Mission & Values

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center (The Center) was established in 1983 at the height of the AIDS crisis to provide a safe and affirming place for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers to respond to the urgent threats facing the community. Over the past 40 years, The Center has grown to meet the changing needs of New York’s LGBTQ+ community. Operating in-person and virtually, we provide recovery and wellness programs, economic advancement initiatives, family and youth support, advocacy, arts and cultural programming, and space for community organizing, connection, and celebration.

Our Mission

Empowering LGBTQ+ people and building a strong community. New York City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center empowers people to lead healthy, successful lives. The Center celebrates diversity and advocates for justice and opportunity.

Our Values

At The Center, we work to ensure our values are reflected in each of our programs and policies, in our culture, and in our decisions.

We acknowledge that certain communities have been historically neglected or harmed by racism, transphobia, sexism, and poverty. This includes LGBTQ+ people who are Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), transgender, poor/working-class, living with HIV/AIDS, immigrants, and/or youth. We center these communities in all of our work and remain committed to serving all members of the LGBTQ+ community.

At The Center, We Value:

Racial, Gender, and Economic Justice

We work toward LGBTQ+ liberation by disrupting systems of oppression affecting BIPOC LGBTQ+ people. We work to strengthen the personal economies of LGBTQ+ people who have long been prevented from generating wealth. We work to disrupt the systemic racism, sexism, and economic injustices keeping BIPOC, gender nonconforming, and poor people from living healthy and successful lives.

A Community-Driven Approach

The needs and experiences of our Centered Communities fuel our work.

Collaboration

We work together with one another and with our Centered Communities, not in competition or in isolation.

Healing & Joy

We celebrate the beauty, strength, and need for rest that live within us and our communities. We strive for The Center to always be a safe space of refuge from an unjust world.

Our Story

Hear first-hand about The Center's work and how we support and empower the LGBTQ+ community.