| New Project Gives Youth Starring Role |
Welcome to the Center
Since 1971 the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center has been building the health, advocating for the rights and enriching the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
The Center's wide array of services includes: free HIV/AIDS care and medications for those most in need; housing, food, clothing and support for homeless LGBT youth; support and advocacy services for LGBT seniors and LGBT-parented families.
The Center also offers low-cost counseling and addiction-recovery services; legal services; health education and HIV prevention programs; transgender services; a cultural arts program and much more.
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A group of 14 LGBT youth who are budding
filmmakers are finding their place in the spotlight through OutSet: The
Young Filmmakers Project.
A collaborative project of the Center and Outfest,
OutSet is giving these film students the opportunity to produce their
own short films with the guidance of seasoned professionals.
Weeks of writing, rewriting, filming, acting and editing will culminate with their world premieres.
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Their first drafts will be screened on Saturday, March 24 at The Village as part of Fusion, the LGBT people of color film festival. Their finished films will be shown at Outfest in July.
Read the full story from our Vanguard newsletter to learn more about the OutSet program, and check out the March issue of Vanguard on Tumblr to learn more about the many ways LifeWorks helps LGBT youth thrive.
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Dale Guy Madison, 53, and James Allen, 16, met through the Center’s LifeWorks youth development program, which trains adults and matches them with a young LGBT person for one year of mentoring. Mentors help youth set and achieve goals related to home, health, education, career and personal development.
Vanguard sat down with the Madison and Allen to talk about how the program has changed each of their lives.
What’s special about your connection with each other?
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Allen: I love him to death. I call him my dad. Not only is he a positive gay male role model, but he’s also a great father figure. That makes me wonder if I did have a real dad, what would my father be like? I don’t know my real father.
Madison [crying]: Not having any kids, I’ve always wanted to be able to do for kids what my dad didn’t do for me. James is so comfortable in his sexuality and so unashamed.
I just want him to grow up and be a happy gay person, so that’s my goal for him—to be happy and safe.
Read the full Vanguard story.
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