Whittier celebrated the grand opening of its LGBTQ+ Community Resource Center Saturday , Sept. 21, bringing together residents and city representatives, who said the long-awaited site’s services will provide much needed impacts in the region. The LGBTQ+ center is the first of its kind in southeastern Los Angeles County, aimed at filling a critical gap in care for the LGBTQ+ community for residents living in the area, leaders said.
Previously, those in the Greater Whittier area who used LGBTQ+ centers traveled to Long Beach and to Downtown Los Angeles to access resources and support. “There are people who will never step foot in that building, who will benefit from its very existence,” said John Pérez, former speaker of the state Assembly – the first openly gay speaker. “This building is the first in a community that so desperately needs it, and gives us the sense of what is possible beyond.
” Resources provided at the center include support groups, substance use disorder treatment, mental health treatment, legal assistance, age-appropriate youth programs, educational workshops, information and referral services, operated by the Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse (L.A. CADA).
It will also provide cultural programs, social events, community outreach and volunteer opportunities. Those who use the facility can access showers, washer and dryer, and a closet full of donated clothes and shoes. But proponents of the center also said part of the importance of the site lies merely in its presence, providing visibility to members of the LGBTQ+ community who might not even use its facilities.
“On Washington Boulevard, where there’s a sign “Welcome to Whittier,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “I think for many people, it wasn’t true. They did not feel welcome.
So what we’re doing here today is to make sure, in this beautiful city of Whittier, that we also have a place where they can feel welcome, no judgement. “Everyone will be able to enjoy the events and celebrations that this center will put on because as our LGBTQ+ community has taught us, when we choose joy, when we choose love, when we choose inclusion, everyone wins.” Hahn’s motion to accept millions in funding for the opening of the center was unanimously approved by the L.
A. County Board of Supervisors last October. However, the idea to build an LGBTQ+ center in Whittier was first brought up in the Whittier City Council in 2020, but was never decided on.
Then Councilman Henry Bouchot and Councilman Fernando Dutra proposed it as part of a six-point plan calling for more transparency for the Police Department and more youth and drug treatment programs. The council in July 2020 voted to find out how much it would have cost to make available the city’s old Police Department building for offices for nonprofit groups, including a LGBTQ center. Ultimately, the L.
A. County Board of Supervisors accepted $4.2 million from a state grant, which was secured by Calderon, who had suggested that money left over in the state budget could go toward a center.
The center sits in what was a vacant L.A. County building, adjacent to the Whittier Health Center.
“We are going to make sure that all of the kids and people that need support are going to get it right here in this center,” Calderon said. “Today, we stand on the shoulders of our honorees’ legacy as proof that progress is inevitable when we stand together.” The center’s opening on Saturday featured the presence of several openly gay elected officials within Los Angeles County, including Ricardo Lara, California’s insurance commissioner; Jeff Prang, Los Angeles County assessor; Mario Trujillo, mayor of Downey ; and Pérez.
Inside, their eponymous rooms for services now comprise part of the center. The center opens at a time when the county’s LGBTQ community is feeling far greater impacts from high housing costs, failed access to healthcare, unemployment and mental distress than non-LGBTQ+ residents of Los Angeles County, according to studies released in June. Results of a survey from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, including its Lived Experiences in Los Angeles County Survey, and a separate survey of transgender and nonbinary adults by the county, found the impacts were much greater for the 665,000 LGBTQ+ residents of the county compared to the general population.
On Saturday, attendees enjoyed a selection of food and music before touring the new center and learning about its facilities. Frankie Aguirre, who drove from Orange County, described feeling overwhelmed with joy when he heard about the opening of Whittier’s LGBTQ+ center. “I think it’s really important that we have things like this for the youth and for adults,” Aguirre said.
Aguirre, who doesn’t have an LGBTQ+ center where he lives, has accessed LGBTQ+ centers in Long Beach and West Hollywood, where he’s received support related to housing, employment, mental health, and food security. “I’m so happy that centers are here, because there are no resources that triggers towards the LGBTQ+ community, so I’m really grateful,” said Aguirre, who is part of LA vs. Hate , which works to protect vulnerable communities in LA County from hate crimes.
The new center will be spearheaded by Davonte Watson, a Whittier native, who has been the standing director for health services with L.A. CADA – which serves folks dealing with addiction and behavioral health issues – for nearly three years.
“When I heard about this project, I said ‘hey, pick me,’” said Watson. Watson described some of the LGBTQ+ initiatives L.A.
CADA has worked on for the last decade, including L.A. County’s first residential facility, which provides supportive housing services, and L.
A. County Rainbow Court, where trans people who are criminally justice-impacted are released to L.A.
CADA’s care. “It is an honor to know that there are public officials that see me. I am honored to be a Black gay man who stands here today to lead this initiative with you,” Watson said.
Julianna Lozada is a Southern California-based freelancer, who writes for the Southern California News Group..
