OUTMemphis is Turning 30 in 2019!
That’s right! OUTMemphis is turning 30 years old in 2019, and we are inviting you to celebrate with us! You may have noticed our refreshed logo and website. That’s because, like any 30-something, it’s time for us to move into a new, more distinguished style. As we roll into 2019 you’ll be seeing more and more of this new look. Now that we’re 30 years old, it’s time for us to come OUT and let the City of Memphis know our name and who we are!
Like most 30-somethings, OUTMemphis has mastered adulting and is rolling up its sleeves to get down to real grown-up work.
Housing the homeless, changing the law, rewriting the rules. OUTMemphis is changing and this city is going to change with us.
“OUTMemphis is changing and this city is going to change with us.”
In 1989, OUTMemphis was opened as Memphis Gay Center (which very quickly became the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center, MGLCC or “the center”). The center was the passion project of a group of local activists far ahead of their time. That passion is still with us, but the world around us has changed, and therefore so must we. Founding an LGBT community center in Memphis was a radical act, and running one for 30 years has been an epic accomplishment. At points along the way, new leaders have stepped up to take the mantle and join to fight. When the center was founded, the goal was to create a safe, vibrant space where LGBTQ people could be themselves. In 2018, the community center is that point of safety and connection for our community in Memphis. But while the center has grown, our city is still one where LGBTQ people struggle. We are still bullied, criminalized, denied opportunities, stereotyped, marginalized, and hidden.
“It is time we made Memphis a city where we are proud to be authentically ourselves.”
…But we are here to change that. It is time we made Memphis as safe, as vibrant, and as empowering as OUTMemphis. Despite all of the trauma thrown at us, we are here. It is time we made Memphis a city where we are proud to be authentically ourselves. In 2019, every LGBTQ person in Memphis will know that OUTMemphis is here. Even in the South. Even in the Bible belt. Even in a part of the country LGBTQ people regularly move away from, We Are Here.
For everyone LGBTQ in the Mid-South, We Are Here. New to the city? New to your gender identity or sexuality? Feeling low because of discrimination or bullying? At a loss after a lack of opportunity? We Are Here.
Connect with the center and power UP. Meet other people like you in a peer-led group. Get your questions about sex answered and take charge of your health. Make your legal identity match your soul and live out loud. Grow in your own power and join the fight.
2019 is a year for standing up, powering up, and celebrating. Join us for a 30th birthday that will take an entire year to celebrate. We are here to play, but most of all we are here to stay. It is time Memphis became the city where LGBTQ people choose to work, play, and THRIVE. We are moving forward into the future, and we hope you will join us.
“Join us for a 30th birthday that will take an entire year to celebrate.”
How can YOU help celebrate our birthday?
The easiest way to keep up with the goings-on at OUTMemphis is to subscribe to our Weekly What’s Happening Email. Check out our programs and services to see if there is something that meets a need or want. If you want to help fund our work, you can visit our website to make a one-time donation or to become a regular monthly sustaining donor! If you would like more information about joining the OUTMemphis Birthday or Founders’ clubs, click here!
