
Pride, Progress, and Purpose
Season 30 Episode 57 | 56m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
Join us as we hear from Executive Director Phyllis Seven Harris.
As part of the City Club's Local Heroes series, join us as we hear from Executive Director Phyllis Seven Harris on the progress and work ahead for the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
The City Club Forum is a local public television program presented by Ideastream

Pride, Progress, and Purpose
Season 30 Episode 57 | 56m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
As part of the City Club's Local Heroes series, join us as we hear from Executive Director Phyllis Seven Harris on the progress and work ahead for the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Good afternoon and welcome to the City Club of Greater Cleveland, where we are devoted to conversations of consequence that help democracy thrive.
It's Friday, October 10th, and I'm John Corlett, a senior visiting fellow at the center for Community Solutions and honored to introduce today's forum, which is part of the City Club's Local Hero series.
It's a series that spotlights champions right here in Northeast Ohio, whose hard work changes the way we view ourselves and our community.
Today, I am particularly pleased to recognize and celebrate my friend and Executive Director of the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, Phyllis Seven Harris.
Thank you.
I think this speech is already successful.
So celebrating 50 years in 2025, the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland is the leading nonprofit empowering Northeast Ohio's LGBTQ community through advocacy, education, collaboration, and celebration.
In fact, it's one of the first established centers in the country leading the way.
Is Phyllis Seven Harris, a tireless advocate in Cleveland's LGBTQ plus community.
Her steady strategic leadership comes at an unprecedented time when legislative policies and cultural shifts have impacted critical issues facing the LGBTQ plus community.
Together with her talented team, Phyllis continues to build upon an organization that remains a welcoming space to get support to bring community together, and to advocate for the rights of all of those in the LGBTQ plus community.
Now, Phyllis has nearly two decades of leadership experience in Northeast Ohio.
Before joining the center, she oversaw youth engagement programing for Planned Parenthood, served as director of education and advocacy with the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, and was vice president of programs and interim CEO with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Cleveland.
I think that's when I met you.
Yes.
For those of us who know Phyllis personally, you know that she is the first to show up at your event to answer your call.
No matter the time of day.
She speaks truth to power, especially when power needs to hear it most.
And on the eve of National Coming Out Day, it's a special moment to hear from Phyllis as she sends her here in her power to tell us what pride, progress, and purpose truly mean for each of us.
Now, before we begin, a quick reminder for our live streaming radio audience.
If you have a question during the Q&A portion of the forum, you can text it to (330)541-5794 and City Club staff will try and work it into the program now.
Members and friends of the Cleveland City Club of Cleveland, please join me in welcoming Phyllis seven Harris.
How wonderful.
Thank you so much.
Okay.
Ooh, wow.
I love.
You all look really good out here.
Ha!
Thank you for welcoming me.
That was seven Harris.
My middle name really is Michelle.
My mama's in the audience.
To the city club.
I'm so excited to be here.
This is a true honor, right?
To stand here in this citadel of free speech.
Right here in Cleveland, my hometown.
These spaces, as you know, and as you've heard in, in, our hearing in society are so vitally important.
Standing here, I'm reminded of all those before me who use the stage to demand change, to inspire community, and to champion justice.
I owe my knowledge of the City Club to my graduate school, education at Case Western, the Mandela School.
I got an email and not that other degree.
The social work one.
I hired good social workers and work with them.
And I got a student, membership because it was cheaper.
And I had heard of the city club, but, you know, I hadn't been.
And I became a member back then as a student.
And here I am now, today, the daughter of Cleveland.
Right.
I'm proud.
I'm delighted.
I'm a black lesbian feminist standing here proud and delighted to be here.
I'm a mother.
My children are in the audience.
Dating and asking.
And as the executive director of the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, my heart is for I see my family, my friends, my colleagues and allies.
Allies matter so much.
These are people who believe our city and future can belong to everyone.
These, and you are the people who showed up today are the reason why I'm so brave.
Because the work of change that has to happen is not a solo act.
It's not about me.
I like attention.
I like to be in the spotlight.
You know, sort of.
It's not about me, right?
It is like a chorus.
Right?
I see Amanda here from plexus.
It is the work that they do there.
I see Avery here from the LGBT center, a case.
It's the work they do there.
I see my team here.
It's the work that we collectively do together and all this organization.
It is like the sound of folks coming together, refusing to be silent and believing that a better future is possible.
That's why we're here.
Before I share more, though, I want to honor those who helped shape this journey with me.
We're at the City Club.
The City Clubs team is awesome.
Everybody.
From the time I got I. I opened the door.
And especially to Noel, Cynthia and Dan who have kept me calm and who has invited me right to the LGBT Center's board of directors, who are here, some of whom are here today.
Thank you for trusting me.
Thank you for bringing your diverse perspectives.
Thank you for your commitment.
And thank you for guiding us to be able to move our organization for not just to survive, but actually to thrive.
They're smart people, and they challenge me.
Well, and I love it.
It's important.
To my colleagues from organizations where I get to strengthen my my leadership skills.
Zygote press.
Yes.
Facing history and ourselves.
Yes.
Good organizations.
I'm naming them for a reason.
Right.
And also the Fantasy Community Foundation.
It takes all of us.
And there's so many other partners that we work with.
But thank you for helping me to be me and grow into my own power as a leader here in Cleveland.
To my friends who showed up.
And there's lots of you here, so thank you.
We're going to go out later.
Thank you for showing up for me in my work, because this is a lifestyle job and in my life, I really do appreciate it.
And finally, my mom, my family, your love and your support are the foundation of everything that I do.
When I talk to parents and they're concerned because their kid has come out, or they suspect that their kid is gay or trans, I say to them, love your child.
And I say to them, yes.
Yes.
My mother would tell you that I was quiet shy.
Some of you might still remember when I. I didn't talk much.
Do you?
Are you people here?
You know, and I really tell those parents that because I think I'm so brave.
I say I'm, you know, I am brave.
You know, it takes courage, but what I tell them is that, you know, my mom didn't reject me.
My my mom was like, come over, you remember?
And she said, I want to know about you and what's going on with you this time around.
2324 you know, and do my thing, you know?
And she said, you came through my body, right?
She said, I know I couldn't say it.
I'm just crying, you know?
I know she goes, I know your brother knows and your granny knows and we're going to have to work on her.
You said.
Well, let me tell you what happened after that.
Let me tell you what happened.
It looks like this.
Head up, shoulders back.
And I'm here.
So thank you.
So, parents, if you're listening, I hope you're listening.
And I hope you're listening for the right reasons.
Just love your child.
It's too hard out here to to do it alone.
And we find our friends and our families of choice.
But love your children, your trans child, your queer child, your gay child, your lesbian child, your child who wants to be called, they invent.
It is not that hard.
My name is Celeste Michelle Harris, and people call me seven.
It's not that hard, you know?
Seriously.
Right.
So it truly means a lot to stand here surrounded by people I love and the people who believe in this community that matters.
We are healthy when we have people.
And I tell folks all the time, I'm not alone.
There are lots of allies.
I just need our allies to speak up, to stand up, to act.
It's an action word.
It's about doing and being and speaking up.
So let me just switch to what this is about.
Okay.
This year we're going to we're celebrating in May.
I knew it was coming.
I said, we're not just going to celebrate one day and actually have to give credit to, Gail Palmer, who helps us with logistics.
Logistics for pride.
She said, you know, celebrate the whole year.
I was like, yes, for May 2025 to May 2026, we're celebrating the center's 50th anniversary.
That is 50 years of pride, 50 years of progress, and 50 years of purpose.
These aren't just words.
They are a living legacy shaped by every person who has walked into our doors and dare to be themselves.
That's what it's shaped by, right?
What about pride?
What is it?
Everybody knows about pride in the city, right?
Yes.
Yes.
That is a fun.
It.
We are visible.
We are strong.
We have fun.
The pride in our community is more than parades or in our case, a march.
Because we don't parade, we march right?
It's more than parades and marches and rainbows.
Pride is courage.
And you heard me say a little bit about that courage earlier.
Pride is courage, right?
In 1975, when the center began as Gear, the Gay Education Awareness Resource Foundation, that I get it right in the thank you.
I when it started, I got young people who work with me helped me out a lot when it was getting started.
Pride men gathering where curtains were drawn tight right, and names were shared quietly.
It meant answering calls on a community hotline at two in the morning because someone was at the edge of despair.
Did you know that the the, center used to have a hotline?
Sometimes people still ask me about it.
How the hotline.
And so you could call and you could get help, right?
It was, you know, mimeograph newsletters that were distributed hand to hand, offering hope and connection and community.
It was potluck dinners.
I didn't know what a potluck was until I came out.
And all the lesbians inside.
Lesbians, especially, love potlucks.
And.
And look at my mom's grace.
Because you don't eat, just eat anybody's food, right?
And all these women were so honored with potlucks, and now I'm just like, where's the closeness?
I'm coming out.
And this stuff, you know, this stuff, you know, were lifelines disguised as ordinary.
And there were people organizing and doing it.
Last night we celebrated LGBTQ Heritage Day at the center.
October is LGBTQ history month.
Tomorrow is coming out today.
And two of the founders of the center were there and and and and shared some of their stories.
You know, those people are still here living and breathing and getting to see, you know, our pride and then our progress, which is what we're going to get to next.
Right?
So pride was not just about being seen.
It was about survival.
It's about endurance.
And it's about joy too.
We know how to have fun.
We do a good party.
One of our elders who's recently passed away told me we didn't know if we lived long enough.
How are you?
For those of you who know, we didn't actually live long enough, to, To see the center, you know, reach 50.
We didn't know if the center was going to last until 50, but we kept showing up because it meant so much to be together.
And I wasn't going to put Howard say hello to me, but I needed to say it.
I didn't write it because I didn't want to cry.
One of the things that happens is, you know, when I started in and in 2012, there are a group of men who would show up at the center.
At that time, we had our sage, our senior programing twice a week, and we expanded quickly to three times a week.
And all those folks have been coming that group that there's maybe one of them left.
That core group for 13 years.
The length of time that I've been at the center and I've seen them pass on.
Right.
But in that last part of their life, right.
They were at the center with us, with Alyssa here, our program manager, you know, being 24 and hanging out with our elders and dealing with that challenge gracefully because she's got good manners, right.
So this is the pride that we honor and cherish.
The courage of everyday people who refuse to disappear.
And that's who we are.
And that brings us to progress.
Right.
We know that progress is never a straight line.
And we don't even like the word.
But we like our straight allies, right?
Right.
It is not linear.
It is sometimes painfully slow.
If you can remember when we first talked about the center moving, that took like five years.
Gray hair.
You know, seriously, you know, like it is.
It is, taking those steps for it, taking those steps back.
But through it all and over five decades.
Right.
One of the first, the service center in the nation, there's 300 and 375 of them.
And we're one of the first right?
You know.
We have grown like I want to.
I don't want to, I want to I don't want to do a disservice to what happened before, because they didn't have the type of rights and protections that we have now.
Right.
They didn't have the space and things like that.
There was magic made in those smaller rooms.
And down in that basement over on Detroit Avenue.
There are there it's grown from from that, a small handful of volunteers into a thriving community hub.
It's hard for me to be here and not want to call on those ancestors of before who served at the center.
There's many former board members here.
Ron is here.
Our call was here.
Frank Hoffman, who used to work with us here.
Vic Willis is here.
First time we put out a newsletter.
During my time.
Red pen, center back.
Outside.
I don't know who he dealing with here.
I said come on over here, brother.
Let's help us out.
Don't.
Don't send me anything with red marks.
Help us.
He's brilliant.
And he did.
And he's always there looking after us and making sure we're accountable to what we need to do.
So here we are, a thriving community hub.
Today, our programs really represent the full arc of LGBTQ life, right?
Starting with young people are to you programing.
It offers affirmation.
It offers joy for those kids.
It offers safety and leadership skills because we are part of a movement.
This is not just all fun and games.
We are part of a movement for the rights for our lives.
So we need leaders.
And so we pour into our young people around how to be leaders, how to organize, how to advocate for themselves.
And these kids are advocating in their schools for themselves.
They're advocating a whole they're advocating just to have fun and be a kid and not think about all these other stuff.
And when a young person says to their parent, why does everyone hate us?
A young trans person.
We know we have work to do.
So key you is there.
We with our collaborations with Colors Counseling.
We've been able to expand our mental health services.
Thank you Gomera for your tenacity and good work and partnership development.
Seriously.
You know, so they're getting the help that they need.
And there needs to be more a trans plus program for trans and non-binary folks, people who are coming out.
These are people.
These are our siblings.
These are your daughters and sons and and so on.
My name is Phyllis Harris, and people call me seven.
I know it's not that simple, but you can learn if you if you start with love and humanity, you can learn to be supportive.
Irene built the Rainbow Pioneers program for our elders.
This combats isolation.
It allows them to be in a place where they can celebrate their lifetimes of resilience and the wisdom that they bring.
It's wonderful.
We actually get old.
We need support.
Some people don't think of us like that.
You know, they're they're so busy targeting us, you know, because we like to have a party, a pride celebration every year and things like that.
But we have all the issues that, you know, any other elders have, right?
So Rainbow pioneers is they're building a village programing.
The zombie battle is here.
Design is a parent has a lot to do, but wanted to help us establish and facilitate a a parenting group for folks who have kids.
Queer folks have kids under ten.
I remember that my kids, like I said, are 19 and 27 now, but I really never wanted them to see other families like theirs.
And families of allies who really just saw us as another family.
It was great.
Every program is a promise.
Every program is a promise.
And every promise that we deliver on is progress, right?
I mean, we are who we serve, right?
That's.
I got two members over here, too.
Yes.
Progress is a young person walking to prom through the partnership that we have with Near West Theater and Phil and maybe.
Yes, yes, maybe, maybe for the first time.
I can be safe and celebrated in the same space.
Imagine that.
Imagine that.
Right.
Progress looks like bricks and mortar.
And in 2019 we opened a new facility on Detroit Avenue.
But it's not just the building, it's a statement.
It's a statement that LGBTQ people belong here.
Right here in the heart of Cleveland.
Each story, each person that finds community at the center is progress, lived and breathed right.
And today we're in our third year of strategic planning plans.
Go on and on and on.
And but they're important.
In our third year of our strategic plan.
We're on the right path.
Right.
A plan that our community helped us to develop.
It's one that commits us to deeper sustainability and deeper impact.
Because progress, it really does have to be more than survival.
It's it embodies our organizational promise to serve with purpose.
See where I'm headed here.
Purpose is not what we do.
Purpose.
Excuse me.
Purpose is all about what we do with this legacy.
Right?
It's all about.
It's what we do with our legacy.
It's what drives us toward action.
Even when the cards are stacked against us.
And right now, we know that they are.
When I first came to the center, I reached out to local program officers, people who had worked with or known through the nonprofit sector.
I learned that from Mary Bridget, who is my teacher mentor, about my leadership style, to meet with folks, right, and learn from them and ask some questions because they like to know stuff.
You told me taught me that.
So I met with them all.
Mary, and they all, had the same hard message.
And what they said to me is, one said bluntly, the center is in the ashes.
We thought the previous come in there.
I was the third in five years.
Yeah.
You know, was doing well.
But now here we are.
So we won't leave you hanging.
But we have, She said, cautious, cautious optimism.
So hung with me.
But no, I'm.
We're not giving you any money because we don't.
People don't like to invest in sinking ships.
But I said we're not sinking.
Right.
Another asked me, do we still need LGBT centers?
And brand new?
Yeah, and I knew the answer was yes.
And I got to be honest, I didn't answer that question with the strength or clarity that I should have.
She went on, and she was like, you know, my brother is gay and he's fine now.
You know.
Yeah.
It wasn't it wasn't a good answer.
It wasn't a good day for me.
I felt like all weird inside, you know, their doubts challenged me, but it strengthened my resolve.
I came back and I was ready to work, and I was like, I'll show them.
And purpose.
Is the answer to that question.
It truly is.
It is connected to the answer.
And the answer is yes.
Yes.
We need LGBTQ centers across this nation.
Yes, we need more than one.
This is why we're expanding to the to the east side with programing and partnerships.
Yes.
Yes.
We need LGBTQ centers because belonging isn't automatic, right?
Because joy doesn't just happen.
You have to create it for yourself.
And because justice requires places to gather, places to heal, places to organize.
Elizabeth, our advocacy coordinator, and Mo, our second advocacy coordinator because it's that important, right?
And it's places where we thrive and we deserve that.
We deserve to be able to thrive.
And today, October 10th, 2025.
Oh, my capstone year, activity for the year.
Our purpose has never been clearer.
At the state level, Ohio passed laws to restrict gender affirming care for minors, banned trans girls from girls sports and forced bathroom bills in schools.
The so-called parents Bill of rights now kills classroom conversations about LGBTQ experiences.
Families are still in court battling these.
This and the Ohio Supreme Court has not yet.
I have this right ruled so our children are living with fear and uncertainty.
That's what they're dealing with.
Instead of like it being fall.
And it's time for Halloween and things like that.
Now here in Cuyahoga County, right.
And and in Cleveland, the story looks different.
We have some protections.
We have an LGBTQ liaison to the city of Cleveland with the city clerk and Carrie Gibbons.
Our city's nondiscrimination ordinance explicitly protects sexual orientation and gender identity.
Cleveland banned conversion therapy for minors years ago.
And just last month, Cuyahoga County became the first county in Ohio to ban conversion therapy not only for minors but also for vulnerable adults with enforcement through the county's Human Rights Commission.
That is what local courage looks like.
Robert.
Thank you.
Yes.
So when people ask, you know, there is still new LGBT centers.
I haven't heard that lately, but if they were to ask, do we still need LGBTQ centers?
My answer is yes.
Because while state laws may strip away our protection, the local laws and community organizations like ours access and colors, youth Center and Colors Counseling and the Buckeye Flame and all the other ones that I'm going to forget to say because of those organization, we fill the gaps.
Right?
So yes, we not only need LGBT community centers like ours, an anchor organization in Cleveland.
We need all of these centers to thrive and be healthy.
We're going to close that gap.
We make belonging real.
We keep people alive, and we want to build a Cleveland where the policy and the practice matches our values.
The impact of community organizing and advocacy and speaking out.
That is what local courage looks like.
Bill, simple man had courage and would make the city work with us and do his thing to make sure that we were celebrating LGBT heritage.
Stay together.
I just talked to him about that and how much I miss him.
But now we got Carrie Swain worry.
And he's been gone for a long time.
I've missed you that long.
And and purpose also means carrying that action for it.
It means protecting trans kids when they're under attack.
It means ensuring elders age with dignity and respect.
It means making Cleveland a place where no one has to choose between safety and authenticity.
Right?
Our 50th anniversary is not just a milestone.
It is a springboard.
It's going to make us move.
And here's the truth.
We've made it 50 years because of people like you who participate in our activities, who volunteer, who advocate, and who contribute their skills and time.
If you want to get involved, I have to do a show up, volunteer at our front desk.
Join our grocery program.
Support our youth.
At prom, you can be an escort.
It's the most beautiful thing.
So happy.
Hang out with the rainbow pioneers.
They want to hear from you.
They like to hear from young people.
They even like millennials.
Attend one of our organizing meetings.
We have them on the west side, at the center and on the east side.
So you can go east or west.
I know we're in Cleveland, so we're making it happen.
Mentor trans youth or trans person who is trying to get a job to enter them.
Teach them how to you know, you know, you know, write their resumes and present themselves.
Whatever role you choose, you make belonging real.
And that's important.
And if you're already supporting this work, please consider deepening your involvement and inviting others to join in our growing community.
Now is the time, your presence, your time, and your gifts.
They matter.
They always have your gifts.
They save lives.
Believe it.
Save lives.
And they change stories.
So today, in this Citadel speech, a free speech.
I want a t shirt.
Then we celebrate pride.
We celebrate progress and we celebrate purpose.
Pride, honors where we've been.
It reminds us of our roots, right?
Pride keeps us anchored.
Pride allows me to remember where I came from.
Remember who came before me.
Remember that activists and the regular people who showed up on behalf of the center and the community.
That's what pride honors.
Progress shows us what's possible.
I'm possible.
We are possible.
This room of love is possible.
That's progress.
Not all of you were getting down with the gays before, but the allies in the room here are here with love.
That's progress.
Tell someone.
Right.
And purpose is sort of like this is just lights the way for it, right?
Our purpose reveals what we need to do next.
And we are rooted in that purpose.
I know that Cleveland is at its best when everyone can stand proudly and who they are.
That is my life's work.
And it's the invitation that I extend to all of you.
Let's make sure the next 50 years is not defined by reactive survival, but by proactive belonging.
Let's build a Cleveland where freedom, justice and joy and not just promised.
They are lived.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I really mean it.
Thank you.
All right.
I had a feeling we were going to stand and applaud for at least another ten minutes.
But we do have to get to audience Q&A.
For those just joining via our live stream and radio audience, I'm Cynthia Connolly, director of programing here at the City Club of Cleveland.
Today we are joined by Phyllis Seven Harris, executive director of the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, as part of our Local Heroes series.
We welcome questions from everybody City Club members, guests, students and those joining via our live stream at City club.org or a live radio broadcast at 89 seven and Wksu ideas stream public media.
If you'd like to text a question for Phyllis, please text it to (330)541-5794.
That's (330)541-5794, and city club staff will try to work it into the program.
We have our first question.
What's been your greatest joy and your greatest challenge?
Thank you.
Sure.
Hey.
That's great.
That's my friend.
They.
They don't spare the hard questions.
But this isn't too hard.
You know, like, I came out super early, and then I went in quietly and then I came out like, okay, my mama said I'm okay.
Right.
And so we lived on the East side, and, you know, I work on the on the west side.
And I didn't come to the west side.
And East Side had a thriving lesbian feminist community.
And I learned so much.
I learned to love my body.
I learned about the inner inner.
Mary Bridget used to say the.
And Susan Warren over here, they they would talk to us and we would do no oppression workshops.
When I worked at the Rape Crisis Center.
They would say that isn't interconnected and things like that.
And then that's how I learned about Kimberlé Crenshaw and all those folks who don't remember all of this, but I do.
But I was an East Side lesbian, when I when I learned that there was a community and there was a lot going on, there was what she wants, the Gay People's Chronicle, you know, you know, those were those, you know, newspapers, right?
There was other productions, oven productions, if, you know, if you know, you know, you know, and, a vibrant community.
And so they held me and taught me and nurtured me and invited me to potlucks.
So that's when I learned of of the community.
I forgot the other question.
So, my greatest joy, it's got to be my children and building families.
There's two people here that I. That, you know, I was, like, young and in love and trying to mimic, heteronormativity.
You know what?
I don't know why I did that, but, you know, I'm glad they're here.
You know, I'm glad they're here.
So they're my greatest joys, honestly.
And my biggest challenge, has to be just trying to be me and be a leader and not, you know, live up to, what people, think about me, living up to, dealing with people's anti-black bias.
You know, and that's, you know, that's everywhere.
It's global.
And I really do believe, like, honestly, in my work, in life, that is the biggest challenge.
Hello.
Our next question is the text question.
It says I would like to ask about the LGBTQ immigration community, how we are living in hard times.
And as an immigrant working for immigrants.
I would like to ask about the LGBT immigration immigration community in Cleveland.
What can we do to make them feel safer and closer to the center?
Thank you.
Well, there's a couple things.
First, I want to tell you about another organization, because we can't do it all, and we don't have all of the expertise or the capacity.
But there's another organization called House of transcendence.
Right?
Jordi.
Lee, Jordi, Luke Slay, Akon.
That's not their real name.
Right?
Or that isn't really their stage name.
Okay.
Yeah.
So a group of fantastic, amazing people who support, immigrants here.
I mean, really the really tough stuff.
We have a great relationship with them.
Going off here as the managing director, also has a lot of knowledge.
And just, while I'm local, she's global.
And so it really helps.
So we're we're a great partner.
Partnership of the executive director and managing director.
If someone was, like, here, here, here.
And she's, like, everywhere.
But, I would say to our, our caller that we don't do enough.
I don't think I'm I'm not, you know, I'm not satisfied with that answer.
Jordi.
And, House of transcendent.
They're working really hard to create housing to be able to, households, to support people who are, you know, subcultures like, we're the mainstream gays and, and queers here who show up with, with a levels of privilege, you know.
But there are lots of us, like in any other community.
And so, I really think we do need to, to do more, but please check out House of transcendence and then please contact on our free roster who might have some more resources to to let you know about.
She's on the board of Resource Cleveland and they do great work in Global Cleveland.
That's great.
So you know council ward there's this great work.
So let's ask all of them because they're doing work with immigrants and, you know, people, global citizens.
Please use your imagination to identify a few seeds that can be planted to begin the process of addressing racism within the Lgbtqia+ community in Cleveland.
Thank you for that question.
Yeah, that's a great question.
You know, it starts with supporting leaders like me.
It starts with thinking about belonging more expansively.
Right?
It starts with hiring folks from the culture to deliver the cultural programing that is needed.
It starts with the opportunity that even if you're not like me with my floating signifier is black right?
That you center blackness.
Here's what I think.
If we center trans people in the work that we're doing, everybody's going to get served.
You refuse to serve black people.
If you center black people in your organizations around the work that you're doing, other people will get served.
That always happens first, right?
So I'm going to be honest with my friend Doctor Parks, who ask that really hard question.
It takes, you know, supporting leadership.
It takes supporting professional development of your staff.
It takes not, making that person work three times year as hard as it takes.
Now, when I'm in, I'm in the meeting and I speak.
People listen.
That wasn't always.
It was hard.
They didn't even understand that they had implicit their bias.
So imagine I had to teach in that first.
And if we could get there and honestly, there were people that we got there with.
Right.
If we could get there, we could get a lot more work done.
And I respect those folks now.
I'm like, they weren't the ones that gave me a hard time and never change.
They're the ones that gave me a hard time and they're still around.
And when I see them, I light up because I know we did it.
I don't know if I answered that question completely, but it really is about centering black people, the issues that black people have.
If you really want to help, try that, see what happens.
A good afternoon.
First of all, I want to give a shout out to County Councilman Robert Schleifer and the rest of council for banning, conversion therapy in our county.
I honestly wanted to say Robert's last name, but I. Because I couldn't slept.
Yes, that's a slapper.
Junior.
Is that right?
Speaking.
But also, you know, there's a lot of disinformation just all over the place.
So I know the people in this room know what conversion therapy is before the people who are listening or who or who may watch on Sunday morning.
Could you please explain what conversion therapy is and why it is so dangerous?
Okay.
I I'm not.
Okay.
Yes.
Let me explain it.
So conversion therapy is.
Therapy is when a therapist does talk therapy or whatever their therapeutic modality is to convince to, support.
It's not support to to coerce individuals to being straight to denying who they are in terms of their authentic, authentic history about how they identify, in terms of what they feel about the construct of gender, and sexual orientation.
And it's very, very harmful.
And it has been banned for a reason.
So, medical authorities, I don't know.
Are we listening to them anymore?
You know, like, I think we should be, They they they've all denounced it, and it's taken way too long for other folks to understand.
So, again, parents, let me just talk to you.
It's not good for your child.
You're good for your child if you are loving them, if you are trying to learn more.
I bought a book.
I don't think I ever gave it to my mom, but I got.
I bought a book because I wanted her to learn more.
Did I give it to you?
I'm sorry, but you know.
So conversion therapy, I don't.
Who who knows the I don't know the the, What do you call that?
The the definition of it.
The scientific definition of it.
But it is a harmful practice of, trying to manipulate and coerce individuals into living their lives in authentically as a straight individual.
Yes.
Brainwashing.
Thank you.
Susan.
Thank you.
Thank.
My name's Doug Pennock, and I'm a retired family physician.
Conversion therapy, for example, is to show a picture of a, an attractive woman when this person really is a gay man or a gay boy, and they give them, and they show a picture of an attractive boy, and they give the real boy electric shocks so that they will somehow change their thinking about sexuality.
It is criminal.
Yes.
And I absolutely know folks in my lifetime who have, who their parents, paid other people the opposite sex in their, in their mind to sexually assault their child.
It's terrible because they didn't want him to be gay.
And so he's dealing with living with that type of betrayal from a parent.
That's conversion therapy.
It's not good.
But working together with you at the rape crisis center, we really did, build something there that started us all to grow and keep growing.
And I see that in you.
But she said something that really, brought up an old memory.
And, when you were talking about, you know, we do have more protections today.
We do have things are so different.
And I remember when I was the director at the Rape Crisis Center, somehow Connie Schultz at the well, who was at the Plain Dealer at the time, remember, got information that I was a lesbian and thought it'd be a good idea to call out all of our major funders and ask them if they knew that I was a lesbian.
No, I remember that.
Thank goodness they were fine, but they were the ones who called me and said, you know, Connie Schultz is doing this.
So, no, I didn't.
And why, you know, was my question.
And so when I tried to talk to her, she said, I'm doing an investigative piece.
I'm not ready to talk to you.
So we were all a little scared.
We remember, like, what does this mean?
She's going to out us.
What?
You know, I mean, and at the center was a very open, very safe place.
But this was the early 90s, and things were different.
When she finally talked to me.
She wanted to talk about with me being a lesbian.
And, what was it like for my poor son to have a lesbian mother?
But what I said to her, I remember, you know, she had a lot of power right then, you know, she could publish that.
I was a lesbian.
I said, I'm out.
For the most part.
I don't care who knows.
But if one survivor does not come to this center because you publish that the director is a lesbian, you are hurting people that need help.
And I tried to talk to her all about lesbian baiting and tried to I hope I educated her.
But I remember how scary that was for all of us.
And I'm wondering now for you and I know starting out as an executive director, it's all about raising money.
It's all about keeping the doors open, paying the salaries.
You know, we love the work, but we got to be the ones that get the money in there.
And I know that you are better at it than anyone else in Cleveland.
Thank you.
But.
I think.
Has it changed for you as the times have changed?
And because getting money for a lesbian gay community center, like for a rape crisis center, it's not easy all the time.
Yeah.
And I wonder if you talk a little bit about how your journey has been with keeping that funding coming in and how we can all help.
Yes.
Thank you.
Appreciate that.
And by the way, I do think I talked a little bit earlier about front office.
Question.
She did not out me in that article.
Oh yes.
I just described me as having short cropped hair and multiple pierced ears, so I. You see why she's my mentor?
And that's what I was going to say.
You know, I talked a little bit earlier about progress.
And, you know, you know, Connie Schultz is one of our, allies today.
Yes.
Yeah.
So people change.
And, Yeah.
So this is like in 95 when I, when I started, at the rape crisis center and some of this was going on.
And so I'm a I turned 63.
But, things have changed, and it's hard.
I have a, a managing director who started at the center, as a, as our program director because she thought that, well, she came in to pick my brain to get information because she wanted to start a center in summit.
Some somewhere else, not here.
And I said, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I she had everything.
And I said, but I got the job.
And that job, she did very well.
And, wanted to learn grant writing and began to write grants.
And now is the machine behind, the foundation world?
I don't meet with those program officers anymore.
They don't know who I am.
But they know going our free roster and she works with, Lane Rolling, which is a fabulous consulting group.
So it helps us with the foundation side of things.
We have what I call, it's it's like our list of our roster of foundations.
And I had it for many years, and Gunnar was the one who was able to take it and do something with it in addition to that.
We got good with.
We're not great at it.
I still get calls of people mad at me with donor stewardship.
So the technical things that I know about that I learned in my graduate program, we brought in many of those brought to the organization.
And I used to tell people, I don't work at the center because I'm a lesbian.
I work there because I'm a nonprofit practitioner and a good one.
You know, I learn from the best.
And so, things have gotten not great, but better.
I have a contract now, right?
Which means I'm pay this pay parity.
And I want to tell my sisters that because they're the they're my advocates around that.
We need your help.
We need your recurring donation of $25 every month for 15 years because you forget about it.
That sustains us.
We need you to think about us.
You know, we establish a plan giving program, this year.
Because, you know, our our boomers are.
Aging and so the straight people are getting ready for it.
And so are we.
You know, so we are I think things have gotten there has been progress.
Our budget when I started was 256,000.
Our budget now is 3.5 million, right?
Right.
And I'm looking over at my board members and Garner and William, our director of development, and saying, where are we going?
Right.
We have a strategic plan.
But, you know, I'll be doing good.
You know, like so, it's, as big as it takes is really the answer, right?
And so, things are better things can be better.
We need your support.
And that looks like volunteering.
That saves us money.
That looks like donations.
That looks like showing up at our events.
That looks like telling your allies and using your ally voice in a way that really helps to move us forward.
Thank you.
Phyllis.
Seven Harris.
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Celeste.
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Coming up next at the City Club on Friday, October 17th, we will discuss the future of public media.
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Org.
Thanks.
Thank you again to Phyllis seven Harris and to our members and friends at the City Club.
I'm Cynthia Connolly.
Our form is now adjourned.
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