LGBTQ+ Center feasibility study’s final event shares findings, next steps

Waseem Abbas

1 week ago

On Nov. 4, the Atlanta LGBTQ+ Community Center Feasibility Study hosted its final community event, State of the Study, at Out Front Theatre.

Study Director Malik Brown and Exploratory Committee Co-Chair Paul Conroy shared insights from the 2,802 responses to the project’s Community Input Survey — the largest known Atlanta-specific LGBTQ+ dataset in history.

Brown and Conroy shared the recurring themes of the year-long study, which included the survey and input from an exploratory committee of 35 members, as well as community leader roundtable discussions; hundreds of hours of one-on-one conversations with LGBTQ+ individuals, organizations, and small businesses; a research working group in partnership with Georgia State and Clark Atlanta University professors; and site visits to LGBTQ+ centers worldwide. These themes included:

an emphasis on sustainability, so the Center stands for generations to come
the necessity of keeping residents at the forefront of the project
the priority of mental health resources
the desire for the Center to operate independently from the government
an emphasis on parking and proximity to MARTA stations and bus lines

Brown and Conroy also shared the next steps for the Center. Throughout the rest of November, the study will be refined and completed before it’s presented to the Mayor Andre Dickens’ office in December.

The city will make a decision about the project within 30 days of submission, and if approved, implementation of the project will begin in January, with the target opening of the Center in 2029. A smaller interim space is potentially being launched next year.

“As political attacks, inequity, and violence intensify against LGBTQ+ people, Atlanta needs a centralized safe space for resources, community, and culture,” Brown wrote in a presentation shared at Tuesday’s event. “Across history, LGBTQ+ centers have been built in moments of ease – they’ve been born from resistance. As the largest metro in America without an LGBTQ+ Community Center, Atlanta’s will stand as a living commitment: progress here will not pause under pressure. The Center will generate local jobs, attract visitors, expand Atlanta’s tourism economy, and strengthen our city’s reputation as a global leader in inclusion.”

For project updates, visit atlgbtqcenter.com.

The post LGBTQ+ Center feasibility study’s final event shares findings, next steps appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.