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Who We Are & What We Do

The mission of Centre LGBT+ is to bring the community together through LGBT+ education, advocacy, and activities in the Centre County region.

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About Us

Centre LGBT+ was founded in August 2014 when a group of community members got together to discuss how we could prevent LGBT+ suicides in our area. The group decided that we wanted to create a grassroots organization centered around enhancing the lives of LGBT+ members and their friends and families.

 

Centre LGBT+ started with open-mic nights at Webster’s and a community/business fair. From there much of our growth has come as a response to community members’ requests and needs. Teenagers asked for activities - and the annual True to You youth summit was born. The ongoing Bring Your Own Queer (BYOQ) youth group followed. People asked for support groups - and Centre LGBT+ offered two - one for LGBT+ and one for loved ones of LGBT+. Drag Bingo was added, the Gayla party, movie nights, wig/makeup workshops, the “out of the closet” clothing closet, and much more. We now have our own physical location bringing you Centre County's only LGBT+ organization. We have added several sources of support, resources, social groups, and plenty of events and activities that support the work we do. Centre LGBT+ is committed to working with their neighbors to create an inclusive Centre County.

 

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We invite you to visit our Center located at 204 E Calder Way Suite 304 in downtown State College!
Hours of Operation: M-F 9am-5pm

*please refer to our events calendar for any closures/change of hours

Community Diversity Statement

Diversity is a central part of our culture and how we do work at Centre LGBT+. It’s a key to our mission to bring the community together through LGBTQA+ education, advocacy, and activities in the Centre region. Furthermore, our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is deeply rooted in our collective values as an organization.

 

We recognize that differences in age, race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, physical ability, thinking style, and background bring richness to the work we do and the results we show for our community. Such differences help us connect better with the needs of people within the communities we serve. We believe that attracting, developing, and retaining a base of leaders that reflects the diversity of our community is essential to our success. We also believe success hinges on relationships with diverse partners and professional organizations.

 

As an organization, we are genuinely committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and understand that the presence of visible diversity does not equate to being diverse and inclusive alone. We believe that a meaningful commitment to DEI requires a dual and concurrent focus on individual behaviors, organizational systems, and change.

 

We believe in a nonpartisan approach to fostering a diverse and inclusive organization. These are all embodied in our community diversity statement. Our goal is to attract, develop and retain the best and brightest community members and partners from all walks of life and backgrounds. This requires our organization to have a culture of inclusion where all individuals feel respected, are treated fairly, and have an opportunity to have their voices heard.

Centre LGBT+ is committed to working with our neighbors to create an inclusive and equitable Centre County. We continue to partner with a wide variety of organizations to foster cooperation and improve the lives of all vulnerable individuals in our community.

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We invite you to visit our Center located at 204 E Calder Way Suite 304 in downtown State College!

Hours of Operation: M-F 9am-5pm 

Our Board & Staff

Kerry W. She/Her: Board Chair
Kevin K. He/Him: Board Vice Chair, Pride Chair
Fermin A. He/Him: Board Recorder, PR Co-Chair
Rafael A. He/Him: Board, Advocacy Chair
Michel L.G. She/Her: Board, PR Co-Chair
Glenda P. She/Her: Board, Events Chair
Sharon D.B. She/Her: Board
Evan W., He/Him: Board
Sonya W., She/Her: Board
Cat C. She/Her: Executive Director
Chloe E. She/They: Executive Assistant
Erin M. They/Them: After School Program Coordinator
Sabrina L. She/Her: Center Staff
Alejandra M. G. She/Her: Center Staff
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