Category Archives: The Center
New Yorks LGBT Center Big Remodel
After undergoing a dramatic $9.2 million dollar renovation, the city and Board of Directors proudly presented the new and improved Center to the community.
Speakers including Executive Director Glennda Testone, New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, New York State Assembly member Deborah Glick, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer and more sang the praises of The Center and lauded the great work it has done and will continue to do for future generations.
The final speech of the evening was delivered by LGBT icon, Edie Windsor, whose history-making lawsuit forced the Federal Government to recognize same-sex marriage. The octogenarian received a rousing standing ovation and proudly stated that The Center’s new coffee shop bears her name and that of her late wife, Thea Spyer.
Other notable guests, including jewelry designer Alexis Bittar, sipped on celebratory St-Germain cocktails while admiring The Center’s art exhibition, Once Upon a Time and Now, which showcases artworks preserved in the renovation from 1989’s historic The Center Show – a series of site-specific installations commissioned by The Center to mark the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots – along with new works. The exhibit features art from Keith Haring, David LaChapelle, Kenny Scharf among others. Cocktails served included the signature St-Germain Cocktail (St-Germain, Prosecco and Sparkling Water over ice with a lemon twist) and St-Germain and Champagne. The artisanal French liqueur is a proud supporter of the LGBT community and was thrilled to take part in this momentous occasion.
Signature St-Germain Cocktails:
The St. Germain Cocktail
2 parts MARTINI Prosecco
1½ parts St-Germain
2 parts Sparkling water
Stir ingredients in a tall ice-filled Collins glass, mixing completely. Think of Paris circa 1947. Garnish with a lemon twist.
also try….
St-Germain and Champagne
½ part St-Germain
Top with Brut Champagne
Serve in a flute glass and garnish with a strawberry.
About the Center:
Established in 1983, New York City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center empowers people to lead healthy, successful lives. The Center celebrates our diversity and advocates for justice and opportunity. Each year, The Center welcomes more than 300,000 visits to our building in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan from people who engage in our life-changing and lifesaving activities. We are proud to be your community Center. To learn more about our work, please visit gaycenter.org.
The Center – Once Upon A Time
LGBT Center: Once Upon A Time And Now
February 3, 2015 – March 3, 2015
The Center is revisiting The Center Show (1989) by reinstalling artworks from artists such as David LaChapelle and incorporating new artwork, under the curatorial direction of Ian Alteveer, Associate Curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The goal of the exhibition, Once Upon a Time and Now, is to encourage guests and supporters to explore The Center including our rich, cultural history while continuing our role as a cultural destination for years to come.
LaChapelle’s artistic temperament is characterized by an unremitting effort to discover the ever newer possibilities offered by the medium of photography. His works from the 1980’s often represent a sort of fusion of photography, collage and graphic art.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center has undergone a major renovation of their historic main building over the last year and a half, upgrading the capabilities of the space while preserving their unique history in New York City.
Presented to celebrate the renovation of The Center, Once Upon A Time and Now, examines historic works from the 1980s preserved in the renovation and looks to the future with new works.
Featuring: Arch Connelly, Leon Golub, Gran Fury, Keith Haring, David LaChapelle, Stephen Lack, Thomas Lanigan Schmidt, Kay Rosen, Barbara Sandler, Kenny Scharf, Nancy Spero, Robert Storr, Susan Strande, Richard Taddei, George Whitman, and Martin Wong
Alongside more recent work by Deborah Kass, Tseng Kwong Chi, Glenn Ligon
Curated by Ian Alteveer, Associate Curator, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
208 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011 | www.gaycenter.org
ONCE UPON A TIME AND NOW
FEBRUARY 3, 2015
6:00-9:00 PM
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
208 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011 | www.gaycenter.org
Phone:
212.620.7310
Building Hours:
Mon–Sat 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sun 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
New Yorks THE CENTER presents Drag By Definition
Drag by Definition
Tuesday, July 23, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $5
Click here to purchase tickets.
Think you know “ferocious?” How about “legendary?” Or are you serving “circus drag?”
We’re having a kiki with Phi-Phi O’Hara and Titania Steele, two of today’s hottest drag queens (you may have seen Phi-Phi on a little show called “RuPaul’s Drag Race”) to talk the queen’s English and give you the inside scoop on drag performance. We’re serving up “Drag by Definition.”
In partnership with Eachone.com featuring photographer Paul Brickman’s
online art exhibition, “Paul Brickman’s Drag by Definition,” we’re
hosting Phi-Phi and Titania, along with the artist and his curator, Jasmine Wahi. Come hear these legendary queens as they discuss drag culture and what it takes to be a drag superstar.
About the Exhibition
“Paul
Brickman’s Drag by Definition” is an online art exhibition exploring
contemporary drag culture featuring today’s hottest drag queens,
including Sharon Needles, Phi-Phi O’Hara, Ivy Winters and many more.
Check it out and purchase the artworks exclusively on Eachone.com, June 26th – August 6th, 2013.
Get Dragged Up!
You can participate in this exhibition by taking a picture of yourself in drag and posting it to Instagram with the hashtag #dragbydefinition. At the end of the exhibition Eachone.com will select their favorite entries. Winners will receive a free print of their choice.
New Yorks CENTER Garden Party 30 Kicks Off Pride Week at Pier 84
Annual Tasting Event Partners with ZAGAT to Celebrate Pride and Support the LGBT Community Center Programs and Services |
|
WHO | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center Board of Directors and Executive Director Glennda Testone invite you to Garden Party 30. |
WHAT | Garden Party brings you A Taste of Pride curated by ZAGAT and featuring presenting sponsor Prudential with 40 restaurants and culinary destinations offering samples from their delicious menus. |
WHEN | Monday, June 24, 2013 General Admission 6-10 p.m. |
WHERE | Hudson River Park’s Pier 84 West Side Highway at 44th Street New York, NY |
How to Purchase Tickets: Tickets are available at www.gaycenter.org/gardenparty. |
|
MORE | Friends and supporters of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (the Center) will gather on June 24 for Garden Party 30, the Center’s annual tasting event. Kick off Pride Week with over 1,500 supporters and foodies at our new location on Pier 84. Garden Party is the only LGBT tasting festival in the country. Guests will watch the sun set over the Hudson River while enjoying an open bar and bidding on delicious dining packages in the silent auction. Proceeds from Garden Party 30 support the Center’s life-enhancing and |
New Yorks THE CENTER hosts Anti Gay Hate Violence Rally
Dear Center Community,
I know you share my sadness and outrage at the recent string of
anti-gay violence gripping our city, including the horrific murder of
32-year old Mark Carson on Friday
night, just blocks from the Center. I want you to know that the Center
is committed to standing with community partners and leaders, and doing
everything in our power to respond and denounce this wave of violence
against our community.
On Monday
evening we will gather on the steps of the Center, along with the
Anti-Violence Project, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn,
community members, other elected officials, and LGBT community leaders
and allies, and march to the site of Friday’s shooting to demand an end
to hate crimes against our community. At the end of the march, we will
rally to denounce hate violence, call for justice and to mourn the death
of Mark Carson. Please join us, and help spread the word.
New York is our city, and we aren’t going backward. Join us on Monday evening to honor Mark and help ensure everyone hears our message.
In solidarity,
Glennda Testone
Executive Director
MARCH AND RALLY IN RESPONSE TO LGBT HATE CRIMES – Monday, May 20th at 5:30 p.m. beginning at the Center, 208 W 13th Street, and proceeding to West 8th Street and 6th Avenue.
ADDITIONAL SAFETY INFO
– The Anti-Violence Project encourages you to report violence you
experience or witness to their free and confidential 24-hour, bilingual
(English/Spanish) hotline at 212-714-1141, where you can speak with a trained counselor and seek support. You can also report violence anonymously online at www.avp.org, and learn about upcoming Community Safety Nights beginning Friday, May 24. And remember, for immediate police assistance, dial 911.
Follow the Center on Twitter @LGBTCenterNYC or on Facebook |
The Center SUMMER CAMP Events
summer, the Center is sending you back to CAMP with our annual Summer
“Camp” Festival. But not the kind of icky outdoor camp with tents and
mosquitoes – instead, we’re serving up drag queens and NO WIRE HANGERS!
Jump start your summer with fun, games and a celebration of the elusive
queer aesthetic known simply as “camp.”
FOURPLAY – Thursday, May 9; 7:30 p.m.
Giving John Waters a run for his sleazy money, Kyle Henry’s raucous
independent film, Fourplay presents a quartet of sex tales in four
American cities. Henry and Paul Soileau (Christeene) host.
HOLLY WOODLAWN: A LOW LIFE IN HIGH HEELS – Thursday, May 16; 7 p.m.
Once appearing alongside Candy Darling and Jackie Curtis, the legendary
Andy Warhol superstar Holly Woodlawn will read from her biography and
screen her 1973 short film Broken Goddess.
DRAG BINGO WITH HEDDA LETTUCE – Tuesday, May 21; 7 p.m. Drag bingo returns to the Center for one night only with kooky prizes, double entendre and a cash jackpot. Time to get lucky!
BRINI MAXWELL DOES BARBARELLA – Tuesday, May 28; 7 p.m.
Wall-to-wall shag carpeting, evil Lava Lamp goo and glittery spacesuits
that fall off at a moment’s notice? Forget Jane Fonda…we’ve got the
mod-tastic Brini Maxwell to help us through this camp classic.
MATCH GAME LIVE – Thursday, June 13; 7:30 p.m.
A live stage version of the campiest, kitschiest game show in history —
The “Match Game”! Match Frank DeCaro, Jackie Hoffman and other celebs
for prizes. Get ready to laugh your _BLANK_ off!
THE CENTER
New York’s Center Dinner to honor DOMA Plaintiff Edie Windsor, April 11
Friends
and supporters of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender
Community Center (the Center) will gather at Cipriani Wall Street on
Thursday, April 11 to honor community leaders Edie Windsor, Terrence
Meck and Neil Tallantire. Special guests Neil Patrick Harris and David
Burtka will join the Center to recognize the remarkable work of these
individuals, while helping the Center raise funds to support its
life-changing and life-saving programs and services.
The
accomplishments of all three honorees extend far beyond the
organization: Edie Windsor, for her long-standing contributions and
whose case went before the Supreme Court in late March to challenge the
Defense of Marriage Act; Terrence Meck, Executive Director of the
Palette Fund, which makes grants in support of queer youth, patient
navigation, and nutrition and wellness; and Neil Tallantire, Senior Vice
President, Diageo, for his leadership of Diageo’s philanthropic support
of the LGBT community.
“We’re fortunate this year to have such
wonderful friends who stand up every day for fairness and equality for
LGBT people,” said Glennda Testone, the Center’s Executive Director.
“Years from now, history will remember Edie Windsor as a hero of the
LGBT civil rights movement. Her long history with the Center and her
contributions to the community overall inspired us not just to honor
her, but also to name the award after Edie and her late wife Thea. From
this year on, the Center will recognize outstanding activist individuals
with the Edie Windsor and Thea Spyer Community Trailblazer Award.”
Center
Dinner Co-Chairs Timothy Chow and Greg Zaffiro join Testone and the
Center’s Board of Directors in hosting the evening. The dinner will also
celebrate two important milestones in the Center’s history: the 30th
anniversary as the heart of the LGBT community in New York City, and the
commencement of a transformational building enhancement project
designed to expand on the vision of its founders and meet the needs of
the community in the years to come. For more information on the Center’s
renovation, visit www.gaycenter.org/
WHO: | Actor Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”) and partner David Burtka; Windsor v. United States plaintiff Edith “Edie” Windsor; financial guru Suze Orman (“The Suze Show”); MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts; Broadway star Nick Adams; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center Executive Director Glennda Testone; and Event Co-Chairs Timothy Chow and Greg Zaffiro. |
WHAT: | The Center Dinner, an annual gala fundraiser to support the Center’s vital programs and services |
WHEN: | Thursday, April 11, 2013
6:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception/Silent Auction |
WHERE: | Cipriani Wall Street 55 Wall Street New York, NY |
How to Purchase Tickets: Tickets are available at www.gaycenter.org/centerdinner
Glbt Travel Expo in New York May 5
GLBT TRAVEL EXPO! – FREE Admission!
The 2012 Travel Expo Tour is an exciting event where
you can learn about new travel destinations, rediscover old ones, find
glbt friendly travel providers and get information to plan your next
vacation.
Airlines
Hotels
Trains
Cruise lines
Car Rentals
Resorts
Exotic Destinations
Convention & Visitors Bureaus
Travel Magazines
Attendees will be able to get the latest travel information, get
special travel packages and great deals from the very best travel
providers as well as win great prizes.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Thursday – May 3, 2012 – The William Way Center.
New York , New York – Saturday May 5, 2012 – The LGBT Center. 12-5pm
We are pleased to announce Carlos as the winner of the GlbtTravel Store’s Male Model Contest!
Carlos won a professional travel themed
photo shoot, $300 cash and will star in the Arrive in Style presentation at the
glbt Travel Expo, NYC, on May 5th, 2012. You’ll be seeing and getting to know more
about the star model in the near future.
A big round of applause and three
cheers for Carlos!
Simon Doonan at The Center Feb 15… Gay Men Don’t Get Fat!
On Wednesday, February 15th, Center Authors and Second Tuesday present the witty, clever, and talented Simon Doonan, who will present and read from his new book of essays, Gay Men Don’t Get Fat
.
A fashionista and trusted adviser, Doonan can tell a story like no one else, moving you from outright laughter to a little tear in the corner of your eye. In his new book, Doonan talks about himself (and his designer hubby, Jonathan Adler) with honesty and hilarity; offering wisdom, advice, and inspiration beyond the same old diet and exercise tips.
He uses his own life experiences and insights to show us all how we can make every day a memorable event. Gay Men Don’t Get Fat continues Doonan’s tradition of linked stories and essays, this time to give away all the best gay secrets we use to stay svelte, fabulously accessorized, and beautifully decorated.
Originally from England, Simon Doonan worked for Savile Row before
becoming the creative director for Barneys New York, where he designed
legendary window displays for more than twenty years. Formerly a
columnist for The New York Observer, he is now a contributor to
Slate.com. He has appeared on Gossip Girl, Iron Chef America, and
America’s Next Top Model.
He is the author of several books, including
“Wacky Chicks,” “Confessions of a Window Dresser,” and “Beautiful
People,” which was adapted for television in the UK. Doonan lives in New
York with his husband, Jonathan Adler.
WHEN |
Wednesday, February 15 PM, 6:30 PM – 8 PM |
WHERE |
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center 208 West 13th Street New York City |
World AIDS Day Event: Spotlight on The Starlite Lounge Dec 1
World AIDS Day Event:
Spotlight on The Starlite Lounge
Recently closed Black-owned Brooklyn gay bar gets new life in this documentary screening featuring talkback with the bar’s owners and former patrons
On Thursday, December 1 at 6:30 PM, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center commemorates World AIDS Day by proudly presenting documentarians Kate Kunath and Sasha Wortzel in conversation with Dennis Parrott and Linda King, owners of the legendary Starlite Lounge.
In 1959, a decade prior to Manhattan’s Stonewall riots, the Starlite Lounge opened in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, as a non-discriminatory establishment for gay people of color.
A half-century later, the neighborhood and the gay community were shocked when the oldest, Black-owned, LGBT establishment was given notice to vacate and was ultimately forced to close in 2010.
In honor of World AIDS Day, The Center will focus on how the Starlite became a refuge and organizing point in response to the AIDS epidemic. The filmmakers will share key excerpts of their documentary-in-progress, Starlite, and talk with former resident performer Lady Jasmine and long-time patrons about what the Starlite meant to the community, especially in the early days of the epidemic.
Also featured will be the organizers of the AIDS Memorial Park and learning center currently being proposed for the triangle site opposite the former St. Vincent’s Hospital. The proposed location sits in the middle of the neighborhood, the site of significant AIDS epidemic organizing: from the first AIDS ward at St. Vincent’s Hospital to the founding of ACT UP and other advocacy organizations at the Center.
More at Queer History Alliance
Documentary Excerpt Screening & Talkback
Thursday, December 1 @ 6:30 -8:30 PM Cost $10
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
208 West 13th Street
New York City
GLBT Travel Expo Tuesday April 26th at the Center
is an exciting new event where you can learn about new travel destinations, rediscover old ones, find glbt friendly travel providers and get information to plan your next vacation.
Exhibitors will include:
Airlines
Hotels
Trains
Cruise lines
Car Rentals
Resorts
Exotic Destinations
Convention & Visitors Bureaus
Travel Magazines
Every one of them reaching out to the glbt consumer.
Attendees will be able to get the latest travel information, get special travel packages and great deals from the very best travel providers as well as win great prizes.
2 night stay in the Hotel of South Beach
2 night stay at the DC Comfort Inn
2 GLO TV gift travel bags
April 26, 2011 New York @ The LGBT Center
208 W. 13th Street NYC, NY 10011
Show hours – 4-8 pm
Stop by our booth! Look for the big PINK CROWNS!
BEST GAY NEW YORK.com as well as their sister sites Best Gay Cities.com, Best Gay News and the Best Gay Travel Guide.com.
We’ll be playing the hot new gay trivia game sweeping Christopher Street and the Castro. HOMOgenius! We’ll be testing you GAY IQ and giving away prizes!
Including……
gift cards from one of our favorite restaurants! ONE IF BY LAND.
condoms by SIR RICHARDS CONDOMS – the finest condoms!
FREE Best Gay New York shopping bags and more!
Stop by and say HI!
Best Gay New York.com
Folsom Street East presents: A Fetish for Fashion February 12
For those of us who prefer our roses thorny and our candy hard,
Folsom Street East proudly presents
A Fetish for Fashion,
our first annual runway show and charity auction to benefit the LGBT Community Center. We invite you to join us on the 3rd floor of 208 West 13th Street on Saturday, February 12th for an evening of polymorphously provocative fetishwear from The NY Eagle Shop, The Leather Man, Wonderwear, and ManSkins NYC.
The night’s festivities will also include a special appearance by #1 Billboard charting artist Sylvia Tosun , who will be performing her new single, “World Keeps Turning.”
We can’t think of a better way to kick off Fashion Week in NYC — and support a worthy cause — than with a runway presentation showcasing some of the city’s fiercest leather/fetish/kink-wear designs.
In addition to the runway presentation, this year’s event will also include a cocktail reception and silent auction of luxury adult items to benefit The Center – including our own “Million-Dollar Jock,” which would make even the bravest Victoria’s Secret model blush and turn in her wings.
Doors open at 7pm on Saturday night, with the show kicking off around 8pm.
Admission for the cocktail reception, auction, and fashion show is $10 for standing room and $15 for seats (while they last) and includes one drink ticket.
The after-party will be held at the NY Eagle on 28th Street, with drink specials throughout the evening for fashion show attendees presenting their FSE wristband.
Best Gay New York.com
Nathan Manske and Michelangelo Signorile at The Center Dec. 10th
50-state Story Tour
arrives in NYC!
By the time the IFD crew reaches NYC, they will have visited 36 states in 3 months, collecting and sharing true LGBTQ stories from small towns and big cities all across America.
Listen to stories from ImFromDriftwood.com.
See Video Stories collected from the road.
Hear about the adventure they’ve had along the way.
**Introduction by OutQ radio host Michelangelo Signorile
**Reading by Jay Blotcher
7-8: Drinks and snacks
8-9:30: Reading and Screening
The LGBT Center 208 West 13th St., Room 310
This will also be your first chance to purchase the ImFromDriftwood.com book, a compilation of the best stories from the site.
Best Gay New York
Out To Work LGBT Job Fair September 17
The 3rd Annual Out to Work job fair will be held on September 17 at the LGBT Center in New York’s Greenwich Village. 208 West 13th Street. With more than 3,000 expected to attend, Out to Work is the largest LGBT career fair in the Northeast.
The current rate of unemployment in New York City is at 9.6%, higher than the unemployment rate of both New York State and the country. This event addresses the needs of the LGBT community in the city where they make up a significant proportion of the unemployed population.
Bruce Anderson, Interim Executive Director & Board President stated, “I’m heartened that in the current economic climate, the Center, in partnership with Greenwich Village-Chelsea Chamber of Commerce, is once again producing Out to Work. The economic downturn has affected all New Yorkers, including the LGBT community, and one of the best things we can do is bring together major employers in the area with a pool of talented New Yorkers, eager to work.”
This event promotes equal opportunity employment and showcases some of the more progressive companies that support diversity in the work place. Out to Work will provide a forum for individuals to meet one-on-one with prospective employers and for companies to market themselves within one of the most influential and diverse minorities in the city. It also offers a chance for business-to-business networking opportunities with exhibitors.
This is a FREE event – Register online for the OUT TO WORK event.
The Best of Gay New York!
Harvey Redding’s Painted Boy Gay Art Fair
PAINTED BOY ART FAIR
Saturday April 4, 11am- 7pm / Sunday, April 5, 12 am- 6pm
LGBT Center, 208 W. 13 St. N.Y.
Admission to the Fair: $20., $15 with coupon
The Saturday and Sunday general public schedule boasts over 50 vendors with more than 5,000 unambiguously gay artworks created by provocative local, national and international artists. Representing our multi-hued community, captivating emerging talents join forces with gay art legends, who will be heralded throughout this hallucinating event. Navigating through The Painted Boy is easy, with humorous street signs directing our art-collectors-to-be, through the maze of artist’s booths. Strolling, handsome models, guest porn stars, as well as mere- mortals, are summoned into each venue by colorful signage.
This art show will feature the work of Hugh Hysell.
(VIP Gala will be Friday April 3rd 7-10pm. )
The Best of Gay New York!
Meet JD, Scott & Baya of the “Real World” at the Center! March 20th
Stop by the Center after work on Friday…
Meet JD, Scott, and Baya from “Real World: Brooklyn”
at this Open Bar Cocktail Reception at the Center!
RSVP now!
Friday, March 20, 6:30-8:30PM
The Center, 208 W. 13th Street, NYC (Map)
Event is 21+
Meet the Cast!
Have your photo taken with cast members!
See photos online the day after the event!
Win Prizes!
Win these exciting prizes in the raffle:
• A Personal Training Session with
Scott Herman of scott herman fitness.com
• Autographed Photos with JD
• A Night Out with Baya: Drink Tickets to Baya’s Trainwreck Party
• Tickets to Hot New Off Broadway Shows: The 39 Steps, Irena’s Vow,
ROOMS – a rock romance
• Tickets to Center Bingo and Lesbian Cinema Arts Screening
…and more!
Support the Center by Attending!
JD, Scott, and Baya are all Center Members…and now you can become a Center Member, too!
Admission to the Cocktail Reception with “Real World” Cast:
$15 for new Center Members: includes Center Membership
(normally valued at $35), open bar & raffle!
$10 for existing Center Members: includes open bar & raffle!
RSVP online now!
Limited space; priority given to those who register online!
The Best of Gay New York