Last week you met Shayla, a young trans woman who found out that a positive test result didn’t mean an automatic death sentence. Shayla is one of hundreds that come to the Center looking for critical health services, and more importantly, an affirming place to feel at home and supported. But there are dozens more who need our help.
That’s why we also lend our voice. Especially in the 50th year since the Stonewall Riots of 1969, we stand up, show up, and organize our community to represent the many we help and the many more we wish to help. Speaking out and providing engagement opportunities to support LGBTQ people is a core component of the Center’s mission… and elevating voices is an integral part of that effort.
Your community center is dedicated to amplifying the diverse perspectives of our community. As such, we’ve created “Queer Voices,” a program that features distinct narratives far and wide. Thus far, rehearsals have been a very therapeutic space for some of our members. We have folks from our transitional living program house who were shy and quiet and have now truly blossomed as performers. We have another performer who felt that they needed to censor themselves and their story because it wasn’t a “typical trans narrative.” Since then they have created a truly powerful spoken word piece about their life. We have two youth (13 and 14) who are our youngest members and a powerful spoken word duo. We couldn’t be more proud!
We spend rehearsal talking about our life experiences, mental health, trauma, coming out, and we use that time to affirm and support one another as folks put their most intense candid emotions into their art. Queer Voices has received a lot of positive feedback from our audiences- but we’re most excited about the affirming journey our performers have gone through. To us, our performers and ensuring this has been an empowering space for them was our number one priority! Check it out here.
This type of work can’t be done without your support and commitment. Your donation on Big Day of Giving allows us to give a voice for the voiceless. Building bridges and mobilizing folks who wish to join us is a vital part of our work, and helps us provide more focused and quality services to those who still need our help. Join us and our partners to raise awareness about critical healthcare and social justice priorities for the LGBTQ community and all communities impacted by the current administration.
Your donation on Big Day of Giving (or today!) not only allows us to support the health and wellness of the most marginalized, advocate for equality and justice, and build a culturally rich LGBTQ community, but supports our longer term vision of a Sacramento region where LGBTQ people thrive.