 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Sally Huffer | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 17, 1965 Elgin, Illinois (USA) |
| Residence(s) | Houston, Texas (USA) |
| Alma mater | Columbia College Chicago |
| Profession | Broadcast Communication, Community Project Specialist |
Sally Huffer (born September 17, 1965) is an American LGBT activist that resides in Houston (Texas, USA).
Huffer was born and raised in the middle class community of Elgin, Illinois — a suburb of Chicago. As a child, Huffer was active in YWCA, Camp Fire Girls, and did volunteering at nursing homes around the community. Huffer has a twin sister, along with an older and younger brother. They, like Huffer, all work for nonprofit organizations and she credits their upbringing and childhood as a major driving force for employment in the nonprofit sector.
Huffer moved to Houston in 1994 to serve as the Vice President and Operation Manager of USA Broadcasting of Houston, Inc. She remained in this position until 1999, when her position was cut to facilitate the merging of the station. Shortly after the move, she began to volunteer for various organizations including the Houston Society of Performing Arts, America's Promise, in addition to logging in over 1000 service hours with the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
In the mid-1990s, when Huffer moved to Houston, she became deeply involved in gay and lesbian organizations. Huffer cites the culture shock and shift in tone in regards to GLBT issues as a primary reason for becoming drawn into advocacy.
In 1996, she became active in Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), where she worked on the membership committee and subsequently served as membership coordinator. She sat on the board of the Gay Men's Chorus for two years helping to bring on an Executive Director and make critical changes to the organization. Additionally, she has served on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), coordinating Banned Book Week and helping to ensure the ACLU had a presence in the Houston Pride Parade. Huffer's involvement in the ACLU stemmed from her background in broadcasting, as she is a strong supporter of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and women's right. Although she no longer works closely with the organization, she is still a supporter of the ACLU's mission.
Huffer became involved with the Montrose Counseling Center (MCC) while organizing a successful fundraiser for the ACLU having little help and resources. The Executive Director of the MCC observed Huffer's hard work and encouraged her to apply for a position at MCC. She was subsequently hired by MCC in August 2000 in the marketing and fundraising departments and now serves as the Community Project Specialist for the center. MCC specifically focuses on the needs of the GLBT community, by providing both psychological and behavioral assistance. [1] In response to the lack of mental health services, MCC established a number of programs, many of which Huffer is involved in, to help empower the LGBT community. At MCC, Sally is involved with the HATCH program, which deals with LGBT and questioning youth and SPRY, which is a program that helps GLBT senior citizens deal with issues of home and health assistance. Huffer also works with MCC's antiviolence program, which provides resources and assistance for victims of bias and hate crimes, sexual assault, and domestic violence in addition to the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard, a 24-hour crisis hotline. In addition to training individuals for the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard, she helps maintain contact and referrals among LGBT organizations in the community.
Huffer currently sits on the board of Kindred Spirits Foundation Inc., an organization that raises money and awareness for various women's groups. Kindred Spirits was formed in response to the closing of a popular bar and hub for Houston's lesbian community. [2]
Huffer's involvement with The Conference of the Futures of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders, Intersexed, Questioning and Allied Residents of the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area [3] (Futures Conference) aimed to address solutions to combat homelessness in Houston. In addition, Huffer has been an advocate for providing GLBT, homeless youth with LGBT and LGBT-friendly families to not only help teens, but to curb the homeless rate in the Neartown area of Houston. [4]
In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Huffer played a role in providing resources and shelter for displaced gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals through MCC. [5] In November 2005, she was interviewed by SATYA Magazine in which she noted a major concern was the sexual orientation and gender based discrimination faced in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Red Cross shelters. To help with relocation, housing assistance, and HIV/AIDS care, MCC, through the help of Huffer, provided case management tools, [5] started support groups, coordinated a housing database, [6] and modified the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard to meet the needs of those displaced. [5]
In her spare time, Huffer is active with the Houston GLBT Community Center, Gulf Coast Archive and Museum, and has written for OutSmart Magazine, a Houston magazine for the gay, lesbian, and transgender community. In addition, she edited the Houston Press' "Best of Houston" editions in 2000 [7] and 2001. [8]
Queer Nation is an LGBTQ activist organization founded in March 1990 in New York City, by HIV/AIDS activists from ACT UP. The four founders were outraged at the escalation of anti-gay violence on the streets and prejudice in the arts and media. The group is known for its confrontational tactics, its slogans, and the practice of outing.
LGBT culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. It is sometimes referred to as queer culture, while the term gay culture may be used to mean "LGBT culture" or to refer specifically to homosexual culture.
COLAGE is an organization created in 1990 by the children of several lesbian and gay parents and guardians who felt a need for support.
The Utah Pride Center (UPC) is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization in Salt Lake City. It provides services, events and activities to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Utah. The center manages annual and ongoing projects including the Utah Pride Festival.
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.
Keshet is a national grassroots organization with offices in Boston, New York, and the San Francisco Bay Area that works for the full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Jews in Jewish life. Led and supported by LGBTQ Jews and straight allies, Keshet offers resources, training, and technical assistance to create inclusive Jewish communities nationwide. Keshet produced the documentary Hineini: Coming Out in a Jewish High School and companion curriculum.
Cristina E. Martinez is a nationally recognized community activist, business owner and non-profit volunteer and the CEO of Mad Clik, Inc., a corporation in Texas. Openly lesbian, she is the owner and publisher of Gay & Lesbian Rainbow Pages, President of "MD Marketing & Advertising", and co-owner of Rainbow Graphics, a graphic design firm whose focus is to produce effective ad campaigns that cater to and target the LGBT community.
Switchboard is the second-oldest LGBT+ telephone helpline in the United Kingdom, launched the day after Edinburgh Befrienders.
The GLBT Historical Society maintains an extensive collection of archival materials, artifacts and graphic arts relating to the history of LGBT people in the United States, with a focus on the LGBT communities of San Francisco and Northern California.
The Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History, Inc. (GCAM) is an LGBT history organization located in Houston. It was previously in Neartown.
The Houston GLBT Community Center was a community center for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies in the Houston metropolitan area and southeast Texas. Its last location was in the Dow School building in the Sixth Ward of Houston.
The Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus is the South's oldest civil rights organization dedicated solely to the advancement of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights. It was founded in 1975, and is the largest LGBTQ political organization in the city of Houston and Harris County. It is known locally simply as "The Caucus". The Caucus is nonpartisan and endorses candidates on the basis of their support for LGBTQ rights, regardless of political party or candidate's sexual orientation.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Aggies is an officially recognized student group at Texas A&M University. Originally known as Gay Student Services (GSS) and later as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Aggies, the organization was officially recognized by Texas A&M University in 1985 after a lengthy court battle.
In the post-Stonewall era, the role of libraries in providing information and services to LGBTQ individuals has been a topic of discussion among library professionals. Libraries can often play an important role for LGBTQ individuals looking to find information about coming out, health, and family topics, as well as leisure reading. In the past 50 years, advocate organizations for LGBTQ content in libraries have emerged, and numerous theorists have discussed various aspects of LGBTQ library service including privacy concerns, programming, collection development considerations and librarian/staff education needs, as well as special services for juvenile and teen patrons.
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.
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).
Elizabeth Frances Schwartz is an American attorney, author, and advocate for the legal rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
Mel Heifetz is a Philadelphia-based real estate developer, philanthropist, and LGBT activist. He is a nationwide supporter of gay rights causes in America. and in 2018, he was awarded the Philadelphia Award.
