BY PAULO MURILLO
LOS ANGELES
CYNTHIA ERIVO, JADA PINKETT SMITH, LENA WAITHE & OTHERS HELP LA LGBT CENTER RAISE $1.6M
The Los Angeles LGBT Center raised $1.6M to support its lifeline services and advocacy benefiting the LGBTQ+ community during The Center Gala at the Shrine Auditorium last month.
Nearly 900 supporters came together as the Center honored Cynthia Erivo, Mickalene Thomas, and MUNA for their contributions to the LGBTQ+ community.
Celebs at the event included Jada Pinkett Smith, Lena Waithe, Joel Kim Booster and others.
The Los Angeles LGBT Center uses funds raised by its annual Gala to support its holistic model of care—services that are accessed more than 500,000 times per year by LGBTQ+ people.
WEST HOLLYWOOD
GYM BAR GETS REVAMPED UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP
Gym Sportsbar Bar & Grill is under new ownership, and the West Hollywood gay bar located at 8919 Santa Monica Blvd is undergoing renovations. New owners Erik Braverman and his husband, Jonathan Cottrell will make improvements in phases. The bar closed for a week to repaint and replace tables. They may need to close off sections being remodeled to their liking.
Braverman, the openly gay senior vice president of the Los Angeles Dodgers, his husband Cottrell, and other investors under Bravecoot Ventures LLC, acquired Gym Sportsbar and Grill in West Hollywood back in March (also known as Gym Bar). Braverman and Cottrell are West Hollywood residents. They both exchanged vows in front of close friends and family at Dodgers Stadium in January 2022.
PALM SPRINGS
PLANS FOR CHICK-FIL-A SPARKS OUTRAGE
A Chick-fil-A is currently under consideration in gay-friendly Palm Springs, and community members are outraged. Angry residents are looking to block the famously devout company that was once known for donating to anti-LGBTQ causes. According to residents the 5,635 square-foot project with a three-lane drive-through, as well as an indoor and outdoor seating area is slated to set up shop at 5200 Ramon Road. Palm Springs Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein stated that the City welcomes new businesses and economic development. He also said that Chick-fil-A’s plans to move into Palm Springs are on hold while the new tenant finalizes lease terms.
SAN DIEGO
SAN DIEGO TO OPEN FIRST HOMELESS YOUTH LGBTQ+ SHELTER
San Diego is opening its very first permanent shelter for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness. The San Diego LGBT Community Center, San Diego Youth Services and the YMCA of San Diego County will operate the shelter. About 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ+ in San Diego. Nearly 30% of LGBTQ youth report experiencing homelessness or housing instability at some point in their lives nationwide, which puts them at an increased risk for mental health issues. If permits are approved, construction is expected to be complete in late December of this year or early January 2025.
LONG BEACH
BILLIONAIRE PHILANTHROPIST AWARDS LGBTQ CENTER $2.3M GRANT
Billionaire philanthropist Mackenzie Scott, awarded The LGBTQ Center Long Beach with a $2.3 million grant to support its services, programs, and advocacy for the city’s LGBTQ community. Scott became a billionaire after divorcing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2019. She has donated more than $17 billion to more than 2,300 nonprofit organizations through Yield Giving since then. The center is just one of 340 other organizations across the country to receive grant funding from Scott.
