Last weekend, the Newark LGBTQ Community Center moved into a new location in the Equal Space building (89 Market St., 2nd Floor, Newark, NJ 07102). The Center held an open house on the evening of Jan. 19 to welcome the community and celebrate the grand opening. At this new location, the Center will offer education, social justice and outreach programs to the local LGBTQ community.
“On October 3, 2013, the Center began in direct response to the many murders, suicides and hate crimes over the years against lesbian, gay and transgender people in Newark,” the Newark LGBTQ Community Center has stated. “Our community struggle to create a safe space went into full gear immediately after the shocking 2003 murder of Sakia Gunn, a 15-year-old lesbian whose life was taken on the streets of Newark while she was returning home from a visit to New York City.”
The Center is already planning a film festival as one of the features among its many new programming and events. They are looking for BIPOC LGBTQ filmmakers to submit both short and full-length films for the first-ever Newark LGBTQ Film Festival, scheduled to take place April 14–16, 2023. The Newark LGBTQ Community Center can be reached via email at nwklgbtqcenter@gmail.com or by phone at 973-424-9555.