The Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah
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The Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center is a non-profit (501(c)3)organization based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. It has also recently been known as the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah, The Center, and GLBTCCU.
Located in downtown Salt Lake, The Center shares a building with the ACLU of Utah. They are located at 355 North 300 West.
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[edit] History
[edit] Gay Community Service Center
The Center can trace its roots back to the formation of the Gay Community Service Center in the 1970s, although there is no continuous organization dating back that far. The Gay Community Service Center was revived briefly in the 1980s with the addition of a medical clinic during the early days of AIDS.
[edit] Utah Stonewall Center
The true history of the present day GLBTCCU actually begins with the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah in 1986. This group attempted to foster communicaion between various GLBT groups and to provide a community-wide vision. Achievements of this group included a liaison to the Salt Lake City Police Department, programs involving outreach, anti-violence, AIDS awareness, and managing the Utah Pride Festival.
Among the most important contributions of the group, however, was the formation of the Utah Stonewall Center in 1991. [1]
Between 1991 and 1997, the Utah Stonewall Center was the first group to have a drop-in and resource center with a physical location. USC helped build a resource library (many of the archives are now housed at the University of Utah Marriott Library [2]), provided meeting space for other groups, published a newsletter from 1993-1997 called The Center of Attention [3], and more.
Utah Stonewall Center officially broke from the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah around 1995.
[edit] Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah
In 1997, the Utah Stonewall Center closed its doors. In 1998, a new organization, the current GLBTCCU, opened its doors. The revamped community center included a cafe (Stonewall Coffee Co., 1998-2004), a lending library, meeting space, and a youth center (YAC).
In 2002, the GLBTCCU took over financial responsibility for the troubled Utah Pride, Inc. amidst much controversy.[4] Within a few years, all evidence of a separate organization running the Utah Pride Festival had been erased. In 2005, Utah Pride officially carried the tag "A Program of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah" on all advertising.
[edit] Executive Directors [5]
- Dorothy Makin (1975, Gay Community Service Center)
- Ken Storer (1976, Gay Community Service Center)
- Auntie De and Beauchaine (1984, Gay Community Service Center and Clinic)
- Craig Miller (1991, Utah Stonewall Center—a Project of the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah)
- Melissa Sillitoe (1992, Utah Stonewall Center—a Project of the Gay and Lesbian Community Council of Utah)
- John Bennett, Renee Rinaldi, Michael O'Brien, and Alan Ahtow (1995-1997, Utah Stonewall Center)
- Monique Predovitch (1998, Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah)
- Doug Wortham (1998, Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah)
- Paula Wolfe (1999-2004, Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah)
- Chad Beyer (2004, Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah)
- Valerie Larabee (2004 - present, Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah)
[edit] Mission Statement and Purpose
Adopted in spring of 2005, the Mission Statement of The Center reads:
To be a catalyst for personal growth, acceptance and equality for GLBT people in Utah. [6]
Also adopted in spring, 2005, the Guiding Principles of the organization are:
- We believe in the dignity and equality of all people.
- We believe in innovative thinking and responsible action.
- We believe those individuals, who know or who are questioning their sexual orientation deserve a safe, nurturing environment.
- We believe in programs which educate, empower and foster integrity.
- We believe in celebrating diversity.
- We believe in the importance of educating the community at-large about issues affecting GLBT people.
- We are committed to gathering and disseminating information to keep the GLBT community informed and empowered.
[edit] Programs [7]
- Meeting Space Rental
- Support Groups
- Library
- HIV/AIDS Testing
- 12-step/addiction recovery meetings
- Multiple Youth Programs
- LGBT Diversity Education
- Educational Forums and Town Hall Meetings
- Utah Pride Festival
- Salt Lake City Winterfest
Additionally, The Center provides financial assistance and guidance to a number of smaller organizations known as affiliate programs, sponsors inter-organizational programs such the Utah GLBT Leadership Task Force and Utah GLBT Mental Health Task Force, and more.
[edit] External links
- Official Website of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community Center of Utah.
- Discussion and announcement bulletin board for the youth activities (TINT) of the Utah Pride Center.
- Utah Pride Celebration, a program of The Center.
- Salt Lake City Winterfest, a program of The Center.
- Utah GLBT Leadership Task Force (blog)
- sWerve an affiliate of The Center.
- Equality Utah a grassroots, statewide political advocacy organization.