LGBTQ-FRIENDLY MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES

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LINKS TO LGBTQ WEBSITES

 Gay Utopia is an online symposium devoted to exploring that ideal realm in which gender, sexuality, and identity dissolve. It includes poetry, artwork, comics, personal essays, reviews, fiction, drama, slash, and more by Ursula K. Le Guin, Jennifer Baumgardner, Dame Darcy, Johnny Ryan, Ariel Schrag, Julia Serano, Michael Manning, Matt Thorn, Neil Whitacre, Edie Fake, and a host of other contributors.

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LGBTQ ORGANIZATIONS 

 

Artmatters. A private foundation devoted to providing direct support to contemporary artists. Includes The Critical Needs Fund for Photographers with HIV/AIDS and an unusual catalog of artist-designed gifts.

Arts Wire. Run by The New York Foundation for the Arts, this site offers news, grants, even job listings to help artists make art.

Black & Lesbian Gay Organizations. Extensive listing of gay organizations maintained by BLK publishing (Blackfire, Black Lace, Kuumba magazines),

California LGBT Arts Alliance.  Promotes artistic and financial partnerships that strengthen and deepen the cooperative relationship among Californians LGBT non-profit arts organizations and individual artists.

The Estate Project for Artists with AIDS, 581 Santa Monica Boulevard, #400 West Hollywood, CA 90069 (310-652-1282).

Gala Choruses is the world's only association committed to serving the lesbian and gay choral movement, providing leadership through excellence in the choral arts, with 160 member choruses and 8,000 singers around the world.   

Gender DynamiX, founded in July 2005, is the first transgender association established in Africa. This association works towards a world in which each person has the freedom to express their own gender - whether it corresponds to their born sex or not.  

The GLBT Historical Society of Northern California. From the time of the Gold Rush to Queer Nation and the AIDS pandemic, the Historical Society's collections in San Francisco save our diverse histories for future generations.  

The Glasgow Gay & Lesbian Centre provides the only space for LGBT artists to exhibit their work in Scotland.  

Asian AIDS Information Archive: for extensive list of resources maintained on Utpia-asia.com website based in Thailand, click on AIDS HIV link on home page.

International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission. The mission of IGLHRC is to secure the full enjoyment of the human rights of all people and communities subject to discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation or expression, gender identity or expression, and/or HIV status. A US-based non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO), IGLHRC effects this mission through advocacy, documentation, coalition building, public education, and technical assistance.

Leslie-Lohman Gay Art Foundation. Contact: Wayne Snellen, director, 127 Prince St., New York, NY 10012 (212-673-7007). LLGAF is a nonprofit gallery and archive dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of lesbian and gay art that may be endangered because of censorship, prejudice and misunderstanding.

Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center. Free Internet access, educational programming, career center, gallery, café and much more.

National Association of Black & White Men Together (NABWMT). A gay, multiracial, multicultural organization committed to fostering supportive environments wherein racial and cultural barriers can be overcome and the goal of human equality realized.  

Names Project. A beautiful site that evokes the spirit of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

Queer Cultural Center (Qcc). Founded in 1993, Qcc is a multidisciplinary arts presenting organization that conducts artistic and interpretive programs exploring queer identity issues.

SF International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. Presented by Frameline, the San Francisco Festival recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.

The Charles M. Holmes San Francisco LGBT Community Center.

Tom of Finland Foundation.  A "safe haven" for masculine male erotic art. includes gallery, newsletter, calendar of events and extensive links pages.

 Toxic Titties is a Los Angeles based collaborative group of feminist artists working with performance, video, and film, bringing a subcultural phenomenon into the frame of conceptual art. Using pleasure and play, the group mutates with each performance to include a multiplicity of participants and embody queer perversions of cultural ideals. .

Triangle Artist Group. Virtual gallery by collective of more than 100 Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual artists in the Washington D.C. area.

Visual Aidis a nonprofit organization serving professional visual artists with life-threatening illnesses in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Visual AIDS. Gallery comprised of works selected from the Visual AIDS' Archive Project. We invite guest curators to select 15-20 works from the Archive for a six-week exhibition. Begun in 1994, the Archive Project is the largest national slide archive of works by artists with HIV/AIDS.

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LGBTQ CULTURE & LITERATURE

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What is sexual orientation? Sexual orientation refers to the sexual preference of a person, defining them as heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. Sexual orientation refers to the behaviors and desires associated with sexual actions and has nothing to do with biology or gender.    What causes a person to have a particular sexual orientation? There are several different factors that can play into a person developing a particular sexual orientation. Though there have been no clear cut links to anything that causes a particular sexual orientation—there are several different theories as to what causes sexual orientation. There is a constant battle between nature vs. nurture. The consensus seems to be that most people have little or no choice about their sexuality. Childhood experiences, good or bad, could play a role in the developing orientation.     Is sexual orientation a choice? Though there are many people who may believe sexual orientation is a choice, sexual orientation happens. It's not something a person can just wake up one morning and say, “I don't want to be straight.” With the social stigma surrounding homosexuality today, to say it's a choice would insinuate that people are choosing to make their lives harder, and instinct tends to lead us all to the easier path. Though we are unsure of what exactly causes an orientation, we do know little to no choice is made on behalf of the individual. You have no control over who you are going to be attracted to and want to begin dating, it's a natural inclination towards a certain person no matter their gender.   Is homosexuality a mental illness or emotional problem? Until 1973, homosexuality was thought to be a mental illness in need of a cure. The fact of the matter is that homosexuality is not a mental illness or mental problem, no matter how much some people choose to view it that way. A famous psychologist, Alfred Kinsey, developed the the theory that everyone has homosexual tendencies, and created the Kinsey Test. The Kinsey Test asks questions and has a scale that identifies a person's level of homosexuality, either as homosexual, slightly homosexual, bi-sexual, heterosexual, slightly heterosexual, or asexual. Behavior associated with both homosexuality and heterosexuality is completely normal and associated with human sexuality in general. There is no mental illness or emotional problem that causes homosexuality.   Why is the "coming out" process difficult for some gays and lesbians? For many gays and lesbians, “coming out” to parents, co-workers, friends, and other family members can be a difficult process because of the social stigmas surrounding the topic. Sometimes, they fear what others will think of them, how people will act toward them and how being honest with themselves and the others around them will impact their lives.    It is hard for many to accept the way they will be viewed in the public eye, the eye of the government as they lose many rights they would maintain by presenting themselves as heterosexual, and if they have not already established a relationship with a partner, having the courage to present themselves in the community could all impact how difficult “coming out” is for them.   What are some ways to help lesbians and gay men overcome existing discrimination? The most important thing lesbians and gay men can do to help overcome prejudice and discrimination against them is to be true to themselves and others around them, allowing themselves to be open in society. There are many different support groups in the community and many heterosexual people show support for homosexuals. The more involved lesbians and gays become in fighting against these prejudices and discrimination against them, the more they are doing to stop them.    Can therapy change sexual orientation? No. Therapy cannot change sexual orientation because sexual orientation is not an illness or ailment that needs a treatment. Therapy should not be used to attempt to alter the sexual orientation of anyone, because sexual orientation is something that comes naturally to a person—and there is nothing wrong with anything a person feels toward another.    Why is it important for society to be better educated about homosexuality? It is important for society to be better educated about homosexuality because the more people know, the more they can understand. The more people understand, the more receptive society will become to accepting lesbians and gays for who they are, rather than their sexual preferences. As society becomes more educated and open minded, people will be able to “come out” and enjoy their lives with less fear and become closer to one day sharing equal rights.   Resources for More Information on Sexuality American Psychological AssociationLesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns Office 750 First Street, NE. Washington, DC 20002 E-mail Mental Health America (formerly the National Mental Health Association) 2000 N. Beauregard Street, 6th Floor Alexandria, VA 22311 Main Switchboard: (703) 684-7722 Toll-free: (800) 969-6MHA (6642) TTY: (800) 433-5959 Fax: (703) 684-5968 GLBT National Help Center 2261 Market Street, PMB #296 San Francisco, CA 94114   Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender National Hotline toll-free phone: 1-888-THE-GLNH (1-888-843-4564) GLBT National Youth Talkline toll-free phone: 1-800-246-PRIDE (1-800-246-7743) Administrative phone: 415-355-0003 Fax: 415-552-5498 Email address: info@GLBTNationalHelpCenter.org SOURCE: www.datehookup.com/

 

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LGBTQ+ Drug and Alcohol Treatment Resources

Alcohol Rehab Guide -  www.AlcoholRehabGuide.org/Resources/LGBTQ-Alcoholism

The Recovery Village - www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/lgbtq 

Recovery Centers of America - www.recoverycentersofamerica.com/