Founded | 1999 |
---|---|
Focus | Runaway, homeless and at-risk LGBTQ youth |
Location | |
Area served | Southeast Michigan |
Services | Drop-in center, street outreach program, transitional living, and emergency housing shelter |
Key people | Mark Erwin, executive director [1] [2] |
Website | www |
The Ruth Ellis Center (REC) is a social services agency in the Detroit area that serves the needs of runaway, homeless and at-risk lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) youth. REC is named in honor of the life and work of Ruth Ellis, who was an African-American lesbian from Detroit known for her service to people in need.
The Ruth Ellis Center operates five main programs: Youth Programs (Health, Equity, and Outreach, formally Drop-In; and Center for Lesbian Queer Women & Girls or CLQ), Supportive Housing, Integrated Health Services, Community-Based Family Support Services, and the Ruth Ellis Institute.
A group of community activists including John Allen, Kofi Adoma, [3] and Courtney Wilson - founded the Ruth Ellis Center in 1999, [4] the same year Ruth Ellis celebrated her 100th birthday. In September 2000, the then-101-year-old Ellis attended the grand opening of the center's first phase, a drop-in center for at-risk youth. [5]
Wanda Sykes has been an outspoken supporter of the organization after the staff sent her a letter asking her to visit during her 2010 tour's stop in Detroit. [6] [7] [4]
In January 2022, it opened the 44,000-square-foot (4,100 m2) Ruth Ellis Clairmount Center, a center for LGBT people aged 13 to 30, including housing and educational facilities. It cost approximately $15 million. [8] [9]
Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity.
Wanda Yvette Sykes is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on The Chris Rock Show, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America. She is also known for her recurring roles on CBS' The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–10), and HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001–2011). She received Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series nominations for her roles in ABC's Black-ish (2015–2022), and Amazon's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2020). She currently stars in the Netflix original series The Upshaws (2021–), the HBO Max comedy series The Other Two (2019–2023), and The Good Fight (2021).
LGBTQ culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. It is sometimes referred to as queer culture, LGBT culture, and LGBTQIA culture, while the term gay culture may be used to mean either "LGBT culture" or homosexual culture specifically.
Ruth Charlotte Ellis was an African-American woman known for being an LGBT rights activist and the oldest surviving open lesbian at the age of 101. Her life is celebrated in Yvonne Welbon's documentary film Living With Pride: Ruth C. Ellis @ 100.
The Los Angeles LGBT Center is a provider of programs and services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The organization's work spans four categories, including health, social services, housing, and leadership and advocacy. The center is the largest facility in the world providing services to LGBT people.
Howard Brown Health is a nonprofit LGBTQ healthcare and social services provider that was founded in 1974. It is based in Chicago and was named after Howard Junior Brown.
Many retirement issues for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBTQ) and intersex people are unique from their non-LGBTI counterparts and these populations often have to take extra steps addressing their employment, health, legal and housing concerns to ensure their needs are met. Throughout the United States, "2 million people age 50 and older identify as LGBT, and that number is expected to double by 2030", estimated in a study done by the Institute for Multigenerational Health at the University of Washington. In 1969, the Stonewall Riots marked the start of the modern gay rights movement and increasingly LGBTQ+ people have become more visible and accepted into mainstream cultures. LGBTQ+ elders and retirees are still considered a newer phenomenon creating challenges and opportunities as a range of aging issues are becoming more understood as those who live open lives redefine commonly held beliefs and as retirees newly come out of the closet.
Wanda Alston was an American feminist, LGBT activist, and a government official. She was born in Newport News, Virginia.
CenterLink is an American LGBT organisation which was founded in 1994 as a member-based coalition to support the development of strong, sustainable, LGBTQ community centers.
Equality Michigan is an American civil rights, advocacy and anti-violence organization serving Michigan's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) community. Equality Michigan serves Michigan's LGBT community through victims services, lobbying on behalf of the LGBT community, public education on LGBT issues, and organizing Michigan's largest LGBT events such as Motor City Pride. The organization is a founding member of the Equality Federation.
LGBT Detroit is a Michigan nonprofit organization serving the African American lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) population of Detroit, and nearby communities.
The LGBT community in Metro Detroit is centered in Ferndale, Michigan, as of 2007. As of 1997, many LGBT people live in Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, and Royal Oak. Model D stated in 2007 that there are populations of gays and lesbians in some Detroit neighborhoods such as East English Village, Indian Village, Lafayette Park, and Woodbridge and that the concentration of gay bars in Detroit is "decentralized".
Research shows that a disproportionate number of homeless youth in the United States identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, or LGBT. Researchers suggest that this is primarily a result of hostility or abuse from the young people's families leading to eviction or running away. In addition, LGBT youth are often at greater risk for certain dangers while homeless, including being the victims of crime, risky sexual behavior, substance use disorders, and mental health concerns.
Ruby Corado is an activist who founded Casa Ruby, a bilingual, multicultural LGBT organization in Washington, D.C. Established in 2012, Casa Ruby identifies its mission as "to create success life stories among Transgender, Genderqueer, and Gender Non-conforming Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual people." In July 2022, Corado was accused of mismanagement of Casa Ruby, which forced the organization to cease operations.
Affirmations is a Michigan nonprofit community center serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) population of Ferndale, Michigan, and nearby communities.
The Ali Forney Center (AFC), based in New York City, is the largest LGBT community center helping LGBTQ homeless youth in the United States. The AFC both manages and develops transitional housing for its clients. AFC helps approximately 2,000 youth clients each year, primarily between sixteen and twenty-four years old. AFC is named after Ali Forney, a transgender youth who was murdered in New York in 1997.
The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, known to most simply as The Center, is a nonprofit organization located in Las Vegas, Nevada, that has served the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community since 1993. The splendid building and the land on which it sits were accomplished following a very generous bequest by Las Vegas educator and businessman Robert L. Forbuss. The idea and scope of the project was suggested to Forbuss by his two closest friends, Las Vegas physicians Jerry L. Cade and Dennis M. Causey. In 2013, The Center moved into the new Robert L. Forbuss Building in Downtown Las Vegas and began also serving the low to moderate income residents of the area. Programs and services are generally free to the public. The Center is a member of Centerlink, the national membership organization for LGBT centers.
The Montrose Center is an LGBTQ community center located in Houston, Texas, in the United States. The organization provides an array of programs and services for the LGBTQ community, including mental and behavioral health, anti-violence services, support groups, specialized services for youth, seniors, and those living with HIV, community meeting space, and it now operates the nation's largest LGBTQ-affirming, affordable, senior living center in the nation, the Law Harrington Senior Living Center. It is a member of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. It is in Neartown (Montrose).