Blog
Connect with our community through stories, tips, and a sneak peek at what we do behind the scenes.
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month: Fostering Healing and Connection for the LGBTQ+ Community — By James Lindquist
July marks National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to shining a spotlight on the mental health challenges faced by underrepresented communities. Established in honor of Bebe Moore Campbell, this observance aims to raise awareness about mental health disparities among minorities and promote equitable access to mental health care. Among these communities, LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly those from minority backgrounds, face unique mental health challenges that require targeted support and intervention.
The Antidote to Shame — By Esther Loewen
Pride is an adaptive response to shame.To grow up queer in America is to grow up under the shadow of shame. From our first moments, we are barraged with implicit and explicit messages of heteronormativity, cisnormativity, and patriarchal hierarchy. When a young person feels urges to deviate from standard gender or sexual expression, frequently the resulting emotion is a guttural sense of misalignment with one’s community. This is shame, and its voice can sound threatening to our very existence, like self-hatred, like unrelenting “what-ifs”, and it can stick with us well into old age.
Harnessing the Power of Words
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and as we take this time to discuss and reflect on mental wellbeing, it’s important that we carry with compassion and intention the language we speak into the world. Our choice of words has remarkable power – a power to uplift or to tear down, to heal or to harm. It is our decision to use words either as a balm or a weapon.
Beyond Fitting In: The Importance of Finding Places of Belonging
In our journey through life, we often find ourselves seeking spaces where we feel we “fit in.” Whether it’s a social group, a workplace, or a club of like-minded people, the desire to
belong is a fundamental aspect of human nature. However, there’s a deeper level of fulfillment that comes from finding places where we truly belong rather than just fitting in.
The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert’s Red Dress Dress Red Dance Party
Nine years ago, The LGBT Community Center of the Desert decided to host its own version of a party that has its origins in Portland, LA, and other major metropolitan areas for a couple decades. The theme: RED. Everyone in red wear, or at least your best attempt at red chic, as a symbol of unity, solidarity, and community.
Be a Kind Traveler
As a proud partner with Kind Traveler, The Center invites our community to explore exclusive offers from Kind Traveler’s socially conscious collection of hotels and an opportunity to give back and support our mission. Kind Traveler is the first Give + Get hotel booking platform that empowers travelers to make a positive impact in the communities they visit. 100% of donations go to The Center.
What does “Queer” mean? Why are younger generations reclaiming the word Queer?
Although the term “queer” has been around for a while, the perception and meaning has evolved as of late… For many, the term Queer is a resistance to the pressure to conform or categorize to one identity. Some people might think that this sounds counterintuitive: use a term to not use a term?
What is Trans Day of Remembrance?
November 20th is the annual Trans Day of Remembrance, and we invite you all to honor trans individuals who we have lost. Although they have passed, the Trans Day of Remembrance (sometimes called TDOR) is a day to celebrate trans individuals and their powerful contributions.
Meet the New AmeriCorps Members at the LGBTQ Community Center
This year, the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert has taken on two members from Equality California, Dorra Azizi and Sofia St. John, who have been so excited to join The Center’s team for the year. Read on to learn about Dorra and Sofia, and their experience menntoring the LGBTQ+ youth at The Center!
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