Since 1969 the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBT individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today the Center’s nearly 800 employees provide services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, Leadership and Advocacy. We are an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world; a world in which LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society.
The Center’s in-school programs focus on helping LGBTQ youth create supportive communities and relationships, feel safe at school, and develop leadership and other skills they need to build healthy and complete lives.
Learn more below or visit us at lalgbtcenter.org.
OUT for Safe Schools®
This partnership program works with school districts and other education agencies across the nation to eliminate the social, emotional, and mental health inequities of LGBTQ+ students by partnering with education agencies on policy, culture, and practice initiatives that make schools safe and supportive learning environments. As part of the program, faculty, administrators, and other school personnel wear OUT for Safe Schools® badges to publicly identify themselves as LGBTQ allies, sending a visible message to all students that LGBTQ youth are welcomed and supported at school.
Community Action Network (CAN)
This program works with GSA and LGBTQ clubs on school campuses supporting middle and high school students, helping students and advisors strengthen their school clubs by providing tools on sustainability and recruitment, meeting formats and agendas, and club connectivity, among other things. Students are supported by the CAN Leadership Team, made up of youth ages 18 to 24. These leaders are trained in facilitation skills to build community and create social change, thereby supporting students on their campuses.
CAN Coalition
Through partnerships with local organizations, schools, and youth development programs, CAN Coalition brings many sectors of the community together to serve as a resource to one another. Working together, members of CAN Coalition provide nurturing and safe spaces, foster personal development, and educate and reduce substance misuse among LGBTQ youth.