LGBT Center Awareness Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about L.G.B.T.Q. Community

LGBT Center Awareness Day is observed on October 19 of every year to celebrate the assistance and facilities provided by L.G.B.T.Q. community centers throughout the country. The Awareness Day, inaugurated by CenterLink in 1994, is an initiative to support the development of queer-friendly community centers. The centers are essential to the L.G.B.T.Q community because they provide freely accessible community services to members. These services include mental health counseling, cultural and educational programs, recreational activities, libraries, support groups, etc. This day was conceived to draw attention to the importance of community centers, which became a significant part of the L.G.B.T.Q movement.

The background of LGBT Center Awareness Day

That homosexual people deserved equal access to essential services and resources, and deserved to live without discrimination, is what instigated the creation of L.G.B.T.Q community centers. Accordingly, the L.G.B.T.Q community in different cities decided to launch community centers, and in 1971, the first lesbian and gay community centers were established in Los Angeles; Albany, CA; and New York. The centers provided services such as support groups, safe spaces for conversation, health clinics, and legal support. Community centers thus became what inspired community action and social change.

In the 1980s, AIDS spread in the gay community. During this time, L.G.B.T.Q community centers assisted in HIV caregiving, awareness, and prevention. Even affected heterosexual or non-gay couples benefited from these services.

And in the 1990s, the community center movement gained momentum and spread to even smaller cities and towns in the country, so that by the year 2000, nearly 50% of the 100 community centers were their locale’s only L.G.B.T.Q space. These centers acted as the first points of contact for people looking for information, coming out, seeking safe spaces, or gearing up for political change.

Also, in 1987, a group of lesbian and gay community center leaders gathered in an annual conference to discuss the need for a central network that would help provide support and technical assistance to all community centers in the country. Consequently, in June 1994, the National Association of LGBT Community Centers was launched, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. And, in 2008, the name of the association was changed to CenterLink. Currently, CenterLink has the support of over 250 member centers.

5 IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE L.G.B.T.Q COMMUNITY

San Francisco has 6.2% of its residents identify as L.G.B.T., making it the city with the highest percentage of gay inhabitants in all of the U.S.

Congress passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in 2007 that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace, especially in the recruitment process.

In a study, it was found that six out of 10 L.G.B.T.Q students feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation.

More than half of L.G.B.T.Q people in the U.S. hide their relationships, to avoid being discriminated against.

Nearly three out of 10 transgender individuals, a report says, avoid medical treatment for fear of being discriminated against.

LGBT CENTER AWARENESS DAY DATES