William Way LGBT Community Center

Last updated
William Way
LGBT Community Center
Founded1975
Type LGBT Community Center
Location
Area served
Delaware Valley
Key people
Board Co-Chairs, Sue Gildea & Kira Kinsman
Executive Director Chris Bartlett
Website http://www.waygay.org

The William Way LGBT Community Center is a nonprofit organization serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and nearby communities, located at 1315 Spruce Street in Philadelphia in the Gayborhood. [1]

Contents

Chris Bartlett was center's executive director starting in 2010, before stepping down, effective June 30, 2025. [2] [3]

History

This community center was founded in 1975 as the Gay Community Center of Philadelphia. Organizers purchased its current building at 1315 Spruce Street in 1997; the center has owned it since local businessman Mel Heifetz paid off its mortgage in 2005. [4]

Art and notable architectural features

The western wall of the community center features Ann Northrup's block-long mural, "Pride and Progress", with images of LGBT citizens who have contributed to Philadelphia's cultural and intellectual life throughout history. [5]

Programs and services

The center's programs include an extensive library, and programs in peer counseling, senior services, education, and arts and culture. [6] The center also offers numerous twelve-step meetings throughout the day and night, [7] and opened the Arcila-Adams Trans Resource Center in 2019 to centralize resources for trans people in Philadelphia. [8]

In 2021, the center collaborated with HIV/AIDS healthcare provider Philadelphia FIGHT to provide COVID-19 vaccines to LGBTQ people in Philadelphia. [9]

The center houses the John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives, which collects and preserves local and regional LGBT documents and artifacts. [10] The archive is one of the most important collections of LGBTQ documents and artifacts in the United States. [10] Along with researchers from the ONE Archives in Los Angeles, archivists from the John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives have been searching for unidentified men photographed at a gay wedding held in 1957. [11] The search, which began in 2013 and is still ongoing, was covered in both LGBT and mainstream press. [12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Queer or trans and live in Philly? You could get vaccinated at William Way". Billy Penn. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  2. ↑ "Chris Bartlett Selected as William Way Executive Director", Philadelphia Gay News , 3 June 2010, archived from the original on 6 April 2019, retrieved 3 June 2010
  3. ↑ "WILLIAM WAY LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CHRIS BARTLETT TO STEP DOWN AFTER 14 YEARS OF DEDICATED LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE". William Way LGBT Community Center. 2025-02-28. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  4. ↑ "The Gay Way", Philadelphia City Paper , 12 June 2007, retrieved 25 August 2010
  5. ↑ "Pride & Progress", Mural Arts Program , retrieved 25 August 2010
  6. ↑ "William Way LGBT Community Center", William Way Community Center Website, retrieved 25 August 2010
  7. ↑ "Southeastern Pennsylvania Intergroup Association Meetings", Southeastern Pennsylvania Intergroup Association , retrieved 25 August 2010
  8. ↑ Smythe, Laura (November 8, 2019). "William Way opens new trans resource center". WHYY. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  9. ↑ Winberg, Michaela (April 2, 2021). "Queer or trans and live in Philly? You could get vaccinated at William Way". Billy Penn. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  10. 1 2 Fiorellini, Nick (2019-10-07). "New Philly exhibit spotlights LGBTQ activism across three decades". The Philadelphia Citizen. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  11. ↑ Fiorellini, Nick (2019-07-19). "Dear Gentlemen, Your 60-year-old Wedding Pics are Ready". The Philadelphia Citizen. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  12. ↑ "Filmmaker trying to solve the mystery of the 1950s gay wedding photos". WHYY. Retrieved 2021-06-01.

39°56′51″N75°09′48″W / 39.94737°N 75.16334°W / 39.94737; -75.16334

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