Our hearts break for the LGBT community in Orlando and for the families, friends, and loved ones of those who were killed. While we are still learning many facts about the shooting, one thing is clear: this attack targeted LGBT people, particularly the many LGBT Latinx people attending Latin night at the Pulse nightclub.
As community center leaders, we see the vast work that remains to eliminate homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, racism, and many other forms of bigotry from our communities; after Sunday, what is visible every day to us has now become clear to all.
LGBT bars were the original community centers; they were often the place where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people could be themselves, find support, and meet other like-minded people. For over four decades LGBT community centers have been dedicated to creating safe spaces where people find sanctuary from hostility and find acceptance not available to them elsewhere. Like Pulse, LGBT community centers are places where people gather and build families of love.
June marks LGBT Pride Month. LGBT community centers across the country are hosting pride festivals, parades, and events to celebrate our history and the progress that we have made. In times of tragedy the LGBT community has always come together to show its resilience. We see this resilience now as we gather for local vigils, raise funds for the survivors, and renew our commitments to visibly demonstrate the many facets of our community pride.
Now more than ever we must raise our voices and be heard.
We as the community of LGBT centers denounce any attempts to scapegoat the Muslim community. As with LGBT people, Muslims have experienced hate based violence, stereotyping, and bigotry. We stand with our Muslim friends and allies in calling for an end to this intolerance. We appreciate the outpouring of support from Muslim leaders and are working hard to support the many LGBT Muslims struggling to heal from this tragedy.
We as the community of LGBT centers call for our communities, our allies, and our friends to demand action to hold our elected officials accountable for passing laws that limit access to assault weapons. We must make a decision about whether we want to be a country that is content with mass shootings becoming commonplace. LGBT people will always be at risk as long as bigots have easy access to assault weapons.
We as the community of LGBT centers demand that politicians and religious leaders stop spewing their hateful rhetoric and justifying their words with ignorance or religious verse. Your words cause harm. We will not stand by quietly when you whisper, shout, or legislate your hate. In response you will hear our shouts of condemnation for your actions, and our shouts of love and support for our LGBT family.
We will continue to serve our communities in good times and in bad. We will continue to stand strong. We will continue to build love and acceptance. With the support of our allies and fair-minded people from around the globe, we will win full equality for LGBT people, everywhere and forever.
In Pride,
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Affirmations
All Under One Roof
Alliance for GLBTQ Youth
ALSO Youth
BAGLY, Inc. ( Boston Alliance of LGBTQ Youth )
Blue Ridge Pride Center
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity/Day of Pink
CAR- LGBTQ Center in Little Rock
Center Lane
Center on Halsted
Central Illinois Pride Health Center
David Bohnett Foundation
DC Center for the LGBT Community
Destination Tomorrow
Focus on Awareness and Information Resources of New York ( FAIR NY )
Great Falls LGBTQ+ Center
Hudson Pride Connections Center
Identity, Inc.
In Our Own Voices
Inside/Out Youth Services
JASMYN, Inc.
Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center
Kaleidoscope Youth Center
Latino Pride Center, NYC
Lesbian Health Initiative ( LHI )
LGBT Center at Ohio University
LGBT Center of Central PA
LGBT Center of Raleigh
LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland
LGBT Community Center of the Desert
LGBT Detroit
LGBT Network ( Long Island/Queens )
LGBT Visitor Center
LGBTQ Center Long Beach
LGBTQ Center of Durham
LGBTQ Center of the Finger Lakes
LGBTQMUNITY Center of Montgomery County Pennsylvania
Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth ( LIGALY )
Long Island LGBT Community Center
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Marsha Botzer-CenterLink Board Member
Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center
Metro Wellness & Community Centers
Michelle Kristel-CenterLink Board Member
Milwaukee LGBT Community Center
NEPA Rainbow Alliance
North Star LGBT Community Center in Winston-Salem, NC
Northwest Arkansas Center for Equality
Oklahomans for Equality
one n ten
Our Center
Our Space LGBTQ Youth Center
Out Boulder County
Out Youth
OutCenter of Southwest Michigan
Outlinc - Lincoln's LGBTQ Community Center
OutReach LGBT Community Center
OUTright Youth of Catawba Valley
Pacific Center for Human Growth
Pacific Pride Foundation
Paul Moore-CenterLink Board Member
Persad Center
Phillip Rush Center
Phoenix Center
Phoenix Pride LGBT Center
Polestar LGBT Center of Traverse City
Pride Center at Equality Park
Pride Center of Staten Island
Pride Center of Vermont
Pride Community Services Organization
Pridelines, Miami's LGBTQ Center
PRISM-Q LGBT & Allies Resource Center in Placer County, CA
Proud Haven
Q Center of Portland
QSpot LGBT Community Center
Queens LGBT Center ( QCenter )
Queens Pride House, NYC
RAD Remedy
Rainbow Community Center of Contra Costa County
Rainbow Resource Centre
Rainbow Serenity
Resource Center
Rockland County Pride Center
ROSMY
Ruth Ellis Center
Sacramento LGBT Community Center
SAGE-Long Island
San Diego LGBT Community Center
San Francisco LGBT Community Center
SMYAL
SOURCE LGBT+ Center Visalia, CA
Spencer Pride Community Center
SunServe
The Attic Youth Center
The Center Orlando
The Center Project in Columbia, Mo
The Center: 7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection
The Center-Advancing LGBT Colorado
The Community Center, Inc.
The Diversity Center: Santa Cruz County
The Gay & Lesbian Center of Southern Nevada
The Hawaii LGBT Legacy Foundation ( @The LGBT Center )
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
The LGBT Center of Hampton Roads
The LOFT LGBT Community Center
The Montrose Center
The Newark LGBTQ Community Center
The Phillip Rush Center
The Pride Center of New Jersey
The Pride Center of New Jersey
The Rhode Island LGBTQ Center
The Spahr Center
Triangle Community Center
Upper Delaware GLBT Center, Inc.
Utah Pride Center - Salt Lake City
Washington County Gay Straight Alliance, Inc.
Western Montana LGBT Community Center
William Way LGBT Community Center
Women in Network
Youth Outlook
Youth Outright WNC, Inc.
