The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Profile

Located in a former high-school building, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center was established in 1983. Run by a 70-person staff and hundreds of volunteers, the center has fifteen rooms on four floors, ranging from conference rooms to auditoriums to recreational space. The center is used by more than 400 groups, including Center-affiliated ones like Trans Friends & Families, as well as independent organizations like ACT UP, which was founded here in 1987. Past the front desk (and its bucket full of condoms), the building's former life is apparent: Job and apartment listings are tacked to the leftover bulletin boards, more than 12,000 LGBT books and videos can be borrowed from the small-but-packed lending library, and inexpensive internet access can be found in a computer-lab-like cyber center. There’s even a former boys' bathroom that was converted into a meeting room, with a Keith Haring mural commemorating the Stonewall Riots' twentieth anniversary. And though it hasn’t been a school for decades, you might still see some educators roaming the halls: Attached to the main building are the offices of Youth Enrichment Services, which trains principals and guidance counselors on issues relating to LGBT students. The Center also offers services like counseling, HIV testing, and support groups. — Caroline Kinneberg