In This Issue
- Center Awareness Day Vacation Winner from FL
- Jerusalem Open House Comments on Hate Crimes
- Resource Center Dallas to Train Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
- Long Island CEO Honored by National Org
- San Diego Center Receives Funds for Housing Project
What is Center Links?
From fighting for equality, to serving diverse needs, creating a safe space, and building community and unity, LGBT community centers are the backbone of the LGBT movement. Center Links is the monthly newsletter to see highlights of what is happening every day at centers all over. Center Links is in your mailbox the 10th of every month.About CenterLink
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers was formed in 1994 to support the development of strong, sustainable LGBT community centers and to build a unified center movement. Learn more at www.LGBTcenters.org
Submit Your Story
CenterLink members can submit their stories to be featured in an upcoming issue of CenterLinks, and we will do our best to include them. Please submit to Guido Sanchez, guido@LGBTcenters.org
Center Awareness Day Winner Selected From Pride Center at Equality Park Gala Event
The Pride Center at Equality Park in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, hosted a gala event on September 15th, LGBT Center Awareness Day 2009, to celebrate the opening of their brand new campus. Events celebrating LGBT Center Awareness Day took place all over the country, and entries for our nationwide contest came in from coast to coast, as well as via our web contest. This week, we were able to congratulate Nancy D. of Sunrise, Florida who won a vacation package featuring two round trip flight vouchers and a hotel stay in one of 19 cities across the U.S.! Congratulations, Nancy! Be sure to save the date for LGBT Center Awareness Day 2010, September 15th! Click here to visit the Center Awareness Day website.
Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance Responds to Apprehension of Hate Crimes Suspect
Earlier this month the Israel police cleared for publication the arrest of Yaakov Teitel, 35, a US-born immigrant settler, suspected of carrying out a series of heinous hate crimes against the LGBTQ community, left-wing activists, Palestinians and Messianic Jews.
The police apprehended Teitel a month ago while he was hanging posters extolling the attack on the Tel Aviv LGBT youth center last August. In that attack, a masked gunman armed with a machine-gun killed two young people and wounded 13 others, before fleeing into the night. The Israeli LGBTQ community is still reeling from the trauma of this event.
During his investigation, Teitel allegedly declared his involvement in this attack. Despite his apparent confession, investigators have not found sufficient evidence so far to tie him to the attack.
The police successfully linked Teitel to a bomb with the words "Sodomites Out" written on it, found eight days before the Jerusalem Pride March in 2006. They also found flyers nearby entitled "Death to Sodomites," with instructions on how to make Molotov cocktails and other improvised weapons to be used against LGBTQ people. The flyer also promised NIS 20,000 to anyone causing the death of "one of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah." It was signed by "The Red Hand of Redemption," the same title used in the flyers praising the Tel Aviv attack.
Tietel is also being charged with killing two Palestinians, as far back as 1997, and more recently for planting bombs against Prof. Zeev Shternhell, Jerusalem Open House activists, a Christian monastery and Messianic Jews. In the latter two incidents, two people were injured, including a 15-year old boy, who was seriously wounded.
In response to the Teitel's arrest, Yonatan Gher, executive director of the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance commented that "there is a clear thread linking the terrible actions of Yaakov Teitel: hatred of the ‘other', whoever the other may be. It is imperative that we do not respond to this arrest with similar hatred."
Gher continued, "We request that people do not point an accusing finger at any sector, but point it at hatred itself. We expect to hear renunciations of Teitel's shocking actions from a wide spectrum of the Israeli population, from the political right and left, from religious and secular populations, from LGBTQ and straight people. Let us unite against these hateful actions and respond to them through the love and acceptance of the other." Click here to read more about JOH.
Resource Center Dallas Selected to Provide Training to Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
The following statement is from Mike McKay, executive director and Cece Cox, J.D., associate director for GLBT community services at Resource Center Dallas:
"Resource Center Dallas is honored to partner with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to provide diversity training to all its employees across the state," said McKay. "Our diversity education team, led by Cece Cox, is uniquely qualified to provide this training, bringing more than 25 years of activism, legal expertise and strategic communications skills to the table."
"This training is designed to assist TABC in its day-to-day dealings with members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) communities not only in the workplace, but also in professional interactions with the public," Cox added.
"Our training, whether it's offered to a public agency, a corporation or in an educational setting, strives to be comprehensive and will include material about an inclusive workplace, language, and a brief cultural overview of the GLBT community. The training fits in with the Center's mission to serve the GLBT community to provide education and builds upon our expertise in workforce diversity training. It will allow TABC to do its job better as it relates to the GLBT community statewide.
We are honored that TABC has turned to Resource Center Dallas to seek positive change through education and training, and look forward to building a beneficial partnership not only for those attending the training but also for the GLBT communities across Texas."
National Center for Suburban Studies Honors Long Island NY Center CEO
On Thursday, October 22nd, Long Island GLBT
Community Center CEO, and Centerlink Board member, David Kilmnick was among a
distinguished group of Long Island leaders honored at The 1st Annual
Celebration of Suburban Diversity Banquet at Hofstra University. The Banquet was part of The National Center for Suburban Studies Annual Conference and recognized the work of pioneers who have changed the face of the suburbs. Kilmnick was selected for his more than 20 years of advocacy on behalf of Long Island's GLBT Community and building one of the largest and most successful suburban GLBT organizations. Kilmnick also presented on LGBT activism in suburban areas, and highlighted the key role that LGBT Centers play in that work.
U.S. Bank Donates to Support San Diego Center Housing Project
The San Diego LGBT community Center is pleased to announce that U.S. Bank, which has been supporting The San Diego LGBT Community Center's programs and services since 2003, has donated an additional $5,000 to the San Diego LGBT Community Center's Sunburst Housing Project. "The Center is deeply grateful for U.S. Bank’s generous gift in support of our Housing Project," said Center development director Jeffrey M. Wergeles. "The funds received will be used to further our mentorship program, which provides additional opportunity for our residents to succeed into today’s difficult economic environment."
One of the first programs of its kind in the United States, the
Sunburst Housing Project provides 23 units of affordable, supportive
housing for formerly homeless young adults, 18-24 years of age, with a
special focus on LGBT youth. These high-risk youth are currently
transitioning out of living on the streets or in public spaces, many
after having been ejected from their homes because of their sexual
orientation. The project is located in downtown San Diego, close to
City College, public transportation, community health facilities and
other essential resources.