The Pacific Center for Human Growth, or simply the Pacific Center, is a community center focusing on LGBT people.Mission and History
. Pacific Center website. 2011. Retrieved 17-01-2011. The center operates from a

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

house on Telegraph Avenue south of the University of California in Berkeley, California.Hate crime strikes gay and lesbian center
Matthew Artz. '' Berkeley Daily Planet''. 08-10-2002. Retrieved 17-01-2011. Front of Pacific Center for Human Growth 2011 1 19

Front of Pacific Center for Human Growth 2011 1 19

History

The center was founded in 1973 as a response to a brutal gay bashing in downtown Oakland, a major city that neighbors Berkeley. Often referred to as the Berkeley ''LGBT'' or ''gay'' Center, it is the oldest LGBT community center in the

Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...

and the third oldest in the country. Will Roscoe campaigned successfully in 1976 for United Way membership for the Pacific Center, the first LGBT agency to achieve this. The

Oakland-East Bay Gay Men's Chorus Oakland Gay Men's Chorus (OGMC) is a choral ensemble of some 60 voices, headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay. Membership is open to singers with voices in the tenor, baritone, and bass ranges. The chorus sings an annual season of ...

was founded under the auspices of the Pacific Cent in 1999 before becoming an independent organization. In 2001 the Pacific Center was involved in trying to help the city curb cruising for sex by men in Berkeley Aquatic Park by getting the city to set up a support network for men who have sex with men that do not identify as gay or

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

. However, funding was never acquired. In 2002 the center was vandalised with

anti-gay The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBT topics. Sexuality * Human sexuality ** Sexual diversity ** Gendered sexuality *** Human male sexuality *** Human female sexuality *** Transgender sexuality * Sexual attraction ** And ...

and

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

-themed tagging, considered a

hate crime A hate crime (also known as a bias-motivated crime or bias crime) is a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or racial demograph ...

by the center. Flyers on the bulletin board at the entrance to the center were vandalized with the anti-gay slur " fag" and a

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...

. When California legalized same-sex marriage in 2008, the youth group at the center marched around the neighborhood with the rainbow flag to celebrate the victory as the center was actively involved in campaigning for equal gay rights.

Operations and location

The center, along with Berkeley and the larger surrounding region is known for their eclecticism and liberalism and the Pacific Center is not different. In the past it has offered

drag Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street adj ...

- quit smoking classes, transgender film screenings, and young

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

women's groups among other unique initiatives. Today the center offers peer support groups alongside mental health counseling for LGBT people from the community.Services.
PacificCenter.org. ''Pacific Center website''. 2011. Retrieved 19-01-2011. There is also a drop-in after school program for LGBT, Questioning, and Intersex youth. The center is located along the AC Transit 1R BRT line and is within walking distance of

Ashby Ashby may refer to: People * Ashby (surname) * Alan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of Ashby (1267–1314), governor of Rockingham Castle and steward of Rockingham Forest, England * Walter Ashby Plecker (1861–1947), American physician and publ ...

BART station.AC Transit System Map
''ACTransit.org'' 2011. 22-01-2011.Retrieved

References

External links

Official website
{{LGBT in California 1973 establishments in California Organizations based in Berkeley, California LGBT community centers in the United States LGBT in California Organizations established in 1973