Date | 1995 |
---|---|
Duration | Annual |
Location | Hayward, California, United States |
Theme | LGBT youth dance |
Organized by | Ken Athey |
The Hayward Gay Prom is an annual "anti-prom" for LGBTQ youth founded in 1995 in Hayward, California, United States. [1]
One of the oldest running gay proms in the United States, it was founded in 1995 by Ken Athey and Project Eden/Lambda Youth, a local LGBT youth mental health organization. [2] It was initially held at Centennial Hall and currently at Chabot College. [3]
Students from 14 to 20 years old may attend the event. [1] Local LGBTQ organizations provide support and conduct outreach, and parents are encouraged to attend and support their children. [1] In 2014, the director for Project Eden predicted more than 300 youth would attend, [3] stating:
[Gay prom] is needed because the young people need a place to go to where they feel safe and accepted. [4]
A documentary film on the prom, Now We Can Dance: The Story of the Hayward Gay Prom, was created and shown at the 2013 San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Since its inception the event has attracted violent protest and bomb threats, requiring police and community protection. [4] Attendees have been subject to harassment by teachers and other students due to their participation. After moving to Chabot College the number of protesters eventually declining to zero in 2014. [4]
A gay village, also known as a gayborhood, is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establishments, such as gay bars and pubs, nightclubs, bathhouses, restaurants, boutiques, and bookstores.
Hayward is a city located in Alameda County, California, United States, in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area, and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 36th most populous municipality in California. It is included in the San Francisco–Oakland–San Jose Metropolitan Statistical Area by the US Census. It is located primarily between Castro Valley, San Leandro and Union City, and lies at the eastern terminus of the San Mateo–Hayward Bridge. The city was devastated early in its history by the 1868 Hayward earthquake. From the early 20th century until the beginning of the 1980s, Hayward's economy was dominated by its now defunct food canning and salt production industries.
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Hayward Area Historical Society (HAHS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to documenting the history of the city of Hayward, California and adjacent communities. These areas include San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, Castro Valley, Fairview, the former communities of Russell City, Mount Eden, Schafer Park, and other parts of unincorporated Alameda County. The society was founded in 1956. Their museum in Downtown Hayward closed in 2012. Their new facility opened nearby in 2014.
E. Guy Warren Hall, commonly known as Warren Hall, was a 13-story building at California State University, East Bay. It was the signature building of the campus in Hayward, California, overlooking the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The building was visible from cities throughout the Bay Area, and served as a landmark for Hayward and the East Bay. It was the tallest building in Hayward at the time, followed by the abandoned City Center Building in downtown Hayward.
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