KTLA News: "Gay Community Services Center hosts open house" (1979)

basically this is a Human Services Agency we have 13 programs ranging from employment to a clinic a Women's Resource program an educational outreach program alcohol abuse uh but 13 in all and it is also a place of identification for lesbians and gay men uh a community center with all the things that that that that speaks about if you will continue to do the work you've been doing and the support you've given the sener and all of the people behind me will continue to give support to the senator I can assure you that the city is going to be involved at in in the very deepest sense in the very most meaningful sense of commitment to a segment of our community which deserves to be recognized as equals with everybody else [Music] growth for our Center we will begin to see when a client comes into this place they are treated as a whole person there's no assumption made um about who they are what their needs are they may come to a specific program but they are assessed in in ter their needs are assessed in terms of how they might relate to other programs and they are plugged into a center a community center not to a standard Social Service Agency to lesbians and gay men will not depend upon the [Music] action [Music] why the open house today well this marks the basically the conclusion of eight years of work in starting the gate community services Center and it is also a the end of a stage of the renovation of the building um so this is an appropriate time for us to have a celebration that's what we're doing what services will be offered here what will be going on I think the most important thing is that when we'll do continued Renovations continue through the fall we're going private foundations and support from all elements of community service center has a role to play in our community and that in fact the gay community has a role to play in our community and that this city needs to stand up and take notice of that fact and I think our city has I think it's demonstrated that in any number of ways um I can recall a lot of occasions and shy was in one of those meetings and some of the other people here where some of our city establishment and our city authorities just couldn't come to grips with the reason that this Center has for being and the constructive role that it has to play along with the many other social institutions of our community I'm happy to say that as time moves on that becomes less and less of a problem I'm sad to say that it's still a problem in some CC of our community but Jaws three come in here from behind kind of camouflage the city hall scissors it's like right ready one wait a [Laughter] second two [Applause] the alcohol abuse program is where the food has been and they have posted us thank you very [Applause] much