Los Angeles LGBT Center


The Los Angeles LGBT Center is a provider of programs and services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The organization's work spans four categories, including health, social services, housing, and leadership and advocacy. The Center is the largest facility in the world providing services to LGBT people.

History

The Center was founded in 1969, by gay and lesbian rights activists Morris Kight and Don Kilhefner, along with other activists. Originally called The Gay Community Services Center, the original center was located in an old Victorian house on Wilshire Boulevard and was the first non-profit in America to have the word "gay" in its name. In 1998, the organization named its library the Judith Light Library after one of its benefactors, actress Judith Light. The current CEO is Lorri Jean.
On October 2, 2010, the Center became the recipient of a $13.3 million, five-year grant from the federal United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Children, Youth and Families in order to create a model program for LGBTQ youth in foster care. It was the largest-ever grant by the federal government to an LGBT organization, and the only grant out of six total grants that did not go to a government agency or academic institution.
In 2016, Holly Woodlawn's estate founded the Holly Woodlawn Memorial Fund for Transgender Youth at the Center, to benefit some of the Center's programs, including Trans Pride L.A., Trans* Lounge, Transgender Economic Empowerment Project, and trans health care services. Woodlawn was transgender herself.

Services

;Health
;Social services and housing
;Culture and education
;Leadership and advocacy
The Los Angeles LGBT Center operates facilities in seven Los Angeles, CA locations: