mattm 
This is a weekly newsletter to put a face to the staff at the DC Center. Every week we will be featuring a staff member. This week, meet Stacey! Stacey is our Health & Wellness intern. This summer Stacey has been working with Shareese to help run our weekly packing parties, as well as help found The DC Center’s new yoga program.
I was taking classes part time and I thought pairing that with part time work at an LGBT organization would be fun too.
What is your music anthem?
Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin
What is your favorite part about the LGBTQ+ community?
I love that if you are looking for a home you can find it in our community.
What is your favorite spot in DC and what do you do there?
I like the phallic Washington monument and the tidal basin. When I’m there I typically go for festivals or just a nightly stroll
What do you think the LGBTQ+ community needs to improve on?
We need to work on trans inclusion and media representation of Queer people of color, specifically bisexual members of the community. A lot of media representation of bisexual people involve cheating, manipulation or experimentation… and hardly anyone ever comes out as bisexual!
What is your favorite Queer movie?
Blue is the Warmest Color because it’s the first Queer film I ever saw. I also like Paris is Burning and Tongues Untied because it showed me a new perspective on certain parts of the Queer Community.
What has been your favorite moment while working in The DC Center?
My favorite part while working at The DC Center was meeting another queer Indonesian
What clothing item is a staple in your wardrobe?
Earrings, rings, and bandanas
What color would you paint the White House, given the chance?
I would paint it with murals of the people of color who constructed the house.
Who do you most look up to in the queer community?
Alison Bechdel because I’m in love with her work, Dykes to Look Out For and Fun Home
This week we are switching things up a bit. Rather than our usual “Meet the Staff” feature, we will be focusing on one of our donors this week. David Merrill has been a long time supporter of The DC Center, and will be reaching a milestone with us very soon!
What is your music anthem?
I don’t have an anthem, but I do always have a song playing in my head, pretty much 24 hours a day. I wake up and it’s already playing.
What is your favorite part about the LGBTQ+ community?
The leather community, where I found a group of wonderful people who welcomed me just as I am.
What is your favorite spot in DC and what do you do there?
I love the Smithsonian museums, which are just one of the things that make The District a great place to live. My parents let me go by myself since I was eight years old, and to this day I visit on a regular basis. I especially enjoy The National Portrait Gallery and The Museum of American Art. I plan to visit The Museum of African American History and Culture this very afternoon as I write this.
What do you think the LGBTQ+ community needs to improve on?
I’ve seen an alarming trend in recent years toward heteronormativity and cleaning up the image of queer people by sanitizing our sexuality. I’m proud to be queer, I have a poly family, and I have no desire to copy the lifestyles of straight people.
What is your favorite LGBTQ+ movie?
Orlando (1992)
What’s a memorable event that you supported at The DC Center?
My favorite events at the center are all of the little events that happen all week, every week that make our community work. From “Rainbow Family Story Time” for queer families, to the “Poly Discussion Group” for people living in alternative family structures. Whatever your lifestyle or interests, there is something for you at the center.
How has the LGBTQ+ community changed in recent years?
We are mainstreaming. Our gay bars are losing customers as we migrate to straight bars and integrate. This is both a good thing, and a bad thing. We are victims of our own success, but I am not one who fears the end of gay culture. It will change, but we are too strong to lose our culture so easily
What color would you paint The White House, given the chance?
White. I respect tradition.
Who in the LGBTQ+ community has been an inspiration to you?
Oh there are so many, but if I had to pick one it would be Cleve Jones.
This posting is for a part-time Office Administrator position at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. Approximately 30 hours per week. The Office Administrator will perform administrative and office support activities for multiple colleagues, and Center visitors. Duties may include fielding telephone calls, receiving and directing visitors, volunteer management, word processing, creating spreadsheets and filing. The Office Administrator will also work with our bookkeeper to cut checks twice a month, and do finance related data entry.
The Office Administrator will also make updates to the DC Center website, and disseminate information through our social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter.
The ideal candidate will have experience working with LGBTQ people and people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as the all the diverse communities in the District of Columbia.
We seek an individual who is excited at the prospect of working at a small, but growing non-profit organization and is passionate about supporting our local lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. The Office Administrator is a representative of the Center and the first face many people will meet when they walk in the door. We are seeking someone who is friendly, welcoming, and caring.
Knowledge of Google Applications and Microsoft Office are important for this position, as is familiar with social media sites. Bilingual and multilingual individuals are encouraged to apply.
To apply, please send the following materials.
1) Résumé
2) Cover letter (no more than one page)
3) Writing sample (no more than 5 pages)
Please send materials to lissette@thedccenter.org. Emails should contain the subject line “Office Administrator Position.” Please indicate in your application specifically where you learned of the position. Applications will be considered until July 31st.
Compensation This is an hourly position with a rate between $18 and $20 per hour based on experience. Health Insurance is a benefit for employees who work 30 hours or more per week following the first full month of employment. For other benefit related questions, the DC Center Employee Handbook is available on request.
About the DC Center: The DC LGBT Center educates, empowers, celebrates, and connects the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. To fulfill our mission, we focus on four core areas: health and wellness, arts & culture, social & peer support, and advocacy and community building. We envision communities where LGBT people feel healthy, safe, and affirmed.
This is a weekly newsletter to put a face to the staff at the DC Center. Every week we will be featuring a staff member. This week, meet Matt! Matt is our social Development Intern here at the center. Primarily Matt works with fundraising for The DC Center but during his time here he has been concentrating on raising money for the OutWrite book festival and Center Arts.
What is your music anthem?
Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks is a goddess!
What is your favorite part about the LGBTQ+ community?
I really love how diverse the community is. Coming from a boarding school where I was the only openly gay student, the DC queer community has allowed me to meet so many strong and unique individuals that I have been able to learn from.
What is your favorite spot in DC and what do you do there?
The back of the Lincoln Memorial facing Arlington Memorial Bridge. I could spend all night watching the cars leave the city and watching JFK’s eternal flame. For anyone interested it’s a great place to cry and not be seen as well make out with someone.
What do you think the LGBTQ+ community needs to improve on?
We need to have a greater acceptance of body types.
What is your favorite Queer movie?
Blue is the Warmest Color. I love how it accurately depicts the failing of what seems like a perfect relationship.
What has been your favorite moment while working in The DC Center?
I definitely would say walking in the Pride Parade for the first time.
What clothing item is a staple in your wardrobe?
Searsucker anything!
What color would you paint the White House, given the chance?
I want to make it glass so I can see that rat of a president running around his cage.
Who do you most look up to in the queer community?
Harvey Milk. He was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. He showed great tenacity by continuing to run for office after his many failed attempts.
This is a weekly newsletter to put a face to the staff at the DC Center. Every week we will be featuring a staff member. This week, meet Wallace! Wallace is our Arts Intern, working with Kimberly Bush to plan and market our Center Arts events. This summer they have been working tirelessly on Reel Affirmations XTRA, our monthly LGBT film screening, as well as OutWrite LGBT Book Festival.
Why did you start working at The DC Center?
What is your music anthem?
True Trans Soul Rebel by Against Me!
What is your favorite part about the LGBTQ+ community?
I think the sense of understanding that you just don’t get anywhere else – describing an experience or a feeling I’ve had related to being queer and having someone just get it.
What is your favorite spot in DC and what do you do there?
Honestly, the Natural History museum. When I was younger I was really into geology and I also just liked looking at the collection of gemstones. No matter how many times I’ve been there it’s still interesting to me.
What do you think the LGBTQ+ community needs to improve on?
Intersectionality in every direction.
What is your favorite Queer movie?
Better Than Chocolate (1999)
What has been your favorite moment while working in The DC Center?
Listening to Kimberley Bush talk about why art matters.
What clothing item is a staple in your wardrobe?
…my birkenstocks.
What color would you paint the White House, given the chance?
I think it should stay white as long as this is a white supremacist nation.
Who do you most look up to in the queer community?
Chelsea Manning’s twitter presence is inspiring me right now.
Do you identify as a gay, bisexual, or queer man, and have you experienced rape or sexual assault since you’ve been 18?
Professor Doug Meyer of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at the University of Virginia is seeking gay, bisexual, or queer men to participate in an interview research study. The interview will take approximately 90 minutes and participants will receive $50 dollars for their participation.
If you, or anyone you know, are willing to be interviewed, please contact Professor Doug Meyer at 917-836-3098 or at dom6e@virginia.edu
* Individuals need to be at least 18 years old to participate
This is a weekly newsletter to put a face to the staff at the DC Center. Every week we will be featuring a staff member. This week, meet Sam! Sam is one of our social workers here at the center and meets with her many clients all throughout the week. This summer, Sam has also been working tirelessly to plan Taking the Stage, Taking a Stand, which will provide a platform for queer voices to speak out against violence they have faced.
What is your music anthem?
Canned Heat by Jamiroquai.
What is your favorite part about the LGBTQ+ community?
My favorite part about the LGBTQ+ community is the synonymous feeling of unbridled support and connectivity around being fiercely committed to being authentic to yourself and loving who you love. There is a unique beauty and deep strength in the freedom of genuine expression, and I feel those qualities radiate throughout the community.
What is your favorite spot in DC and what do you do there?
I grew up in DC (one of the few and the proud!), and love so much of the city, so this is a hard question! I really love Eastern Market and the flea market that pops up every weekend. To me, there is really nothing better than strolling down the streets of Capitol Hill, getting brunch and then picking up a painting created by a local artist while listening to street performers serenade passersby with gentle Beatles ballads. I lived briefly near Eastern Market and it holds a very special place in my heart.
What do you think the LGBTQ+ community needs to improve on?
One of the strengths of the LGBTQ+ community is our diversity, the many different groups of individuals that make up the rainbow of letters in our ever-expanding acronym. The piece that we can improve is communication and connection between groups and communities within the larger community, specifically folks that have been historically marginalized and under served. We can always do better in lifting up and underscoring the voices that do not always get a chance to speak their truth, especially within our larger community.
What is your favorite Queer movie?
It’s a tossup – I love ‘To Wong Foo: Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar’ and ‘But I’m a Cheerleader.’ Both are such quirky classics.
What has been your favorite moment while working in The DC Center?
One of the most difficult weeks in my time at The DC Center was right after the horrific shooting at Pulse in Orlando. We worked around the clock with other LGBTQ+ organizations to put together an event for the community to come together, mourn, honor the victims of the shooting, and just talk about what had happened while uplifting and featuring the voices of Muslim and Latinx LGBTQ+ individuals. We had over 700 members of the community come out for this event, and the conversations that sprung from the speakers and individuals from the community knocked me sideways. There was so much love, and sadness, and anger, and wisdom, and respect in that space. It was raw and painful, but also presented all of us with a way to come together in a really intentional and important way when so many of us were hurting deeply. I’ll never forget the way I felt that evening, and how connected I was in that moment to everyone in that space. Perhaps it wasn’t my ‘favorite’ moment while working at The DC Center, but has certainly created the deepest impact and will be a moment that I will always hold with me.
What clothing item is a staple in your wardrobe?
I really love vintage style a-line dresses in soft, bright colors, and anything that looks vaguely 50’s and 60’s. Thrift-store shopping is my cardio.
What color would you paint the White House, given the chance?
I would paint the white house turquoise with hot pink stars. Maybe put some Hello Kitty stickers right across the front, too.
Who do you most look up to in the queer community?
I would say my queer hero is Janet Mock. I’ve seen her speak a few times in person, and read her memoir, ‘Redefining Realness,’ and think that her wisdom comes from a radical place of self-love and self-acceptance that is so inspirational and moving. I think she’s the voice of our generation, and that her wisdom pushes all of us forward.