Garden Party grows for gay ‘Grand Central Station’

Chelsea Now photo courtesy Donna F. Aceto

Speaker Christine Quinn presents a City Council Proclamation to Center executive director Richard Burns.

By WINNIE McCROY

Pride Week officially kicked off on Monday, June 23, with the 25th Annual Garden Party, a big annual fundraiser staged by the LGBT Community Center. Comedian Kate Clinton returned to reprise her long-running role as emcee of an evening of food, fun and entertainment on Hudson River Park’s Pier 54. The event raised $300,000 for the Center’s capital expansion program, which in time will see a dramatic expansion into the land currently occupied by the garden west of the main building.

“The Center, which we think of as sort of Grand Central Station of queer New York, provides a home for more than 300 LGBT organizations,” said executive director Richard Burns. “It’s a place where queer kids come out of the closet and LGBT seniors go, and it’s a reflection of the vitality of our community that we’re filled to overflowing. There are people meeting in the basement, the garden, the attic… we have more kids in our youth program than we can fit.”

Burns added, “It’s great to celebrate our 25th anniversary and really honor those people who had the vision to found the Center and bring it to where it is today, and now our job is to look ahead and ensure the Center remains as flexible and nimble and continues to evolve and meet the changing needs of our community.”

Clinton echoed these sentiments, saying, “The Center is just bursting at the seams. It’s sort of like Ellis Island — if you’re gay and come to town and want to connect, you go to the Center. It’s all about the health and welfare of the people who are here, so the more money we can raise, the more we can make accessible to everyone.”

City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn was on hand to deliver a proclamation from the Council commemorating the Center’s 25th anniversary, and to urge the community to support Governor David Paterson when he marches in the annual Pride Parade down Fifth Avenue. Last month, the governor ordered all state agencies to draw up regulations for providing full recognition to marriages by gay or lesbian couples legally entered into in other jurisdictions, in line with a recent appellate ruling out of Buffalo binding on the entire state.

“There really is no group out there in the city in any community that has the breadth and depth of programs that the Center does,” said Quinn. “There is no other organization… that literally has pre-cradle to grave services like the Center does, so we should be very proud of ourselves. And you should be proud, because you are the ones who have supported the Center, allowed it grow and expand, and really challenged government to catch up with your generosity.”

Other politicians present included Congressman Anthony Weiner and Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr., both, like Quinn, likely mayoral contenders next year. Weiner called for New Yorkers to rally around same-sex marriage rights, saying, “We can’t be sanguine that this progress will happen on its own, it’s only with your help,” that civil rights gains are achieved. Thompson echoed Quinn’s kudos to the governor for his marriage recognition directive.

City Council hopeful Yetta Kurland, who is aiming for the seat Quinn will be term-limited out of next year, spoke about what the Center means to her, saying, “I live three blocks away from the Center, so for me it’s a source of resources and inspiration in my life on a day-to-day basis, but I also think it’s one of the best resources for LGBT folks in the city of New York. The Center and our community have really grown up and come into ourselves; the programming in the Center isn’t just one area of LGBT identity, it’s everything from legal services to counseling… to part of our history.”

Broadway star Gavin Creel from “Mary Poppins” performed for the crowd, as did Eric Himan, Robert German and Stewart Lewis, young, personable singers volunteering their time for the cause. “Gay Pride for some people is about celebrating their sexuality… and that’s great, but my boyfriend and I like to do stuff like volunteer doing face-painting for the Center Kids. It’s rewarding, but also, it’s needed,” said German.

As is Garden Party custom, the Lavender Light Gospel Choir performed. Special guests Ted Allen and Andrew Cohen of Bravo TV fame presented the results of the silent auction. Allen’s new show “Food Detectives” debuts on the Food Network on July 29.

“The Center has been at the forefront since virtually the beginning of the gay rights movement,” said Allen. “I think it’s especially important for the young gays to have a place to go, especially those whose parents are maybe not supportive. It’s not necessarily the best idea for young guys to sneak into places where booze is served, to think that’s the only place where gay guys can be accepted. The work that the Center has done is fantastic, and I’m thrilled to be here.”