WWCC 2016 June Newsletter

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A Note From The EditorJason Peno, Development Associate

I am very excited to present the rst edition of The Centers new Quarterly Review, TheLittle Blue. Paying homage to the Centers earlier existence as Penguin Place, the quar-terly review takes on the name of the worlds smallest penguin, the little blue, also knownas the fairy penguin.

The Little Blue presents us with an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the goodwork that the Center is creating every day of the year. The William Way LGBT CommunityCenter offers a safe and life-afrming space for Philadelphias LGBTQI+ communities andour hope is that this periodical will serve as a voice for both the Center and the peoplewho call it home. If you, or anyone you know, is interested in writing for The Little Blue,or contributing other artistic elements, please do contact me with your ideas.

We look forward to providing you with insights into life at the Center and supporting ourcommunitys many wonderful and varied voices.

Enjoy,

Jason

PS: The Artwork for the cover of our rst edition was designed by Linus Curci. You cannd his artwork here: linuscurci.com, and the new layout and design for The Little Bluewas done by Tolani Lawrence-Lightfoot.

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Greetings From The Executive DirectorChris Bartlett

Greetings, friends, and welcometo Pride month at the Center.We are living in transformativetimes for our LGBTQI+ communi-ties. Last year brought marriageequality nationwide, and Phila-delphia has pioneered effortsto better serve and keep safeits LGBTQI+ citizens. Still, weface a nasty backlash in places

like North Carolina and Missis-sippi. In spite of that, our trajec-tory is towards justice. It is whenwe strengthen and celebrateour communities that our fellowcitizens take note of the hugecontributions of LGBTQI+ peopleto our nation. In doing so, wellwin over many more hearts.

In that spirit, I was pleasedto travel to Harrisburg in Aprilwith seven other executivedirectors of Pennsylvania LGBTQI+Centers. I spent the dayadvocating to state legislatorsand ofcials and along with mycolleagues from across PA, we

strategized ways to bring moreresources to LGBTQI+ centersstatewide. With the support of

our friends in Harrisburg and theadvocacy of Adrian Shanker, wehave received a grant to researchtobacco use among LGBTQI+people.

Speaking of Adrian Shanker, Iwant to congratulate him andhis colleagues at the Bradbury-

Sullivan LGBT Community Cen-ter in Allentown for successfullyinaugurating their new building.Even as we gain civil rights andour communities evolve, theneed for safe space for LGBTQI+youth, adults and elders remains.

New centers like theirs, as wellas ours with our four decadesof proud history, are vital to thesocial and cultural fabric of ourcommunities. We do so with thegenerous support and contribu-tions of our members. I extendmy sincere thanks to all who con-tributed to our Spring campaign.If you have not made your giftyet, or if you would like to makean additional gift, you can giveonline at http://waygay40.org/membership/.

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It was also a pleasure to attendthe 40th Anniversary celebration

of the Philadelphia Gay Newsearlier this Spring. The PGNwas the rst gay paper I everread and as a teen, it was therst place I learned about ourcommunities history, its arts andculture, and the diversity of pro-grams and services being createdby burgeoning LGBT organiza-

tions.

At the onset of the AIDS epi-demic, it was the place I wentto read about HIV prevention,treatments, and ways to getinvolved. When I began workingprofessionally on LGBT issues,the PGN was where I went to nd

out what people were thinkingand and how they took action. Iread many inspiring writers whohelped me see all the possibili-ties for building a powerful LGBTcommunity in Philadelphia.

Im proud to say that our John J.Wilcox Archives at the Center hasa nearly complete collection ofPGNs run. (If you have a collec-tion at home that may be ableto help us complete ours, pleaseemail [email protected] andlet us know!) More than that, ourarchives are also the home to the

photography of the PGNs rstphotographer, Harry Eberlin. Itsalways an incredible joy to seepeople make an appointment tovisit our archives.

Whether they are graduate stu-dents writing a research paper ora former Philadelphian back for

a visit and looking to reconnectwith the newspapers, t-shirts,event posters, rally placards, andbar signs that dened their lifein the Gayborhood, it is deeplysatisfying to see people connectwith the rich history of LGBTPhiladelphia that lives here at theCenter.

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chris jpg

Whether it is visiting our archives, perusing our art gallery, taking a bookout of our library, or joining us for a program, I hope to see you at theCenter soon. If you are looking for a great way to kick off your Prideweekend, please join us for Homecoming, at the Center on Saturday,June 11th from 11AM to 2PM. We will be enjoying brunch and live en-tertainment, as well as showing off improvements and updates we havemade at the Center.

With appreciation,

Chris BartlettExecutive Director

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eric speaking to class

Do We Need

The Center?

OR

The Making of

a Queer Space

R. Eric Thomas

Director of Programs

Do we still need LGBT commu-nity centers? Whenever I speakto college classes on behalf of theCenter I always start off with thesame question. Im not beingrhetorical, I say. I want you toreally ask yourself. After all of thisadvancement, in a city with itsown Gayborhood, have we reallymoved beyond LGBTQI+ com-munity centers? Most studentsare on to my game and rarely offerarguments against the Center.

Nevertheless, after asking thequestion I always spend the nexthour (or two) making the case forthis building, this organization,and my job. I argue both points,not as a rhetorical exercise or aself-conscious defense, but as away of creating. More often than

not, the students Im talking tohavent ever asked themselvesthose questions. Why would they?Ive found, however, that I learnthe most about the Centerourpast, our futureby justifying ourexistence. Do we still need LGBTcommunity centers? Of course.But why?

In January, I received an emailfrom Aidan, a doctoral student,who wanted to spend a pro-longed amount of time observingand taking notes on the Centerand the ways that people interactwith it. Originally, he was goingto limit his observation to the Li-brary, but after a conversation wedecided that the lobby might bea more fruitful space. As his noteswould be condential, anony-mous and not part of a larger

study, I also felt that this wouldntbe a violation of the implicitprivacy Center constituents canenjoy. Over the last four months,Ive really enjoyed checking inwith Aidan, hearing about howhe perceives our space and whatgoes on in it and nding newanswers to the question Do we

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they went on the night before, Iautomatically assume that saiddate was not heteronormative.

Theres very few spaces like that.Most spaces are actually straightspaces. Your average bar is de-nably straightnot just in whatgoes on there but in the waythe space functions in the world.Straight is the norm. Do youthink that a space like a super-market is a neutral space or astraight space, I asked Aidan,rhetorically. (Perhaps all myquestions are rhetorical? Whatdo you think?)

We both agreed that wedcategorize most markets as

straight spaces. Not, necessar-ily, because one assumes thatUncle Ben is married to an auntbut because our world defaultsto straight. So unless the super-market makes a concerted effortto queer the norm, it will alwaysbe straight, overtly or subtly, inlarge ways or small.

Perhaps one day we will achievea world where there are neutralspaces. Maybe you have accessto some in your life. If you do,Id love to hear about them.Send me an e-mail; I nd thistopic endlessly fascinating. But,

until we escape the binary, wewill have to continue to con-struct our own spaces that areobjectively queer. And

thats the answer that I give tomy own question when I speakto colleges. I ask them to look

around their classroom, to bepassive observers. If you didntknow anything about this roomor the people in it, would youthink it was straight or queer?By that time theyve wised upto my game. Straight, theyanswer. Very good, I reply.We spend a few minutes talkingabout why this classroom, withits whiteboard and nondescriptdesks could be consideredstraight. Sometimes they argue;I like that. In the end, I alwaysinvite them to do two thingsand I invite you to do the same:I invite them to ask themselves

to dene the nature of thespaces they nd themselves in,as an observational exercise,and then I invite them to comeinto the Center to nd out whata queer space feels like.

I warn you, I say. It is not likethe set of that Liberace movie.

Its an old building with a lotof old furniture. But its alsoa place where LGBTQ self-expression is not only accepted,but encouraged. Its the norm.And thats important. You maynot feel it explicitly; it may nothit you over the head. But itsin every wall, every oorboard,every minute of every program.We will always need that.

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What

DoYouWa

nt?

Jasmine Morell,Owner of Spirited Tattooing Coalition

One of the rst questions I askpeople is: What do you want?Obviously this isnt literally the rstthing because that would be weird,but usually following the Hey, howare yous? and all of the introduc-tory business its,How can I helpyou? What are you wanting to getdone?

Essentially, What do you want?And whether that person knows it ornot, theyre not just describing theirtattoo goals, theyre telling me howthey want to be represented in theworld.

A cool thing about tattoos is thatthey can help bridge that gap be-

tween ones internal dialogue andtheir external identity- you can showyour emotions or display messages

and mementos. You can get intouch with yourself in a way thatcannot compare to most or any

other experience, and the experi-ence of this process is just as largeas the keepsake. People walkaway with the experience of whatsbeing done to them above all,and for some its more importantthan the work itself; its importantto have people you trust or sharecommon ground with permanently

embellish you.

I myself need this as a queer transperson of color, a person who feelsthat their body doesnt fully be-long to myself at times and is upfor public idea or trend. Who feelsthat their body is up for scrutiny.The constant notion that everyoneis entitled to your bodys story,from whats exposed to whats un-der your clothes. Ive had peopleask me about my tattoos then tryto take my name away from me.This in fact happened just the oth-er day, as I was at the cell phonestore- I was trying to replace my

broken phone and after the per-son that worked there and I hadgotten past the rst set of niceties,

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jasmine photo

she began questioning me aboutmy tattoos and wanted to furtherinspect. I politely accepted hercomments but brushed off theidea of revealing more skin. Oncethat was over she then told me Idhave to come back because obvi-ously I wasnt Jasmine and couldtherefore not handle anything onthe account personally.

Nope, thats me. I am Jasmine.

Right here.

Of course an amplied wave ofawkwardness crashed over meand her well-meaning intentionsonly got blurrier once she thenhad to ask to see my government-issued identication. Its standardprocedure to do this when deal-ing with phone accounts, butthe timing really didnt help thesituation. I am who I say I am and

Nope, thats me. I am Jasmine. Right here.

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Your Works are Wonderful Ricky Cintron

I was born and raised as a Roman

Catholic, and I loved Jesus. Stilldo. I was really into church when Iwas younger. I memorized all theprayers during Mass and wouldrecite them under my breathwhile the priest was saying them.Im Puerto Rican, so you know Ilearned all of that in English andSpanish.

I was educated in Catholic schoolsfor most of my life, so I had togo through abstinence-only sexeducation, and let me tell you,that worked out really well for me.Abstinence-only sex ed was a trip.I remember the instructor telling

my class that our bodies are likepieces of beautiful white fabric,and if we had sex before marriage,it would be like tearing a hole inthat fabric.And then he told us, Now whowants something with holes in it?This left quite the impression on

me. Every time I had a sexualor even romantic thought, I feltunclean. As you can imagine, real-izing that I liked dudes didnt help.

Now, I personally felt like Jesus

didnt really care that I was gay,but everyone else around me cer-tainly did. My pastor, my teachers,my classmates all went out of theirway to tell me about the properuse of sexuality and evidently mebeing gay was not proper.Some time later I decided to lookfor another spiritual path that I feltwould afrm who I was, becauseIve always felt that God cant beencapsulated by one religion.After a lot of searching I eventuallyconverted to Hinduism, and I wasa practicing Hindu for 8 years ofmy life. During that time I became

a priest and started a communityfor queer Hindus.But I also struggled a lot withsome of the theology. There was alot of negativity around sex, like Ihad encountered with my Catholicupbringing. There was also thisbelief that were not these bodies.

Many of the Hindu scriptures statethat our true identity is the soul,not the body or the other aspectsof ourselves that go with it, like

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division between body and spirit?

I dont have an easy answer forthat. But I think for those of uswho are religious or spiritual,we need to go deeper with ourtheologies. We need to reallysit with and question how ourteachings can be misused andbecome harmful. We really needto stop seeing the body and spiritas irreconcilable. The body is thevehicle through which the spirit

operates. We need the body. Weneed to honor and love the body.

For my own part, Ive startedto realize that my body and mysexuality are not these dirty, sinfulthings. The different parts of myidentity are not inconsequential,rather they are holy. God madethem and imbued them with pur-pose and potential. Ive denitelygrown beyond seeing myself as a

imsy piece of fabric.

I am so much more than that. Weare all so much more than that.And we need to seek out andlift up theologies that embraceeverything that we are.

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Ricky picture

Ill leave you with one of myfavorite quotes from scripture,from Psalm 139.

If youre ever feeling ashamedof your body, for any reason,think of these words:

For you created my inmost

being; you knit me together in my mothers womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;your works are wonderful, I know that full well(Psalm 139:13-14)

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In the end, the process comes toan understandable result: He termi-nates his travels without seeing his

father and returns to his day-to-dayliving.

Mitko, his singular obsession, is theyoung hustler who disappears forlong periods of time only to returnto covertly seek money for vari-ous needs, some practical, otherscontrived. Mitko declares at onepoint that they are friendsa pointnot missed by one who desiresmore than a friend with benetsand perhaps that is one of the morepoignant moments in the story. Theotherwise unlikely social pairing ofthe two men is punctuated by thelong-established pattern of sup-

port and comfort that binds themtogether.

As a debut novel, Greenwell hasstruck literary gold. He has takenfamiliar talesPart Romeo and Ju-liet, part Beauty and the Beastandpassionately and compassionatelybrought two destitute souls into arelationship of longing and resolvethat will never ourish in the sun,and they both know it.

What Belongs to You will belong toyou for a long time after you haveread the last paragraph and closedthe book. And that is what goodreading and great writing are sup-posed to do.

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LinkedIn to nd candidates.

Further, Job seekers lled theComcast Career Chat workshopwhere the Director of Diversityand Human Resources represen-tatives discussed the companyculture and made tangible sug-gestions to move towards thatface-to-face interview. A medi-tation and relaxation workshopoffered participants calmingtechniques to use before a jobinterview and tips to focus theirthoughts during the interview.

The program and the Centerprovides a welcoming space

and encouragement through

the difcult process of ndingemployment while our partici-pants and volunteers make theprogram vibrant and unique.We are always looking to en-gage volunteers to help withcritiquing resumes, providepractice interviews, information-al interviews or to participate inan employer panel discussion.

If you are interested in becoming a community partnerplease email [email protected]. If you are a jobseeker 40 + and would like to register for this free pro-gram, use the following link and click on the Basic

Registration Form. http://sage.business-access.com/sage

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IT Came from the Archives!History would never be the same!

A Bicentennial Without Gay OppressionJohn Anderies, John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives, Archivist

In each issue of the newsletter, archivist John Anderies will highlight a dif-

ferent document or object from the Centers John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives.

The promotional yer included inthis article, comes from the GayActivists Alliance (GAA) les inthe papers of Philadelphia activistTommi Avicolli Mecca. Living andorganizing in San Francisco now,Tommis vast collection helped form

the basis of todays John J. Wilcox,Jr. Archives.

The yer takes the form of anAmerican ag of 13 red (or is thatmagenta?) and white stripes, witha clenched st inside conjoiningdouble male and female signs inthe eld traditionally reserved forthe fty stars.

It proclaims that a demonstrationon July 4th, 1976the nationsBicentennialwill take place forjobs, equality, and indepen-

dence, and against 200 yearsof gay oppression. The meetingplace for a march is listed as 8thand Columbia Street, todays CecilB. Moore Avenue.Organizers of this event, which was

also called the Bicentennial With-out Gay Oppression, were partof a much larger demonstration ofover 130 radical, left-wing, pacist,and civil rights groups assembled inPhiladelphia during IndependenceDay weekend under the auspices ofthe July 4th Coalition.

The Coalitions aim was to re-invigorate 200 years of struggle byAmericans against the very formsof racism, sexism, and exploitationof working people that are trying touse the Bicentennial to celebrate

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Should we celebrate 200 years ofthat?

Months before the demonstration itcame out that the July 4th Coalitionwas being investigated by the FBIat the request of the Departmentof Justice. Philadelphia Mayor Rizzowent so far as to request 15,000Federal troops, claiming the citywould be a target for attemptsat disruption and violence by a

substantial coalition of leftists andradicals. His request was denied.Organizers from the July 4th Coali-tion had hoped to host their marchand rally close to the ofcial Bicen-tennial celebrations, which includeda parade down Market Street anda speech by President Gerald Ford

at Independence Mall. But theirrequest for permits so close to theofcial action was denied and they

were forced to hold their events inNorth Philadelphia.

Still, the counter action proved tobe a success, perhaps more so thanthe ofcial Bicentennial events.While the city had hoped for 20to 45 million visitors in 1976, thedire predictions of overwhelm-

ing crowds and an expectation ofviolence and even terrorism causedmany Americans to stay away. TheNew York Times reported thatonly two million tourists turnedout for the ofcial festivities whileover 30,000 attended the counter-protest and the event was peacefuland orderly.

B

i

t

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Your Body, Your Mind

Brian Swope is a Philadelphia-based sex and relationship therapist in privatepractice as well a certied yoga instructor.

We live in a world of mixed mes-sages for those of us in the LG-BTQI+ community and anythingreally that is outside of what isconsidered dominant cultural per-spective.

Be who you are, but only if itdoesnt affect my view of you.What do we take from that? Thatwe arent good enough; that be-ing ourselves is wrong? If our trueself is not lovable, is it any wonderthat self esteem takes a hit or that

depression and anxiety lead somany people into drug use anddenying themselves a deeper un-derstanding just to be accepted byanother? It becomes a vicious cyclebecause we cannot be all things toall people all the time.

Your bodys a temple, and yet weare not taught the details of ourbody, so that we can take care ofit. The mystery of it is retained for

fear that knowing ourselves betterwill lead us to promiscuity, a vagueterm that denies us our sexualityand our own ability to choose.

If the message is that sex (and ourbody, in general) is not to be en-joyed too much, then we settle for

less than we are capable of, and forsome people, abuse and misuse.Is it any wonder that sexual dys-function so often relates to a basicmisunderstanding of our bodies?

Rather than shaming our temple,we should be honoring and cel-ebrating it and free to explore it.

From tattoos and piercings to

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gender bending to gender af-rmation surgery, a message ofacceptance over conforming freesus from shame and provides spacefor the histories that have led eachperson to the place they are today.

And what better way to honor thetemple than to have it reect ourtrue selves?

Even though we are told we aresexual, sex in health class is at thewhim of politics, where healthysex is rarely explained or por-

trayed, and is lacking almost com-pletely when it pertains to thoseof us outside the heteronormativeperspective.

A basic misunderstanding wheth-er lack of knowledge or outrightfalsehoods makes sex an anxiousand unpleasant experience for peo-ple. And words such as healthy,normal, and love that are partof the discussion become conceptsthat create outsiders, a more insidi-ous concept that pushes too many

people down the path to suicide orfacing hate crimes.

Each of these points is riddled withshame for so many people, a par-ticularly nasty and difcult feelingbecause it prefers isolation, it needsisolation to exist. Community is just

one strong antidote to shame; it isabout nding acceptance and sup-port.

We have gayborhoods around theworld and the web brings them toplaces where such havens are notsafe. Shaming from within our owncommunity can be even more dan-

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In 1970 and 1971, Philadelphia

activists were much too involvedwith the rst New York Chris-topher Street Liberation DayParades that commemorated theStonewall Riots to produce theirown local parade.

In 1972, however, several Phila-delphia political activist organiza-

tions including the Gay ActivistsAlliance, the Homophile ActionLeague, Radicalesbians andgroups from Penn State andTemple University came togetherto produce their own event.

Philadelphias rst Gay Pride Pa-

rade assembled at RittenhouseSquare on June 11, 1972, withrousing speeches by communityleaders Barbara Gittings and

Jerry Curtis. Participants marchedeast up Chestnut Street and endedat Independence Mall with anopen air dance and celebration. In1973, the parade began with therally in Rittenhouse Square, thenheaded down Chestnut Street,wound around City Hall, headedup the Parkway and ended with a

fair at Eakins Oval in front of theArt Museum.For the next few years, the citysgay pride parades assembled eachJune at Rittenhouse Square andmarched to Independence Mall,until the last one in 1976, whichonly circled down Locust Street as

far as 13th Street and then back toRittenhouse Square via Spruce. OnJune 17, 1978, the last large Prideevent of the decade would onlyinclude a Gay Pride picnic at theBelmont Plateau.For most of the 1980s, Philadel-phias LGBT community celebratedeach year with programs, talksand community events, but noparades.

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1973 Pride Float

1973 Pride

The Philadelphia Lesbian and GayPride parade was revived on June18th, 1989, to honor the twentiethanniversary of Stonewall. Organizedwith the Lesbian and Gay Task

Force, the crowd of about 1,000 be-gan at 10th and Spruce Streets andproceeded west to end in a rally atJFK Plaza.

City Councilmen Francis W. Raf-ferty and W. Thatcher Longstrethexpressed disapproval, wonder-ing what those fairies had tobe proud of. PLGTF Director RitaAdessa took the podium to exclaimOnly we can afrm our beings.

We are here to show them what wehave to be proud of. And its us.

Later that year, encouraged by thesuccess of the event, communitymembers formed Lesbian and GayPride of the Delaware Valley. In1990, theyd produce the rst Out-fest in the Gayborhood to celebrateNational Coming Out Day.Through most of the 90s, the pa-rade marched all the way from Rit-tenhouse Square to Penns Landing.

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t

1994 Pride Day at Penns Landing

1972 Pride

By 1999, the parade route was short-ened, beginning at 13th and Locustin the heart of the Gayborhood andending at Penns Landing, the routeit takes today.

Lesbian and Gay Pride of the Dela-ware Valley continues today as PhillyPride Presents, led by amazingExecutive Director Franny Price andorganizes both Pride Day in June

and Outfest in October.

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Other clients have a friend or lovedone who prompts a call. Client A isthe mother of a 16-year old son whoshe recently found out was strug-gling with their gender identity. As

a loving parent, Client A wanted tobe sure that she was able, to thebest of her ability, to understandwhat her son was feeling and expe-riencing.

Because Client A called, shelearned about resources for bothher son and herself, like PFLAG, andshe was given names of special-ized therapists that are known tothe Center to be LGBTQI+ friendly.Incidentally, many of our peer

counselor volunteers have studiedtransgender issues extensively,and counselors have seen a sharpincrease in calls relating to gen-der identity thanks to increasingly

more visible trans* activists and rolemodels.

Sometimes, a client wants to sharegood news, or an upswing in theirinitial situations. For calls or visitslike these, Peer Counselings volun-teers are here to provide support,encouragement, and a real, caringvoice on the other end of the line.

Though different, each call orvisit to Peer Counseling, like those

above, have at least one thing in common. Each client nally decided totrust another person to move closer to solving a problem in their lives.

And each time, our peer counselors have been there to make sure that theinitial spark of motivation for a client to get the help they need isnt easilyextinguished.

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If you or someone you know mighthave an issue that theyre strugglingwith, dont let them or yourself struggle

alone. At the Peer Counseling program,were here. Help us spread the wordand continue to help as many people aspossible.

Peer Counseling Services:

MONDAY-FRIDAY EVENINGS6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

BY PHONE, WALK-IN OR APPOINTMENT215/732.8255

[email protected]

http://waygay40.org/peer-counseling/

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A SOLID

FUTURE

FOUNDATIONFOR A SOLID

CandiceThompson

COO

I visited Copenhagen this past Aprilwith my partner who was presenting ata seminar about the care and conser-vation of manuscripts. She is innitelysmarter than I am and fortunatelybends my ear about her work - shecoordinates digitization projects ofrare books and manuscripts. She is inthe business of duplicating materialsand in many cases, making them openand available online to researchers,students, scholars, artists, and the like.

She works at an institution that has abudget much larger than the WWCC,but still, when I hear her speak aboutthe work that she does and the ques-tions that come up about the care andvision for their collections, I cant helpbut reect upon how far the Centersown archival collection of rare and pre-cious materials has come this past year

and a half. Weve laid a strong col-lections management foundation, arecreating a new and improved physicalrepository, and will begin work on avision and strategy that will help guidethe collection for years to come.In the Fall of 2014 with funding sup-port from the William Penn Founda-tion, the Center welcomed two newstaff members, John Anderies, archi-vist, and Bob Skiba, curator, to be the

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archives shelves

rst paid staff members overseeingthe John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives.The impact they have had since thattime is tremendous. From re-hous-ing the materials in the collection tobetter preserving them, to creatinga new Center program called Ar-

chives in the Classroom which visitslocal schools to talk about LGBTQI+rights from the 1960s on, welcom-ing in new collections such as thegraphics collection from the AIDSLibrary in Philadelphia, and so muchmore.

I cannot say it enough, we are so

very fortunate to have such dedi-cated, creative, and knowledgeablestaff overseeing the collections andtaking them to the next level of careand accessibility.This past year also welcomed an-

other much needed addition to theCenters roster of thought partners:the formation of a professional ad-visory committee, which makes rec-ommendations to the Archives staffon policy, management, visioning,grants prospecting, and so muchmore. Members of that committeebring expertise in the areas of

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collections management and care,

digitization, policy creation and ar-chival standards, art collection, etc.Since they have been meeting, theCenter has adopted a CollectionsManagement Policy, an AccessPolicy, a Collections DevelopmentPolicy, and an Exhibition Policy allof which create a truly strong foun-dation to continue to protect andgrow the collection and provideopen access.

None of this work could have hap-pened without the Centers pri-mary partner for the William PennFoundation grant, The Conserva-tion Center for Art and Historic

Artifacts. They are one of the larg-est and most prominent non-protconservation centers in the countryand they have been working hand-in-hand with the Center providingmuch needed advisement andconservation treatment for the col-lections.

The foundation of the collectionsarent strictly about the manage-ment of the collection but alsoabout the physical condition of theCenters repository. Big changesare coming to the Centers thirdoor! We are doubling the size ofthe archives space and demolition

has already begun. In April wewelcomed volunteers from PECOwho tirelessly hauled so much ofthe demolition material, that welled a 30 yard dumpster. Cur-rently I am forming a team whichincludes architects, designers, andarchives professionals to beginphase two.

The collections will live in a moreenvironmentally stable room, wewill expand research and process-ing space, and we will create aspace specically designed tohouse the Centers large perma-nent art collection. It will be a truly

exciting and long overdue renova-tion highlighting how much of a

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Our Community Partners

Thank you to all of the Philadelphia organizations that offer generousdiscounts to members of the William Way LGBT Community Center.You make the work of the Center possible 365 days a year.

Members of the Center receive discounts at the following venueswhen they present a valid WWCC membership card. If you would like

to partner with the Center as a member, visit http://waygay40.org/membership/ or call the Center at 215/732.2220.

If you would like to become a community partner of the Center, pleaseemail [email protected] or call the Center.

12th Street Gymwww.12streetgym.com204 S. 12th StPhiladelphia, PA 19107215/985.4092

1 Year Gym Membership for$349 with No Initiation Fee

(normally $99) and 1 week FreeTrial

Almeidas Floral Designswww.almeidasdesigns.com/1200 Spruce StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107215/545.5555

15% off total purcahse.

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Fuelwww.fuelrechargeyourself.com

1225 Walnut StPhiladelphia, PA 19107215/922.3835

10% off total purchase. Cannot notbe combined with other discounts,including Groupon and gtcards.Cannot be used for catering or-ders.

H.H. Tapper Associates, Inc.www.hhtapper.com/118 S. 21st StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19103215/990.2851

10% off of an interior design con-sultation.

Happily Ever Afterwww.happily.com1010 Pine Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107215/627.5790

15% off total purcahse. Can not beused on consignment works or giftcerticates. Cannot be combinedwith other sales or specials.

Jack Barry Group Keller Williamswww.kw.com/kw/agent/jackbarry

1619 Walnut St, 5th FloorPhiladelphia, PA 19103267/238.5772

Up to $1,000 commission rebatefor each closed transaction. Re-bate can be donated to the Wil-liam Way Center, fully or in part, inan amount of the members choos-

ing. Contact Jack Barry for details;Certain exclusions apply.Jakes Sandwich Boardwww.jakessandwichboard.com122 South 12th StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107

215/922.0102

20% Total purchase and, $5 Build-Your-Own Pork MondaysKeller Williams, Center City,Bryan Byers Groupwww.kwphilly.com

1619 Walnut StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19103215/627.3500

WWCC Members will see theirbroker service fee donated to theCenter, courtesy of Brian K. Byers.Contact Brian for details.off pur-chase. Only Valid for one purchase

a day.

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Lions Mane Salonhttp://bit.ly/1SqfUjm1113 Pine StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107215/925.0366

10% for all cosmetology services.Not good for products, cannot

be combined with gift certi-cates.

M Restaurant andthe Morris House Hotelwww.mrestaurantphilly.com231 S 8th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19106215/625.6666

10% off total purchase whenpresenting a valid WWCC mem-bership cardMetro Mens Clothing

www.metromensclothing.com/1600 E. Passyunk AvePhiladelphia, PA 19148267/324.5172

15% off total purchase

Millsim & Ligne RosetOld City Philadelphiawww.millesime.us

33 North 2nd Street Phila PA19106Philadelphia, PA 19106267/455.0374

15% discount on purchases over$500.00 Purchase

Optimal Gymwww.optimalgym.com/325 Bainbridge StPhiladelphia, PA 19147215/627.4900

No enrollment fee. Receive acomplete tness assessment

and 4 weeks of unlimited grouppersonal training

Optimal Sport Health Clubwww.optimalsporthealthclubs.com/

1315 Walnut StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107215/735.1114

No enrollment fee. Receive acomplete tness assessmentand 4 weeks of unlimited grouppersonal training

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Pure Farewww.purefare.com/119 S. 21st StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19103267/318.7441

10% off total purchase.

Smokin Bettyswww.smokinbettys.com/116 S. 11th StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107215/922.6500

10% off purcahse. Cannont becombined with other specials.Snapdragon Flowerswww.snapdragonphilly.com5015 Baltimore Ave.Philadelphia, PA 19143267/209.6066

5% of total purchase, and 10%off Wedding and Event arrange-ments, excluding major holidaysand the November - Februaryslow season.

Square One Coffeewww.squareonecoffee.com249 S. 13th StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107267/758.6352

10% of total purchase. Valid forone discount per visit, 7 days aweek.off purchase. Only Valid forone purchase a day.

Tabu Lounge and Sports Barwww.tabuphilly.com/200 S. 12th StPhiladelphia, PA 19107215/564.9675

10% off food purchase. Not goodfor any alcohol.

The Velvet Lilywww.thevelvetlily.com/1040 N. 2nd StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19123267/687.7973

1.7 oz hypo-allergenic lube with a$50 purchase.

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Toastwww.toastphilly.com1201 Spruce StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107215/821.1080

10% of total purchase. ValidMonday through Friday forLunch and Dinner, Saturdayand Sunday for Dinner. Limitone per visit. Can not be com-bined with other coupons or

discounts.West Philly CommunityAcupuncturewww.westphillycommunitya-cupuncture.com4636 Woodland AvePhiladelphia, PA 19143

215/222.2303

$10 treatments for WWCCMembers with a valid WWCCmembership card

Woodyswww.woodysbar.com202 s. 13th StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107215/735.5772

$5.00 off door cover, exclud-ing special events. Must show

a valid WWCC membershipcard to receive discount.

Yards Brewing Companywww.yardsbrewing.com/901 N. Delaware Ave.Philadelphia, PA 19123215/634.2600

20% off total purchase.

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Staff

Chris BartlettExecutive Director

Candice ThompsonChief Operating Ofcer

Avis AbaladejoDirector of Facilities

R. Eric Thomas

Director of Programs

Will JordanBookkeeper

John AnderiesArchivist

Eric BuntingFacilities Assistant

Jim CrouchMaintenance Technician

Ed MillerSenior Programs Coordinator

Jason PenoDevelopment Associate

Steve SeranPeer Counseling Coordinator

Marshall Siegel

Front Desk Coordinator

Bob Skiba,Curator

Board of Directors

Ofcers

Laurien Ward, Co-Chair

Paul Steinke, Co-Chair

Steve Brando, Secretary Anh Dang, Treasurer

Board Members

Chad Bundrock

Marc Coleman

Chris Durr

Anna Garrett

John Loesch

Robert Lenahan

Meg Rider

Jose Sabalbaro

Leona Thomas

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WWCC 2016 June Newsletter

Documents

Transcript of WWCC 2016 June Newsletter