The LGBTQ+ community in Los Angeles County is fortunate to have a variety of safe spaces available to them. From SAGE hotline connections to Queer LGBT Resource Centers at universities to Facebook groups for rural communities, there are plenty of options for those seeking support. The Los Angeles LGBT Center provides vital social safety nets for those who need it most. Cedars-Sinai has opened an LGBTQ+ center with specialists in primary care, pediatrics, transgender surgery, reconstructive surgery and anal cancer screening.
With increasing support over recent years even in conservative-leaning towns and cities across California, members of the LGBTQ+ community can find solace in these safe spaces. The SAGE hotline connects LGBT older people and their caregivers to resources and support. The Queer LGBT Resource Center at California State University in Fullerton provides students with the resources and training they need to be successful. In rural and conservative-leaning towns and cities, LGBTQ+ student groups are small and face homophobic and transphobic incidents. She describes herself as a witch and grew up kissing girls and boys in rural Lassen County, more than two hours north of Lake Tahoe, and is now one of three members of the LGBTQ+ student group at Lassen Community College.
He said it is urgent to create a safe space on each campus where LGBTQ+ students can meet, especially in the case of rural community colleges and some California State University campuses, which are known to be less welcoming. Instead, he said, the three students in the group wanted to meet at a rotating set of undisclosed locations. The Los Angeles LGBT Center is a vital social safety net for the LGBT community; a safe and welcoming place where people of all ages can find help, as well as hope and support, when they need it most. In Watsonville, between Santa Cruz and Monterrey, community college administrators reported that the pride flag had been stolen or defamed several times and that “the campus environment is not welcoming to LGBTQ+ students.” In rural Siskiyou County, where California meets Oregon, the local community college hides its LGBTQ+ center behind closed doors. There is a Facebook group for LGBTQ+ people in Lassen County, where Harrison was its 100th member, and the group meets regularly at a local bar. Services include the Cedars-Sinai Interdisciplinary Surgery and Transgender Health Program, based on research (the first of its kind in Southern California); the Gender Wellness Clinic for Children and Adolescents; primary care tailored to the needs of LGBTQ+ patients; and the Dysplasia Clinic, which specializes in high-resolution anoscopy to detect abnormal cells that can cause anal cancer, a condition that disproportionately affects gay men. While rural communities across the state have smaller queer populations, support overall has increased over the years.
In Bakersfield, home of Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the LGBTQ+ community has grown and services are increasingly available in recent years, said Cecil Dexter, a Bakersfield College student who identifies as transgender. The team's experience helps address health disparities in the LGBTQ+ community by encouraging an environment in which patients receive inclusive care. Elenis is a decision taken on the last day of Pride Month and allows a private company to discriminate against members of a protected class, the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Cedars-Sinai has opened a new LGBTQ+ center, which brings together specialists in primary care, pediatrics, transgender surgery, reconstructive surgery and anal cancer screening to meet the needs of patients in an inclusive and culturally sensitive environment. Los Angeles County offers many safe spaces specifically for members of the LGBTQ+ community. With these options available to them, members of this community can find solace knowing that they have access to resources that will help them feel supported.
