Diversity Spotlight: LGBT Center of Raleigh Creates a Safe Space for All Members of the Community to Thrive

The LGBT Center of Raleigh has been building a safe, welcoming community for LBGTQ youth and families for decades. The in-person focus of the organization was hit hard by the pandemic, but staff, volunteers and members have made new virtual ties and are looking forward to the future of gathering together again. And they’re kicking things off with Raleigh’s largest pride event on June 25!

Celebrating Raleigh’s Diverse Community

The LGBT Center serves people throughout the Research Triangle, offering programs, resources, and a place, as board member Harold Davis says, to “build their chosen family.” People from all walks of life can find support at the center, especially those who may not have found support elsewhere. The center acts as both an educational resource and a recreational outlet to meet people and socialize within the community.

Although the center is open to people of all ages, it’s the only organization in the area to focus on supporting LGBTQ youth. The center offers resources to help them navigate the world and find community, whether they’re just coming out or have been out for years. The center can also connect them to other community organizations that offer spiritual, health and employment support. The center’s ASPYRE Youth Leadership Camp teaches leadership skills, giving participants a sense of family and role models that reflect them. The goal of the program, like so many of the center’s youth initiatives, is to help young people grow up feeling empowered that they can control their own futures and instill in them the idea that they can be leaders in their community.

For adults, the center is a place to meet and connect with others in a fun, welcoming setting. From potlucks to art exhibits to drop-in coffee, the center is a gathering place for Raleigh’s LGBTQ community. It’s also a great way for people moving to the area to get involved and meet their neighbors. Harold has been involved with the center for more than 10 years and has made lifelong friends through his experiences, from attending events together to “dropping in for coffee to chat and just be a community.”   

Advocacy is a big focus for the center. Just as it offers educational services for people within the LGBTQ community, it works to inform those outside the community as well, helping friends, family and the general public become better allies. While hosting programs for older adults on things like investments, retirement and the health care system, center staff also reach out to assisted living facilities and nursing homes to make sure they can support their LGBTQ residents. When seeking senior housing, almost half of LGBT couples recently reported receiving adverse treatment, and a third feared having to re-closet themselves. The LGBT Center helps senior living organizations understand what LGBTQ means and how to support the unique considerations members of this community may face as they get older, including being less likely to have children to care for them and more likely to have battled social stigma or discrimination.

Creating Ways to Stay Connected

Although the pandemic put a hold on in-person events, center members still found ways to connect, even hosting a virtual karaoke event. They held virtual drop-in hangouts and meetings to keep up the sense of community so many had found through the center. Isolation was already something many in the community faced before the pandemic, and losing in-person interactions and spaces to gather increased those feelings. The center quickly pivoted to provide online services to keep all of its members connected. Though their virtual model, they found they could provide the same support and reach out to even more people to help them get through this difficult time.

Once it was safe to do so, the center began hosting outdoor events to bring people back together. To respect everyone’s health and safety, especially members of the community who may be immunocompromised, the center has carefully and intentionally created a path toward holding in-person events again. They’re working toward resuming drop-ins and other in-person opportunities soon, starting with the upcoming Out! Raleigh Festival.

The center is also growing its physical presence to serve more people. They’ve built one of the largest LGBTQ libraries in North Carolina that acts not only as a resource for the community, but also a place to socialize with others. And they’re always working to create new programs, push more advocacy efforts and expand their reach to help Raleigh’s LGBTQ community thrive.

Looking to the Future With Hope and Pride

When asked how people and organizations can contribute to the center, Harold stressed that donations do so much to further their efforts. Funding allows them to provide more services and continue their advocacy work in the greater community. Harold says that although the LBGTQ community has made great strides in past generations, there are still barriers for today’s young people. Discrimination and bigotry against groups within the community, particularly the trans community, still exist. Donations help them educate and inform to create a welcoming community that accepts and values everyone.

Another way you can help is to bring the center’s mission into your environment. For business leaders, this could mean offering training for employees so they’re aware of LGBTQ issues and can ensure they’re creating an inclusive workplace. It could also mean putting policies in place to recognize the benefits of a diverse workforce – perspectives gained from different backgrounds lead to a better work environment and help the company as a whole.

This mission is gaining momentum thanks to the LGBT Center’s tireless work to create spaces where everyone can feel safe to be themselves and find comradery and support. We commend our Raleigh Partner Day Peake for his work on the ground to promote the center’s goals.

Harold said that Pride Month is a celebration of everything that’s happened for the LGBTQ community in the last 50+ years, as well as a celebration of what will happen in the future. We’re grateful that this Pride Month and every month, we can celebrate the LGBT Center’s progress and look forward to the great things they’ll accomplish in the years to come.