SF LGBT Center’s Soirée

by David-Elijah Nahmod

On April 15 the City View at the Metreon will come alive when the San Francisco LGBT Center celebrates its 21st year with its annual Soirée, which promises to be a night to remember. The evening will include a decadent cocktail reception, dinner, and a lively after party. Live entertainment is being organized by Juanita MORE!, with music by DJ LadyRyan. The event will be hosted by community icons Sister Roma and Honey Mahogany.

“We’re thrilled to be returning to the Center’s grandest fundraising event of the year,” Roman and Mahogany wrote in a joint statement to the Bay

Area Reporter. “The recent onslaught of politically fueled hate, legislative attacks on our rights, and ongoing challenges stemming from the pandemic have made clear how important it is for us to have a home base like the Center. Soiree raises critical funds for all of the SF LGBT Center’s programs and services. We’re proud to support the Center’s work creating welcoming spaces and people-centered services for those in our community who need them most.”

The Center hopes to raise $300,000 in support of their programs, which includes services for youth experiencing homelessness, unemployed job seekers, and trans, non-binary and BiPOC community members. Rebecca Rolfe, the Center’s Executive Director since 2008, spoke to the BAR about some of these programs.

“I’m really proud of what we created for and with our community here at the Center, and it’s truly been an honor to be part of building a home that caters to the full spectrum of the LGBTQ community,” Rolfe said in a telephone interview. “Getting here has been both daunting and exciting, but I’m really thrilled about what’s ahead for us, and we continue to listen and learn.”

Rolfe pointed out that the Center has been running a Dedicated Youth Services Program since 2007, a program that serves homeless or marginally-housed youth ages 16-24. Services provided include community building, crisis intervention, as well as educational workshops and access to essentials such as food and hygiene supplies. In 2019 the Center expanded the program to include mental health services and access to housing.

“Those services are available to the literally hundreds of youth experiencing homelessness and isolation each year,” she said. “About 65% of the youth in our program identify as trans or gender non-binary, and about the same percentage identify as Black, indigenous, or other people of color.”

Rolfe added that not only does the Center offer a general employment program, they developed a specific trans employment program to address the transphobia that transgender job seekers face in both keeping and getting jobs that offer sustainable wages.

“The program has provided invaluable training to Bay Area employers as well,” said Rolfe. “So that we’re not only helping job seekers seek jobs, but we’re working with employers to transform their work places, so they can help their employees be fabulously successful in their roles.”

The Center has also created “Queer Vibes,” which provides a space for queer performers to build their careers in the music industry and in LGBTQ plus spaces.

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