The San Diego LGBT Community Center held its 40th Anniversary Gala at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel last Saturday. Approximately 1,000 community members and supporters gathered to celebrate The Center’s ruby anniversary.
The idea of The Center was born after New York’s 1969 Stonewall riots. The founders envisioned a gathering place where the community could go to find services that were often difficult to obtain at that time due to discrimination. The San Diego LGBT Center’s first home was out of a rented house on 2250 B Street in Golden Hill. Funds for its initial operations were raised with the help of local bars/clubs and the Metropolitan Community Church.
Gala attendees mixed and mingled while taking in breathtaking bay views during the cocktail hour prior to the dinner held in the Sapphire Room. There was a silent auction, which included items from the Catamaran Resort Hotel, Disneyland Resorts, Alaska Airlines, to personal makeup and photography sessions. In addition, one-hour lunches with local officials including Interim Mayor Todd Gloria, Congresswoman Susan Davis, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Assemblymember Lorena Gonzales were also up for bids.
As the doors opened for the three-course meal celebration, guests enjoyed tunes from modern jazz singer songwriter Spencer Day. San Diego LGBT Center Co-Chairs Dale Kelly Bankhead and Richard Valdez welcomed the crowd and thanked all the sponsors and community partners for their contributions. Military personnel were asked to stand up and the crowd applauded passionately, grateful for their service. A slide presentation with statistics of services provided by The Center was shown on the projector. It highlighted more than 50,000 direct service visits and programs provided by The Center to the community.
A video of the chair and board of directors through the years reminded the audience that The Center is more than a building, for many it was their first home in San Diego. “It’s just not The Center, it’s the center of our community,” said The Center’s director of development Brandon Tate. “This world where I, as a gay man from Louisiana, can move to San Diego armed with the belief that no opportunity will be kept from me just because I’m gay,” continued Tate. “It’s a world that exists because of you. I could not be here tonight if it were not for the work of The Center and the work of so many of you over the past four decades.” He also reminded the audience that the work is ongoing as LGBT seniors are still denied services they need, HIV services are still needed and LGBT youth remain discriminated against and isolated.
The night continued at the Club 73 After Party presented by Viejas Casino and Resort. Guests were entertained by a live band, dance floor and table games. Long-time ally and donor Elaine Graybill remembers, “Forty years ago when I think about its humble origins, I think about our beautiful art deco building and how The Center is the home for the LGBT community and for those of us who are straight allies. We’ve come a very long way from our modest beginnings. Everyone should give their support and be a donor.”
Interim Mayor Todd Gloria was also in attendance and spoke fondly about how The Center affected his life and even helped shape his career in public service. “I’m really proud to have had the opportunity to serve on the board of directors of The Center for a number of years. I feel like it really prepared me to serve on the City Council. I learned a great deal about the community. I learned about running a large organization and learned just a lot of skills that became helpful in the work I do today. For the community, this is our town hall. This is where we come together in good times and in bad and work to move our cause forward. The Center has been there for 40 years and it’s an amazing thing. I think it’s a real testament to the leadership we have. Under Dr. Delores Jacobs, The Center continues to thrive.” He observed that many non-profit organizations are not in similar situations but he believes the prominence of The Center is evidence of the direction and guidance of the board and staff members. “It’s a great night!”
