An anchor in the Milwaukee community since 1998, the LGBT Community Center is dedicated to increasing the quality of life for every member of Milwaukee’s LGBTQQIAAP community – that’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersexual, asexual, ally, and pansexual – and creating an inclusive space for anyone who walks through their doors. From clothing, counseling, and food, to art programs, yoga, and a library full of books written by queer authors, the center has resources for just about every need and every interest. Ricardo Galaviz, who manages fund development, volunteers, and events at the Center, took me on a tour of their space as he explained why the Center is so close to his heart, and how it contributes to the overall wellness of the community.
As the name would imply, everything at the Center focuses on community. While Ricardo leads me through the building, he points out gathering spaces like their cyber center, which houses computers for anyone who needs them, a large flex-space where free yoga classes take place on Tuesdays, and the Project Q space for LGBT youth, lovingly decorated by members of the program. As we keep walking, Ricardo leads me past what he calls their “Big Gay Library,” which is open to the public during regular Community Center hours, and towards their food pantry and clothing closet, both of which are judgment-free resources, available to anyone who needs them, free of charge.
One of Ricardo’s favorite things about the Center is the lack of judgment, which creates an environment where anyone can fully and freely express themselves. “I didn’t realize I wasn’t living up to my own authenticity until [I started working] here,” Ricardo admits. The LGBT Community Center is “a place where people come to discover a little bit more about themselves,” he gushes.
The Center supports Milwaukee’s LGBT community in an astounding number of ways, including their food pantry and clothing closet, as well as monthly ‘friend-raiser’ pop-ups, free Tuesday yoga, Project Q for LGBT youth, a program for the aging LGBT population, counseling services, – including Alcohol or Drug Addiction (AODA) -specific counseling – and a partnership with the Holton Street Clinic for HIV and STI testing, to name a few. “We’re working on healing the community so that we can… come together, understand our differences, [and] appreciate our differences,” Ricardo explains.
Although the US is becoming more accepting of the LGBT community, Wisconsin as a whole has marched the path to acceptance more slowly than some other states. Members of the LGBT community still disproportionately face setbacks like unemployment, mental illness, poverty, addiction, and lack of access to housing. The LGBT Community Center offers resources to help people meet these needs, such as its cyber center and résumé-building assistance, and is dedicated to expanding its offerings as required. Mental health is at the forefront of the LGBT Community Center’s mission as they focus on increasing and expanding mental health and clinical services. “We can’t create programs based on what we think our community needs,” Ricardo explains, “we base our programs and services on what our community tells us that they need.”
In addition to AODA counseling, the LGBT Community Center offers nine curriculums of training for recovered addicts to become a Peer Recovery Coach (PRC) to help others along their own journey. For some people, having a PRC to walk alongside them during the recovery process can mean the difference between rehabilitation and relapse. The LGBT Community Center is also a trauma-informed care center, which means that they provide care in a way that is sensitive to all types of trauma, and they provide training for members of the community to become certified in providing trauma-informed care. While there are other organizations in the state that offer trauma-informed care training, the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center is the only one to offer the training at no cost to the trainees, and is the only resource in the state to offer PRC training. These training opportunities help trainees to heal themselves further while serving their community.
The Center brings about wellness for the LGBT community in a number of ways, via opportunities for community involvement, individualized support, and clinical care. Having been involved with the Center since its early days in 1998, first by taking part in Project Q as a teenager, and most recently by coming on board as a staff member, Ricardo found his own wellness through volunteering with the Center. “Volunteering time, volunteering your gifts, volunteering your energy, your spirit… is very healing for a lot of people,” he tells me. “Creating a positive impact in my community became my self-care.” Now, as a full-time staff member, he enjoys “being [t]here to help people fill their cups” on a daily basis.
The LGBT Community Center is an amazing resource for coping with the heavy realities faced by many members of the LGBT Community, but it is also a place for joy and self-expression. On October 7th, the LGBT Community Center is hosting its Big Night Out gala at Discovery World, an event complete with a cocktail hour and dinner, as well as an award ceremony, entertainment, a silent auction, and more. This year, the theme is Step Out and Stand Up, with attendees encouraged to wear their most fabulous footwear while celebrating and supporting the LGBT Community Center. Additional information regarding Big Night Out can be found here. As a not-for-profit organization, the Center is largely fueled by donations and volunteers. To make a donation or get involved, visit their website or stop by their location at 315 W Court Street in Milwaukee. Ricardo emphasizes the need for community, inviting Milwaukeeans to be part of the Community Center, no matter which letter of LGBTQQIAAP they identify with most. “I want you to come into this building and feel like you belong,” he stresses, “no matter what.”
