Savannah set to unveil LGBT community center

First City Network, Georgia's oldest LGBT organization, is hoping to make Savannah a more inclusive community with the opening of the city's first LGBT center.

The private nonprofit community service organization is dedicated to enhancing and sustaining the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and their allies by providing educational, social, and health-related activities, programs and services, said FCN chairman Michael Ploski.

FCN raised more than $75,000 of its $100,000 goal to cover building and operational costs of the center.

"The center will be a focal point," he said. "If an LGBT tourist comes into town, has problems and doesn't know where to go because they don't live out here, they can come here for referrals. We will have a big referral list. It will be a social place to gather. We are trying to get all aspects of the community so that we have support, education and networking. But the center will obviously be open to everyone whether they're LGBT or not."

The new facility at 1515 Bull St., which plans to open in mid-summer, will feature conference rooms for support groups and community gatherings, handicap accessible and gender-neutral bathrooms, HIV testing and counseling and other health services, Ploski said. Savannah's LGBT community includes between 10,000 and 16,000 people, he said.

"The center has been a 20-plus-year dream for the community and will become a hub of health services, activism, and youth services for the Savannah area," he said. "The center will partner with organizations providing everything from HIV testing to youth support for populations that are in critical need of attention."

The center will also care for troubled youth who are mistreated after coming out, Ploski said.

"Unfortunately in America today there are way too many children who come out as gay and get thrown out of their house," he said. "You know sometimes it's 'You're queer? You don't live here anymore.'"

And a welcoming space is just what Savannah needs, according to Dusty Church, Savannah Pride festival director.

"This is a big moment for us," he said. "For our community, having a central space is critical not just to be able to come together, but a place into find comfort and service in times of crisis center will be a space that addresses key issues of the community. It is truly work that is going to be saving lives."

Savannah isn't the only city looking to make its community an all-inclusive one.

Organizations, faith leaders and community leaders gathered last month to launch Eliminate Hate, a national coalition aiming to expose and mitigate the influence and harmful impact of anti-LGBT hate groups.

"I have seen first-hand what can happen as a result of hate - and how it feels to have the hate and discrimination people face dismissed or denied,"said Judy Shepard, of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which is part of the coalition. Shepard started the foundation after her son was killed in a 1998 hate-motivated attack that garnered national attention and led to The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.