See upcoming events at Center Calendar

July may be a slow month for most of New York City, but here at the Center there is a flurry of activity. A crew from Cycle for the Cause was thrilled to ring the NASDAQ closing bell, an exciting tradition that raises awareness of the Center's annual ride to fund our life-saving HIV and AIDS-related services. In other news, several of the Center's community services program directors headed to Washington, DC, for the Gay Men's Health Summit to present workshops on topics ranging from the unique strengths of working with gay, bisexual, and transgender immigrants in a community-based organization in NYC to men becoming parents. To round things out, the cultural programs department welcomed both an author and an artist to the Center in celebration of their contributions to the community.

We hope that you enjoy this re-cap of activities, and that you will join us for future exciting events. If you like what you read, please support the Center by clicking here – your gift helps us bring many important services to the LGBT community!

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Cycle for the Cause Raises Awareness of HIV/AIDS

Enthusiastic Cycle for the Cause participants proudly assembled at NASDAQ on Monday, August 6, to rally around the cause of ending AIDS while ringing the closing bell. The Center's Executive Director, Glennda Testone, spoke briefly about the importance of the Center's work and Cycle for the Cause, the 18-year strong annual bike ride from Boston to New York, September 21-23, which raises much-needed funds for the Center's crucial HIV/AIDS related programs. Riders, crew, and Center staff each took a turn in front of the podium, and gave a raucous cheer as the markets closed (up for the day!) and the team was displayed on NASDAQ's Times Square JumboTron.

The Center is immensely grateful for all of the riders' and supporters' participation and invites new cyclists to join in on this incredible journey. Click here for more information and to register or make a donation!

Center Staff Conduct Workshops at the 2012 Gay Men's Health Summit

We are proud to report on the amazing work of Center staff at The 2012 Gay Men's Health Summit held July 20-21, just before the International AIDS Conference, at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Since 1999, the Gay Men's Health Summit has worked to lay the groundwork for an expanded activist gay, bisexual, and transgender men's health movement in the United States.

The workshops conducted by our talented community services directors included:

• Celebrating Male Diversity: Emotional Support and Community Building for Trans-Men
• Magical Transformations: Work Done By, For, and With Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Immigrants
• Not Quite Ready to Quit, Motivating Gay and HIV Positive Men to Quit Smoking
• Getting There from Here: The Ongoing Effects of Crystal Meth on Gay Men and the Use of Harm Reduction and Abstinence-Based Interventions in Treatment
• Men Becoming Parents Intrigued?

Click here to read more about Center workshops


A Conversation and Book Signing with Neil Giuliano
By Andrew Shultz

On Tuesday, July 31, the third floor of the Center was packed to the brim as volunteers brought in extra seats to accommodate all of the audience members for the highly anticipated conversation, Q&A, and book signing with Neil Giuliano. Among his many accolades, Giuliano can count himself as the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city after coming out publicly in 1996, a journey poignantly chronicled in his recent autobiography, The Campaign Within. Moderated by the impressive Chely Wright— the first artist in country music to come out as gay—it is no surprise that late-comers were left standing in the room. The story continues!

Click here to continue reading about Neil Guiliano's conversation and Q&A.



High-Flying Pride

Visitors and passers-by have probably noticed that a beautiful new work of art now brightens the face of our building – an original, Gilbert Baker Rainbow Flag. Gilbert presented the flag to the Center on Thursday, August 2, with heartfelt appreciation for the Center's work and existence. While the Center's previous flag was a six-color piece, Gilbert's art is the original eight-color Rainbow Flag that he created in 1978 as a symbol of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender movement. The Center thanks Gilbert for his contributions, both to the community overall and to our building!