The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, known to most simply as The Center, is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

located in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, that has served the local

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

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 ...

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

and

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 ...

community since 1993. The splendid building and the land on which it sits were accomplished following a very generous bequest by Las Vegas educator and businessman Robert L. Forbuss. The idea and scope of the project was suggested to Forbuss by his two closest friends, Las Vegas physicians Jerry L. Cade and Dennis M. Causey. In 2013, The Center moved into the new Robert L. Forbuss Building in

Downtown Las Vegas Downtown Las Vegas (commonly abbreviated as DTLV) is the central business district and historic center of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the original townsite, and the Downtown gaming area was the primary gambling district of Las Vegas prior to the St ...

and began also serving the low to moderate income residents of the area. Programs and services are generally free to the public. The Center is a member of Centerlink, the national membership organization for LGBT centers.

Programs and Services

The Center's staff leads several groups that meet weekly: * ACT III (Aging Communities Together) — for seniors 50 and up * Identi-T* — for

and

gender non-conforming Gender variance or gender nonconformity is behavior or gender expression by an individual that does not match masculine or feminine gender norms. A gender-nonconforming person may be variant in their gender identity, being transgender or non-bina ...

individuals * QVolution — for youth ages 13 to 24 * Vegas Mpowerment Project — for

and transgender men 18 to 35 * ELLE — for

and

women 18 to 30 * The F Word — a group to discuss

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

Numerous peer-led groups also meet at The Center, including: *

Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international mutual aid fellowship of alcoholics dedicated to abstinence-based recovery from alcoholism through its spiritually-inclined Twelve Step program. Following its Twelve Traditions, AA is non-professi ...

Marijuana Anonymous Marijuana Anonymous (MA) founded in 1989 is an organization and twelve-step program for people with common desire to maintain abstinence from marijuana. History Marijuana Anonymous (MA) formed in June 1989 to address compulsive use of cannabi ...

Narcotics Anonymous Narcotics Anonymous (NA), founded in 1953, describes itself as a "nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem." Narcotics Anonymous uses a 12-step model developed for people with varied subst ...

, Sex Addicts Anonymous * Gay Men's Forum * The L Group Many services are offered free of charge to the public: *

David Bohnett David C. Bohnett (born April 2, 1956) is an American philanthropist and technology entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of the David Bohnett Foundation, a non-profit, grant-making organization devoted to improving society through social ...

CyberCenter * David Parks LGBTQ Lending Library * Free

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

and

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...

testing for

residents * Free vaccinations for Nevada residents * Information and referrals to other local organizations and services

Noteworthy Happenings

At a pro-marriage equality rally at The Center's previous location in 2008, comedian

Wanda Sykes Wanda Yvette Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on ''The Chris Rock Show'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, ''Entertainm ...

gave a speech and came out as being in a same-sex relationship, one month after marrying her partner, Alex Niedbalski. Nevada State Senator

Kelvin Atkinson Kelvin Atkinson (born April 8, 1969) is a former Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Nevada Senate, representing Nevada's 4th Senate district, District 4. He previously served in the Nevada Assembly, representing Clark Count ...

proposed to his partner, Woody, at a rally held at The Center on Tuesday, October 7, 2014, celebrating the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision to overturn Nevada's prohibition on gay marriage. Following the legalization of

same-sex marriage in Nevada Same-sex marriage in Nevada has been legally recognized since October 9, 2014, when a federal district court judge issued an injunction against Nevada's enforcement of its same-sex marriage ban, acting on order from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appe ...

but prior to the Supreme Court's ruling granting

same-sex marriage in the United States The availability of legally recognized same-sex marriage in the United States expanded from one state (Massachusetts) in 2004 to all fifty states in 2015 through various court rulings, state legislation, and direct popular votes. States each ...

, The Center hosted its first transgender wedding ceremony on March 21, 2015, between Jazmynne Young and Mark Matthews. Oregon bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein from

Sweet Cakes by Melissa ''Klein, Sweet Cakes by Melissa, v. Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries'' was a legal case against a cake shop in Gresham, Oregon, in the United States. The cake shop gained widespread press attention in January 2013 when it turned away custome ...

, a business fined for refusing service to a lesbian couple in 2013, mailed a cake to several LGBT organizations, including The Center, in August 2015 with a heart-shaped message on top saying "We really do love you". The cake was accompanied by a DVD of the film ''Audacity'' by

Ray Comfort Ray Comfort (born 5 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born Christian minister and Evangelism, evangelist who lives in the United States. Comfort started Living Waters Publications, as well as the ministry ''The Way of the Master'', in Bellflower, ...

Vandalism

The center was vandalized twice in 2019: with an arson in June, and with a spray-painted slur in September. In response, the director of operations explained, "it energizes us to dig in deeper and really work hard to continue what we normally do. ... We want to be happy, joyous and free just like anyone else, but it requires we have to fight and work for it."

References

External links

*
"The LGBT Center's GenderSense Brought Transgender Issues to Light"
— by Mark Adams,

Las Vegas Weekly ''Las Vegas Weekly'' is a free alternative weekly newspaper based in Henderson, Nevada, covering Las Vegas arts, entertainment, culture and news. ''Las Vegas Weekly'' is published by Greenspun Media Group. The paper was founded in 1992 by James P ...

"Discussing the LGBT Center's Downtown Move with Program Director Mel Goodwin"
— by Mark Adams,

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada 1993 establishments in Nevada Buildings and structures completed in 2013 Buildings and structures in Las Vegas LGBT community centers in the United States

Programs and Services

Noteworthy Happenings

Vandalism

See also

References

External links