Ever thought about creating your own Gay & Lesbian Center? I have! I came across a blog today that gave me a sense of inspiration. The following article was published from the Hanford Sentinel and looks into the development of the Hanford Gay and Lesbian Center.
HANFORD — One Hanford man is looking to ignite a spark, a spark that will start a fire of change across Kings County — by helping to create the first ever Hanford Gay and Lesbian Center.
Joe L. Sosa Jr. has already put together the bylaws and is finishing up the business plan for the center. His ultimate goal is to establish a safe place for the gay community to seek resources and assistance in a wide variety of areas.
“My goals are to build a thriving multicultural and integrated community center, set up peer education programs, have a legal clinic, free HIV testing, services for homeless youth, counseling and a group that goes out to schools and does presentations,” Sosa Jr. said.
Sosa Jr. has had experience working with the LGBTQ community as a pharmacy supervisor in Los Angeles. He specialized in HIV medication and patient care management. He has also worked with nonprofit organizations before as a division leader for the organization known as Gay Hanford.
He said the new center will form partnerships with local schools, the county health department, human services, employment agencies and local businesses to benefit the LGBTQ community.
Sosa, 33, said the formation of this center is in direct response to the growing number of people in the gay community who are either falling through cracks or are already entangled with prejudice and feel they have nowhere to turn.
“The U.S. Census in 2000 showed that same-sex couples live in 99 percent of all U.S. counties,” he said. “But, for those that live in small, rural communities, they have no resources or assistance, no place to feel safe or to be themselves. Unless they live in a big metropolitan area like San Francisco or L.A., they are pretty much isolated and underserved.”
Sosa said he knows how that feels, because he grew up in Hanford as a gay man, but didn’t have anyone to talk to and didn’t feel part of a community. He moved away for a short while and eventually returned to the area.
“I always felt different and knew I was different,” he said. “But, when I was growing up there was nothing and nowhere to turn to. When I came out, my family was very religious and it was very hard for them to accept me. And I, on the other hand, had no one to talk to about that.
“I don’t want it to be that way for kids today; it breaks my heart hearing the stories of teens being bullied, killing themselves or having to survive on the streets because their families have abandoned them,” Sosa said. “This area needs a center like this.”
For now, Sosa said he can provide online services or referrals through the organization’s website and Facebook page until he is able to find sponsors, donors, volunteers and a venue to provide programs for the community to use.
He recently partnered with Jillian Barba of J. Sterling Consulting, LLC. Barba holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California. Her background includes working in a therapy-based setting, as well as in nonprofit organizations.
“Partnerships are forming, steps are being taken and change is coming,” Sosa said. “To me, it will be real when we have the ribbon cutting for our venue. But first, we must take these baby steps.”
The Social Reaction 