Eddy Elmer: Out but not in?

Thank you to Natasha Barsotti for letting readers know about The Centre's possible relocation from Davie Village ("'If You Move to Burrard and 7th, You Will Kill The Centre': findlay," Issue 409, Apr. 23).

I'm dismayed by some of the cavalier and dismissive response this news has generated on xtra.ca: Who cares where The Centre is located? Does everything in the gay community need to be in the gay ghetto? Would it hurt queers to get out of their comfort zone and cross the bridge once in a while?

Much of this response is predicated on the assumption that social tolerance has increased and sexual minorities no longer need to confine themselves to traditionally gay neighbourhoods. But there is a problem with this assumption.

Organizations like The Centre cater to two groups of sexual minorities: young people struggling with their sexual identity and with coming out, and people who are comfortable with their identity and have already had the kind of support we all need to feel safe venturing out of our little bubble and exploring the world around us.

Moving to Burrard and 7th means the likelihood of reaching the first group would be greatly reduced, especially if they are already hesitant to seek services. Indeed, if The Centre is out of sight, it will most definitely be out of mind. And if it's out of mind, then it will no longer have much reason to exist.

I hope the Board of Directors will keep this in mind when it makes its decision about The Centre's relocation.

Jim Deva left disappointed after meeting with the festivals committee of the Vancouver Pride Society (VPS) Apr 29. He had attended the meeting to discuss coordinating a joint fundraiser for both the VPS and The Centre this Pride.

In the wake of last month's news that The Centre's board of directors is considering relocating the facility outside the West End to cut operating costs, Deva and barbara findlay are determined to fundraise to keep The Centre in the gay village.

But together they pitched a community-oriented "Pride in the Village" event which would bring Davie St businesses out onto the street during Pride weekend. Funds generated through admission would then be split between the two organizations.

VPS president Ken Coolen says the three months remaining before this year's Pride season would not allow for the planning of such a complex fundraiser.

"It's definitely something we want to do," Cohen says. "It's just this late in the game it's just really difficult to try and pull all of that together."

Coolen asked Deva to come back to meet with the VPS this fall to begin discussions about Pride 2010.

"If they're willing to work with us next year, that's something," says Deva, "but we need something this year to keep The Centre active and vital."

The Centre recently came under fire for considering a move to a building near the intersection of Burrard and 7th Ave. At an Apr 17 board meeting, findlay told The Centre's directors that such a move would "kill" the Centre.

"I do speak for other people—lots of other people—and the sense of those people is that, first of all, if you move to Burrard and 7th, you will kill The Centre. Period, full stop," findlay warned the board.

Others have also spoken out strongly against any relocation outside of the West End.

"I can't imagine a gay community centre not being located in what is perceived to be the 'official' centre of that community. True, gay people are spread out all over the city, and it's not as if Burrard and 7th is in Timbuktu, but the message this sends is sad," says gay community member Eddy Elmer.

"The current location, we've been told for years, is not acceptable to the community," reminds Centre executive director Jennifer Breakspear. "Up until a few weeks ago, nobody wanted us where we are now."

The inaccessibility of The Centre's Bute St space, due to its lack of an elevator to the second-storey rooms, has been a source of concern for many years.

Breakspear says it has always been her goal to find the best possible solution to The Centre's financial and architectural limitations. "Trying to come to a place where we know that we're able to continue to provide our programs and services to the community to the best of our ability, and better than we are currently," she says, "that's the goal."

Raigen D'Angelo, who won the Volunteer of the Year award at the Apr 26 Xtra West Community Achievement Awards in part for her work at The Centre, supports Breakspear's breadth of research when it comes to finding a new facility.

"I applaud Jennifer Breakspear," D'Angelo says. "She has to make tough calls, just like any chair of an organization has to make—really tough calls that people may not agree with."

As a volunteer receptionist, D'Angelo says she sees firsthand The Centre's values to the community. "We seem to forget about the people who are just coming out," she says. "They need help, and they're lost and they need comforting, and they need these programs so much.

"When I meet someone who has just come to the country from Sri Lanka, or South America, or so forth," D'Angelo continues, "they come to The Centre, they see the Pride banners on Davie St, and they feel safe.

"They feel they're at home and they want to help, they want to volunteer, and they want to get involved. We've got to foster this."

One effect of the community's recent scrutiny of The Centre's possible relocation plans, notes Breakspear, is the flurry of input and discussion about the responsibilities of the organization and of the community at large.

"The community wants to be more actively involved in decision-making and consultation at The Centre," she remarks, "and I think that's wonderful."

Breakspear says she will begin to hold monthly meetings for concerned community members to discuss ideas and strategies for sustaining and strengthening The Centre.

For his part, Deva hopes to begin fundraising this summer, with or without the collaboration of the VPS.

"I still would like to see something during that Pride weekend," he says. "I think that's when they really need to be educated about the importance of The Centre."

Monthly contributions to The Centre would help too, D'Angelo notes. "Imagine if we were able to get 500 queer people in the city doing $10 a month. That's $60,000 more a year that The Centre could get to ensure that it does stay in the West End."

Permanent URL: http://www.eddyelmer.com/articles/centrex.htm

Return to articles list

Letter: The Centre's proposed relocation

Eddy Elmer

XTRA! West, 7 May 2009