Gay & Lesbian Center of Bakersfield

The mission of the Gay & Lesbian Center of Bakersfield is to provide a sense of community, self-respect and hope to the local LGBTQ community. We believe that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people of all ages deserve to celebrate and be proud of who they are, and live full and rewarding lives as productive and contributing members of society. Our goal is to empower individuals in achieving these objectives.

The Center seeks to improve the well-being of LGBTQ persons by providing a positive environment and a place to find help, as well as social and cultural programs and activities. The Center provides a safe, comfortable and inviting space for adults and teens to meet with friends and network. The Center serves LGBTQ seniors by providing and facilitating social and recreational activities to enhance their quality of life.

The Center is strengthening the connection between the LGBTQ community and the entire Bakersfield area community through diversity education programs and a speaker’s series designed to foster a greater understanding of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression issues.

David Trujillo, who spearheaded the opening of the Gay & Lesbian Center in Bakersfield in 2011, explains, “When I lived in Los Angeles, I utilized the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center in my own coming out experience, and the L.A. Center connected me with the larger gay community where I began my network of friends. I wanted the Bakersfield Center to serve a similar purpose.  Ultimately though, it was Seth Walsh’s suicide in 2010 that made me think that we were too invisible to our gay and lesbian youth. They needed to know that there is a strong LGBTQ community in Bakersfield. They needed to know that they are okay and that there is nothing wrong with who they are and who they love.”

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population of Kern County to be 864,124 (2013 estimate). A Gallup poll conducted in the first four months of2015 shows that 3.8% of American adults identify as LGBT. In Kern County, this would estimate our LGBTQ population at 32,837. (The Gallup estimate is being challenged by some scholars as being too low.)  The Center has documented 4,068 visits of community members since its opening on November 11, 2011, with numbers increasing dramatically year-to-year. Persons seeking services and/or participating in activities for transgender individuals account for 568 visits; youth seeking services and/or participating in social and support groups – 334 visits; activities for Spanish-speaking or Latino persons - 115 visits.

To date, the Center has been a grassroots community effort by LGBTQ business professionals, community members, and straight allies. The Center is staffed entirely by volunteers. It houses an LGBTQ-themed lending library; hosts monthly movie/documentary screenings, transgender community clothing swaps, HIV testing and education, and poetry nights; offers social and support groups for men and women, including ones for transgender persons and allies, Spanish-speakers, 40+ individuals, 2030+ (college age) people, and LGBTQ teachers; and game nights, karaoke nights, youth dances and prom nights, and family outings.

Numerous Town Halls have attracted overflow crowds, with topics including Immigration and Health Care, Employment and Fair Housing, Social Security, and Youth and Bullying. A Rainbow Week celebration is held annually celebrating the Stonewall uprising, and Day of Visibility events and activities are held for the Transgender and Bisexual communities.

SPEAK UP is an anti-bullying initiative started at The Center in April 2015 through grants from The California Endowment and California Rural Legal Assistance. This program has raised the community dialogue about the dangers faced by LGBTQ youth, and is reaching out to local school districts to monitor compliance with Seth’s Law, California’s anti-bullying law.  Among other provisions, Seth’s Law requires school districts to prominently display anti-bullying resources on their websites. In June 2015, the SPEAK UP team conducted a survey of Kern school district websites. Of 49 districts, only four met the law’s standard. Fifteen districts had no acknowledgement of bullying, and no information about a reporting process on their websites. The remaining 30 districts were not fully compliant with the website requirements. Letters were sent to thank the four districts in full compliance, and to request improvements from the others. A second survey conducted in October 2015 showed that 19 of the previously non-compliant districts had updated their site and are now in compliance.