Community Advocacy

The Center serves as the public face and advocate for Northeast Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community. Through leadership within the community, cultural competency training outside the community, media representation, and innovative collaboration with other community agencies, we aim to improve the quality of life in Northeast Ohio.

Trans in the CLE

In 2017, The Center in partnership with Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio hosted the first Trans in the CLE. This day-long conference for Northeast Ohio’s transgender and gender non-conforming community offered resources, education, workshops designed to help members of our community flourish. The Center is committed to finding new and innovative ways to lift up the voices of trans individuals in our community.

Media

The Center is a resource for interview sources, fact-checking, and information on the LGBTQ+ community locally and beyond. If a staff member is not the best spokesperson for a story, we will work hard to find an appropriate, trusted source as quickly as possible. As an organization that provides education, health and wellness services, and social programs, we can speak to a variety of and respond to breaking news items and trending topics that involve the LGBTQ+ community.
For media inquiries, please contact Eric Hayes, Communications and Development Coordinator at ehayes@lgbtcleveland.org or (216) 651-5428 x 108 or Phyllis Harris

The Center in the Media:

Pride in the CLE and Cleveland Pride join forces for the frist time in annual event aimed at LGBTQ justice: Phyllis Harris (Opinion) https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2018/05/pride_in_the_cle_and_cleveland.html

Amidst a spike in violence against trans people in Cleveland this year, the Cuyahoga County Council is considering an ordinance to add gender identity and sexual orientation to the list of protected classes on their non-discrimination ordinance that protects employment, housing, and public goods and accommodations. https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/cuyahoga-county-looks-to-add-protections-for-lgbtq-residents

Take Action

HB 160: The Ohio Fairness Act
The state of Ohio does not have any protections for LGBTQ+ Ohioans facing discrimination in regards to housing, the workplace, or public accommodations. This means that in most of Ohio, it is perfectly legal to be fired, to be denied an apartment or a loan, or kicked out of stores and restaurants based purely on who you are or who you love.Our partners at Equality Ohio have made it easy to write a letter to the Ohio House Government Accountability & Oversight Committee: http://www.equalityohio.org/pass-the-ohio-fairness-act/

Cuyahoga County Ordinance 02018-0009
The Cuyahoga County Council has taken up an anti-discrimination ordinance that would be a step towards ensuring equal opportunity and treatment for all citizens of the County. This ordinance would include gender identity and sexual orientation for housing, employment, and public goods and accommodations and would help to connect the patchwork of uneven local protection offered at the city level around Cuyahoga County.Here’s a link with contact information for the County Council. Let them know you support this ordinance! http://council.cuyahogacounty.us/en-US/council-members.aspx