discussed between a potential sperm donor and birth parent?

I recommend that a potential sperm donor and potential birth mother or couple sit down and discuss the following:

• Do both sides agree that the sperm donor will never have financial responsibility of any kind?
• Do both sides agree that the sperm donor will relinquish all legal parenting rights, including decision-making about the welfare of the child, or formal visitation rights?
• Will the donor have a relationship with the child? If so, how often will the donor visit the child? (Occasionally is not specific enough. Once a week? Several times per year?)
• What will the child call the donor?
• When will the child be told that this person is his or her donor?

Since in some states, a Sperm Donor Agreement has tenuous or no legal standing, it is essential that both sides feel significant mutual trust.

Whether to prevent litigation or interpersonal strife, it is crucial to find a donor you are sure will not change his mind in the future, even if he ends up not having other children or if he disagrees with your parenting choices.

Similarly, a donor should be confident that the birth mother is emotionally stable and capable of parenting without financial or other assistance. If the potential donor is merely a friend of a friend you have only met a few times, it may be better to just use a sperm bank.

The process of insemination: Is a turkey baster enough?

A Sperm Donor Agreement will be most legally viable if a licensed physician is used in the insemination process. This may involve a several month waiting period in which the semen is ‘washed’ and tested by the medical facility, and then several months of insemination attempts during ovulation. Families often balk at the time and expense of this process, but if you have concerns about the legal status of the agreement, this effort may be very worthwhile. I recommend using a physician in New York State, or consulting with an LGBT family law attorney in your state for advice tailored to your situation.

Will a Sperm Donor Agreement be enforced in court?

This field of law is shifting with the increased acceptance of artificial insemination and alternate routes to parenting.

As of January 2012, Sperm Donor Agreements precluding the parental rights of sperm donors have been enforced in California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington, DC, particularly if done via a licensed physician and where there is no involvement in the child’s life by the donor. Keep in mind that these challenges were raised because one party to the agreement later tried to contradict the agreement in court, either with a sperm donor seeking visitation rights or a mother seeking child support (or the state seeking it for her if she is on public assistance). These challenges are very rare, but still cause anxiety and present a slight risk to those entering into Sperm Donor Agreements.

In New York courts, donor agreements have been enforced between a donor and married couple, in which case the couples is assumed to be the legal parents, including in same-sex marriages; in New York, donor agreements are also enforced when the partner of the woman being inseminated adopts the child in a second-parent adoption. In this case the legal rights of the donor are severed. I strongly recommend second-parent adoption for same-sex female couples; their marriage may not be accepted in other states as evidence of parental relationship to the child, but a second-parent adoption is strongly legally enforceable nationwide.

It is worthwhile to create a Sperm Donor Agreement even its enforceability is legally uncertain. The process of negotiating the agreement and memorializing shared intentions in writing agreement will make it very unlikely that the parties will later disagree and bring the matter before a court. In the unlikely event that you do go to court, even if the agreement is not binding in your state, the court may look to it for guidance in what you intended and often uses it as a factor in making its decision. Furthermore, we need strong Sperm Donor Agreements challenged in courts so that they may be ruled legally binding. If a strong agreement is presented in a New York court, we will have the chance to change New York state law to make Sperm Donor Agreements enforceable and help future parents protect their rights.

Diana Adams is an attorney mediator who assists families to create stable family agreements, including Sperm Donor Agreements, second-parent adoptions, marital contracts. Her practice is based in New York and often serves the LGBT community. www.dianaadamslaw.net

Lesbian Cancer Initiative (LCI) Coordinator Cristina Moldow, Gender Identity Project Community Prevention Coordinator Cristina Herrera, and LCI Intern Kaz Mitchell

At a recent joint City Council hearing held by the Committee on Civil Rights and Committee on Health, two Center staff members and an intern testified in favor of strong LGBT cultural competency training in New York City’s public hospitals. Gender Identity Project Community Prevention Coordinator Cristina Herrera, Lesbian Cancer Initiative (LCI) Coordinator Cristina Moldow, and LCI Intern Kaz Mitchell all urged the City Council to support and bolster efforts by New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) to require trainings that ensure all LGBT people are treated with the utmost respect in city hospitals, and develop robust standards to evaluate the progress of such endeavors.

As Herrera, Moldow and Mitchell all noted:

“LGBT people underutilize care largely due to fear of, and past experiences of discrimination and mistreatment.  A long-standing community history of violence and abuse has left many community members mistrusting, especially where physical contact is concerned. Oftentimes it’s difficult for people to find a medical provider who has experience working with LGBT patients, let alone a comfort level.”

Our Center advocates stressed the vital need for respectful, patient-centered and culturally competent healthcare services for the thousands of LGBT patients served by public hospitals and community health centers every year; they also offered the Center’s continued expertise and resources to help make this a reality.  The Center is pleased to help the city in its efforts to make New York City public hospitals safe, welcoming settings for all LGBT people.

 

This week our Director of Center Wellness Andres Hoyos, joined two Center clients in testifying before New York City Council’s Committee on Immigration. The legislative body was specifically looking into how NYC immigrants are treated in detention centers and considering two resolutions. 

One resolution “urges the United States Department of Homeland Security to investigate abuse allegations and take action to ensure the safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender immigrants in the custody of the United States Department of Homeland Security.” The other “calls upon the 112^th United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, the Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act (H.R. 933), to reform immigration detention procedures and help ensure more just detention policies and procedures.”

Hoyos pointed out the often brutal conditions facing LGBT immigrants in custody:

The LGBT immigrants that seek services at the Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender Community Center tell us stories of the abuse they have suffered at detention centers. Their complaints span from verbal abuse, to excessive force, to sexual assault by fellow detainees and prison officers. Denial of adequate medical care is also widespread and includes medical treatment for detainees living with HIV, and hormone therapy for transgender immigrant detainees. The lack of enforceable regulations providing required care to LGBT immigrant detainees is obvious. Both, the federal and the local administrations have failed to adequately address LGBT immigration detention conditions.

Two clients we have served at the Center also testified about the poor treatment they encountered in detention centers.

Cecilia Gentili is a transgender immigrant from Argentina who faced both physical and verbal abuse in correctional facilities before she was ultimately granted asylum after being in this country for 10 years.

In January 2001 I came to the US from Argentina escaping from oppression, discrimination and stigma against transgender people. At that time I had already developed an unhealthy mechanism to cope with all the abuse experienced in my country of origin: drugs.

The uncertainties about my legal situation in this country, the very low self-esteem, and the inability to deal with my past didn’t help and my problem escalated.

I was arrested for drug possession four times and each arrest  was a very painful experience. Police officers made fun of me and I was verbally abused in the precincts. One time, before facing the judge, I was forced to have sex with an officer. When I tried to report it to my lawyer, she totally overlooked it and talked me into “taking care of getting me released,” instead.

After my last arrest I was sent to Rikers Island, where things did not go any better. A transgender woman already in the process of transition, I was placed with men and experienced physical and verbal abuse by other inmates that was absolutely ignored by the guards. It seemed more like an amusement for them.  I also received no treatment for heroine withdrawals for several days.

During those days my legal situation came up and I was sent to the Immigration Detention Center on Varick Street in Manhattan. I was put in isolation. My emotions and mental state where severely compromised.

Luckily Ms. Gentili has been able to overcome the immense obstacles she faced, but many LGBT immigrants are not as fortunate.  She urged the the City Council committee not to forget her harrowing story.

Another Center client, David Williams relayed the poor conditions he encountered at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility (BFDF), in Batavia, New York

There was inadequate rationing of clothing and hygiene supplies; poor quality food; constant toilet privacy violations; ‘double bunking’ with newly sentenced or pending sentencing federal prisoners (who usually started violent fights); freezing cold water in the showers; no proper medical treatment or availability; and cell blocks that contained segregated prisoners who required round the clock transport back and forth to their cells.

During his testimony Andres Hoyos gave the committee his recommendations for fixing the current system:

1.    Provide funding for awareness campaigns that inform LGBT immigrants about their rights and connect them to services as soon as they arrive in the United States.

2.    Ensure that voices of LGBT immigrants are heard within the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA). Encourage the creation of a LGBT immigrant committee within the MOIA whose job will be to ensure that all literature created by the MOIA is inclusive of LGBT immigrants.

3.    Assist the Center in expanding funding opportunities that will address the need for continued emotional support services and advocacy for LGBT immigrants at the Center.

4.    Enact and enforce protocols that take in consideration and safeguard the emotional and physical well being of the LGBT immigrants.

5.    Establish collaborations with community based organizations and other agencies to expand the pool of options beyond detention centers. These options should ensure that immigrants stay within the geographical area where he/she is based and not removed out of state as is currently the case in many instances.

6.    Establish collaborations with community based organizations and other agencies to increase education among the immigrant community about their rights,  and alternatives to detention, how to file complains and who can advocate on their behalf regarding any irregularity that may happen in while under the care of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

7.    Establish clear protocols as to how the immigrants that are under the care of DHS will have access to HIV medications, anti-depressants, hormone treatment and other mental or physical needs.

8.    Solitary confinement should never be the first option for LGBT immigrants but an alternative to detention, since this causes severe negative emotional impacts.

The Center is thankful that the City Council had this vital conversation and looks forward to collaborating to develop new programs that address the needs of the LGBT immigrant community.

Andres Hoyos (middle) receiving NASW-NYC Emerging Leaders Award

On December 1, Director of Center Wellness Andrés Hoyos, received an Emerging Leaders Award from the New York City Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW-NYC). Hundreds gathered at Jing Fong Restaurant in Manhattan to pay tribute not only to Hoyos, but a host of other influential social workers. Hoyos was joined by his Center colleagues Nicole Avallone, Director of Youth Services, and George Fesser, Director of Center Families.

Through its leadership awards, NASW-NYC recognizes social workers who demonstrate exemplary leadership qualities and a unique commitment to the improvement of social and human conditions, assuring a promising future for the profession and the communities they serve.

Andrés Hoyos is a gay Latino man, originally from Colombia, who has been working in the field of social services since he was a teenager. Hoyos began his career in his native Medellín, where he worked with an NGO to establish the first ever national HIV/AIDS hotline in Colombia.

Center Staff: Nicole Avallone, Dir. of Youth Services (left), Andres Hoyos, Director of Center Wellness (middle), George Fesser, Director of Center Families (right)

Since relocating to New York City in 2000, he has worked on a volunteer basis with several agencies and committees to improve the quality of life for our communities—such as GMHC, the NYC HIV/AIDS Prevention Planning Group, Queens Pride House, the Manhattan Alcohol and Substance Abuse Council, and the Cultural Diversity Committee of Association of Substance Abuse Provider NYS.

Hoyos has been working at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in NYC since 2003. In 2007, he founded and became director of Center Recovery, the first and only state licensed substance abuse prevention program serving the LGBT community in New York.

Hoyos currently serves as the Director of Center Wellness. Under his leadership, the program has provided vital support social services to tens of thousands of LGBT people.

Andres Hoyos, Director of Center Wellness, at NASW-NYC Awards

In 2009, Hoyos was selected along with 19 other people of color as new leaders of the LGBT movement nationwide, to be part of the inaugural “21st Century Fellows Program,” sponsored by Arcus Foundation, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, and the Gill Foundation.

Andres Hoyos, Director of Center Wellness (left) and Nicole Avallone, Director of Youth Services (right)

Hoyos’ commitment to social justice has been infused throughout his work at the Center, his private practice, and most recently, as an Adjunct Professor and Faculty Advisor at NYU’s School of Social Work. The Center congratulates him on this well-deserved honor!

The Center is posting this information at the request of our sister organization, the NYC Anti-Violence Project.

Real Talk with AVP: Identifying Intimate Partner Violence

Tuesday December 13th

6:30 – 8:30pm

NYC Anti-Violence Project

240 W. 35^th St., 2^nd Floor, Between 7^th and 8^th Ave.

Want to learn more about what defines an abusive relationship? 

Ever felt powerless when your friends were in unhealthy relationships?

Do you want to end Intimate Partner Violence within Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ)  communities?

Come ready to learn, share, and take action to end Intimate Partner Violence in LGBTQ Communities.  “Real Talks” are chances for AVP community members to join together to learn issues and to create strategies to reduce violence.

Light refreshments will be served.  To register, please visit this link. 

Today is World AIDS Day, a time for the global community to remember those we’ve lost, contemplate ways to better help people living with HIV, and promote solutions to prevent the spread of this disease. This year marks 30 years since the first AIDS case was reported in the U.S.

Since our founding in 1983, the Center has been fully committed to providing HIV and AIDS services to our community, which has been profoundly affected by the AIDS epidemic. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers with HIV or AIDS have benefited from our help. Each year The Center provides more than 1,800 counseling and group sessions to people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. More than 1,000 LGBT youth and young adults attend HIV prevention activities and leadership training.  Thousands more attend educational forums and conferences.

But our work to end the epidemic is far from over. According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, “New York City remains the epicenter of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. More than 107,000 New Yorkers are living with HIV, but thousands more don’t know they’re infected. New York City’s AIDS case rate is almost 3 times the U.S. average, and HIV is the 3rd leading cause of death for New York City residents aged 35 to 54.”

African Americans, gay and bisexual men, transgender people and youth 13-29 continue to experience high and increasing rates of HIV infection in New York City. New York is not alone, since the first AIDS cases were reported, the global AIDS epidemic has become one of the greatest threats to human health and development.

The Center’s for Disease Control released new figures this year showing that ‘despite years of great progress in treating AIDS, the number of new HIV infections has remained stubbornly around 50,000 a year in the United States for a decade.

Today as we reflect on 30 years of HIV/AIDS, we remain optimistic in the knowledge that with continued activism, support, education, prevention programs and community building we can ultimately end this epidemic.

As part of World AIDS Day formerViva Glam Ambassador and M·A·C AIDS Fund spokesperson, Cyndi Lauper will join M.A.C Cosmetics at the Center. Lauper and M·A·C will assemble gift bags, with items donated from the New York Liberty, Contesta Rock Hair and MTV Networks,  for the LGBT Center youth and speak to press on the importance of this day. Lauper is well known for her exceptional voice and endless dedication to raising awareness for HIV/AIDS prevention and care. She recently attended the Center’s Women’s Event 14, introducing her friend and our honoree, out comedienne and activist Wanda Sykes.

The Center will also commemorate World AIDS Day by presenting documentarians Kate Kunath and Sasha Wortzel in conversation with Dennis Parrott and Linda King, owners of the legendary Starlite Lounge.

In 1959, a decade prior to Manhattan’s Stonewall riots, the Starlite Lounge opened in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, as a non-discriminatory establishment for gay people of color. A half-century later, the neighborhood and the gay community were shocked when the oldest, Black-owned, LGBT establishment was given notice to vacate and was ultimately forced to close in 2010.

In honor of World AIDS Day, The Center will focus on how the Starlite became a refuge and organizing point in response to the AIDS epidemic. The filmmakers will share key excerpts of their documentary-in-progress, Starlite, and talk with former resident performer Lady Jasmine and long-time patrons about what the Starlite meant to the community, especially in the early days of the epidemic.

Also featured at the event will be the organizers of the AIDS Memorial Park and learning center currently being proposed for the triangle site opposite the former St. Vincent’s Hospital. The proposed location sits in the middle of the neighborhood, the site of significant AIDS epidemic organizing: from the first AIDS ward at St. Vincent’s Hospital to the founding of ACT UP and other advocacy organizations at the Center.

We invite our community to be a part of our World AIDS Day events, help us pay tribute to all those we have lost and work strategically with us throughout the next decade in our continued efforts to end AIDS.

George Fesser, LMSW, Director of Center Families

On Wednesday November 16,  Director of Center Families, George Fesser, LMSW, received a Sol Award (Sun Award) from the Hispanic AIDS Forum. Community members gathered at Battery Gardens in lower Manhattan for the event. The Sol Award acknowledges extraordinary acts of compassion, courage and leadership that, like the sun, spread enlightenment, strength, and sustenance for a healthy life.

The Hispanic AIDS Forum created the Sol Award  in 2007 to honor individuals and entities who demonstrate compassion, courage and leadership in our shared struggle to eradicate HIV/AIDS and its root causes from our communities.  According to HAF:

The global AIDS epidemic has spread great misfortune among millions of people, showing us the widespread devastation caused by chronic illness.  As we fight AIDS and other chronic illnesses, it becomes increasingly clear that in the United States and throughout the world the gift of life often depends on one’s ability to buy healthcare. We, however, at HAF firmly believe that quality healthcare is an indiscriminately universal human right. In our profound appreciation of our partners who both share and practice this belief, we are proud to formally recognize their tireless work in the ongoing, collective endeavor to make the fundamental human right to healthcare a reality.

George Fesser at Sol Awards

George Fesser learned early on about dedicating himself to bettering the lives of others. At 19 years old and just out of high school in Miami, George joined the Missionary group “Amor en Accion” and went on missions to Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, helping the poorest of the poor. This is also the time when he came to grips with being gay and learned that he was HIV-positive. Being honest and authentic with his fellow missionaries and family members about his status cost him his membership in this Catholic organization, and caused a break between George and his father which continues until today. This was his first stark experience with homophobia and bias against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) communities and those living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

However, George did not give up. He pursued volunteer work at Miami Children’s Hospital and soon after was hired and worked for a number of years at the adolescent psychiatric ward helping social workers and nurses deal with suicidal teens, 40% of whom were LGBT. Simultaneously, George obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work at Barry University.

In 1998, George moved to New York City to pursue a Master’s Degree in Social Work. However, a Kaposi Sarcoma diagnoses delayed his plans to begin graduate school; instead he concentrated on beating his cancer and moving forward in his career as a prevention counselor at Streetworks Project, where he worked with homeless teenagers. After one year of chemotherapy, George beat cancer, and began to work for Montefiore Medical Center as a research associate for the New York Academy of Medicine.

Heriberto Sanchez-Soto, Exec. Director Hispanic AIDS Forum (left), George Fesser, LMSW, Director of Center Families (middle), Jesus Aguias, Exec. Director Aid for AIDS (right)

In 2002 he began to work at Aid for AIDS International. After this, George was a Prevention Counselor at the Western Queens site of the Hispanic AIDS Forum, where he worked for almost four years. He then moved on to The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, and while working full time as the Coordinator of Substance Abuse Prevention & Immigration Services, completed his Master’s Degree in Social Work at Columbia University, School of Social Work. During his time at the Center George coordinated and provided direct support services to LGBT immigrants from over 50 countries. George also created the Center’s LGBT Immigrant Social Action Group which helps LGBT immigrants learn more about the laws that affect them and how they can use their stories to promote change in a system that does not recognize the unique needs of the LGBT immigrant population.

In his new role as Director of Center Families, George is responsible for organizing education and support services for prospective parents and families in the LGBTQ community, as well as overseeing the groundbreaking LGBTQ Foster Care Project. George is now engaged to JC his partner of 8 years, and they enjoy a great life together with their Terrier, Oxy.

George Fesser and his partner Juan Carlos Garcia-Lavin

We are proud to have George on our staff and congratulate him on receiving this prestigious award.

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.