LOUD at the LGBT Community Center of New Orleans

Kyran, Nicky, and Joriel at the LGBT Community Center of New Orleans

In our 2016-2017 year, we began a partnership with the LGBT Community Center of New Orleans. While we still rehearse at and partner with the First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans, the LGBT Community Center has become a central rehearsal location and an important gathering spot for all LOUD related events. Here's some info about them from their website:

Our mission is to combat homophobia, transphobia, racism and misogyny by supporting community driven projects and organizations in the greater New Orleans area. The Center’s vision is to create a Greater New Orleans area where gender and sexual minorities are equitable and empowered...

...We want to provide the things we can- information, referrals, advocacy, and communication. In fact, our online community resource directory will be launching in January providing accessible information about LGBT and allied doctors, lawyers, and other services in our area.Moving forward, we will focus especially on issues of economic and racial injustice, which we know disproportionately affect the LGBT community. In New Orleans, the income gap is severe, and LGBT people feel the effects through un- or underemployment- and we know that economic instability is a risk factor for HIV and suicide, which already ravage our community.Most importantly, we want to balance the trend of creating top-down programming with community-driven projects. We will support individuals in our community to pursue their own visions for LGBT equality- offering the tools for one person to create the veterans’ support program and another an LGBT youth book club. Nothing will move this community forward faster than enabling the individuals within it to realize their own power and their own ability to organize and make change.

We are so grateful to Sebastian, Emily and everyone at the LGBT Community Center for all their support. We're excited to continue to develop this partnership in the years to come.