LGBT Life Center

03/06/2026

Jewel Thais-Williams is a powerful example of how one person can build spaces that change lives.

In the 1970s, Jewel founded Catch One in Los Angeles—one of the first Black-owned LGBTQ+ nightclubs in the United States. At a time when racism and homophobia kept many q***r people of color out of other venues, Catch One became something more than a nightclub. It became a safe haven, community hub, and cultural landmark for LGBTQ+ people who had few places where they could fully be themselves.

But Jewel’s impact didn’t stop there.

During the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, she helped create the Minority AIDS Project, one of the first organizations in the country dedicated to addressing HIV in communities of color. When stigma and fear were leaving people isolated, Jewel stepped forward to build support, education, and care.

Her work reminds us that community doesn’t happen by accident; people build it.

This Women’s History Month, we celebrate Jewel Thais-Williams for creating spaces where LGBTQ+ people, especially Black q***r communities, could gather, organize, and thrive.

03/06/2026

💙💗🤍 Transgender Day of Visibility is coming up!

Join us on March 31 as we celebrate Trans Voices: Then, Now, and Forever — a day centered on visibility, joy, and community.

We’ll have performances, music, food, resources, HIV/STI testing, and space to come together and celebrate trans and gender-diverse people in our community.

📅 March 31, 2026
⏰ 11 AM – 4 PM
📍 Southeastern Transgender Resource Center
2418 Granby St, Norfolk

Come connect, celebrate, and stand in solidarity. Visibility matters — and so does community.
💙💗🤍

03/05/2026

Women’s History Month Spotlight: Mabel Hampton

Before LGBTQ+ history was taught.
Before Pride was mainstream.
Before there were protections, policies, or even widely used words for identity, there was Mabel Hampton.

Born in 1902, Hampton lived nearly a century of q***r history. She survived racism, wrongful incarceration, poverty, and homophobia, and still chose to live openly as a le***an at a time when doing so came with real risk.

But her greatest impact wasn’t just how she lived.
It was what she protected.

Later in life, Hampton became a dedicated volunteer at the Le***an Herstory Archives in New York. She understood something deeply important: if we don’t tell our own stories, they can be erased.

She helped preserve the lives, voices, and experiences of le***an women, especially those who would otherwise be forgotten. Because of Mabel Hampton, countless stories were saved.

Women’s History Month is about more than celebrating the famous. It’s about honoring the women who made sure history would remember us at all.

Mabel Hampton lived through nearly a century of change, and made sure the next generation would know we’ve always been here.

***anHistory

03/03/2026

🎉 We’ve been nominated!

LGBT Life Center is up for the 2026 CommunityVotes Norfolk Award, Non-Profit Category.

Your vote helps shine a light on affirming care, HIV services, housing, food access, and community support in Hampton Roads.

👉 Vote here:
https://norfolkva.communityvotes.com/2026/03/services/non-profit

It’s quick. It’s free. And it means a lot.

Thank you for standing with us 💛

Official 2026 Community Voting Awards Platform for Norfolk, VA. Where the community votes for their favorites every year.

03/03/2026

🚨 LIFEAlert: HIV funding is under pressure.

Over 20 states are limiting or considering limiting HIV drug programs.
The federal government hasn’t increased Ryan White funding since 2014. With inflation, that money now stretches much less than it used to, while healthcare costs continue to rise.

Here’s why that matters:
• LGBTQ+ communities are disproportionately impacted by HIV.
• Consistent access to medication keeps people healthy and dramatically reduces transmission.
• Healthcare access should not depend on zip code, income, or identity.

Right now, Virginia legislators are voting on state HIV funding.
📞 Call.
📧 Email.
🗣 Talk to your representatives.

Help ensure Virginians always have access to HIV prevention and care.

And if you’re worried about insurance, medication access, or staying in care, contact LGBT Life Center. We can help. 757-640-0929 or info@lgbtlifecenter.org.

03/03/2026

NASA has selected the first Black astronaut, Victor Glover, to voyage to the moon on a new mission called Artemis II.

Following the successful completion of Artemis I, this latest launch brings NASA one step closer to landing on Mars. The launch will mark a historic repeat for NASA, returning to the moon for the first time in 50 years.

Glover follows in the footsteps of fellow astronaut Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to fly to space.

https://www.blackenterprise.com/victor-glover-first-black-astronaut-moon/

03/02/2026

🌸 March Life Support Is Live! 🌸

Our latest volunteer newsletter is here, packed with community stories, reflections, opportunities, and connection.

✨ Bayard Rustin spotlight
🎗️ HIV/AIDS Awareness Day reflections
🙌 Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Hannah
🤝 New collaboration with Humanities Behind Bars
🎮 A little Gayming fun
📅 Upcoming volunteer trainings & key March dates

Big thank you to every volunteer who makes this work possible, you power community every single day.

👉 Read it now: https://lgbtlifecenter.org/blog/march-life-support-volunteer-newsletter-stories-solidarity-spring-🌸/

The March 2026 edition of Life Support, our Volunteer Newsletter, is here, and this issue centers history, awareness, and connection. Honoring Bayard Rustin In honor of his March 17 birthday, we reflect on the life of Bayard Rustin, civil rights strategist, advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and...

03/02/2026

🎤 The Story Exchange: Suffolk with WHRO Public Media

📅 Thursday, April 30, 2026
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts
110 Finney Ave, Suffolk, VA 23434

WHRO is bringing back The Story Exchange — a live, Moth-style storytelling night centered on connection, identity, and shared experience.

This three-part series explores the many ways love shapes our lives. The April theme is:

💛 Familial Love

Prompt: Describe a moment when a family member surprised you with their love.
Family love can arrive in gestures big or small — sometimes when we least expect it. Tell us about a time a family member’s care, sacrifice, or simple act of kindness revealed a deeper bond than you realized.

📣 Call for Story Submissions

WHRO is inviting community members to submit personal, true stories aligned with the theme. Selected storytellers will share their story live on stage.

✨ No prior storytelling experience required — just a great story and a willingness to share it.

🔗 Submit here:
https://whro.submittable.com/submit/345965/the-story-exchange-april-30th-submissions

📅 Submission deadline: April 17, 2026
📬 Storytellers notified by: April 21, 2026

This three-part “Moth-Hour” style series invites members of our community to explore and share personal narratives around themes central to our collective experience. Each event will center on a guiding question, encouraging deep reflection, dialogue, and connection.  Event details: Thursday, A...

02/28/2026

Black History Month Staff Spotlight, Julia Garcia, 340b Program Manager

What does Black History Month mean to you?
To me, it means freedom, strength, and reminds me of how much we have evolved as humans.

Who is your favorite Black author/book?
📚 Shift Your Brilliance by Simon T. Bailey (Leadership book)

What Black historical figure has influenced you most?
Martin Luther King Jr. I was always inspired by his tone when he spoke; they he carried himself as a leader and respected what he stood up for.

What’s a Black-led film, show, or documentary you’d recommend?
HELP

What’s a piece of Black history you wish more people knew?
HELP

What’s something about Black culture that brings you joy?
The love of music (70's & 80s R&B) and the food (corn bread, mac n' cheese, collard greens & fried chicken).

02/28/2026

Black History Month Staff Spotlight, Jessi Hanson, Housing Specialist

What does Black History Month mean to you?
As someone who does not have any POC ancestry, Black History Month offers a pointed and concentrated opportunity for education and acknowledgment of everything the broader Black community has come from, gone through, and accomplished. It is a time of mourning for those lost, appreciation for those who contributed, and celebration for those who managed not only to succeed, but to do so with all of the cards stacked against them.

Who is your favorite Black author or book?
📚 Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
📖 Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Both are incredible reads that I recommend wholeheartedly. I hope both authors continue writing for years to come.

What is your favorite Black-owned local business?
🥭 Mango Mangeaux
☕ Drip'n'Sip Cafe — such a fun 90’s vibe!

What Black historical figure has influenced you most?
Marsha P. Johnson, hands down. She was fiercely brave at Stonewall, and that courage has always pushed me to do better and be louder in difficult and unjust situations — even when it’s uncomfortable or I’m feeling shy.

What’s a Black-led film, show, or documentary you’d recommend?
📺 Lovecraft Country — I’ve rewatched it at least three times. It pulled me in completely.
🎮 South of Midnight — Not a show, but an incredible game (even though I died constantly). The music especially was phenomenal.

What’s a piece of Black history you wish more people knew?
The Atlanta Child Murders. More than 28 Black children and adolescents were murdered within a two-year period, and it took enormous effort to get law enforcement to even acknowledge the crisis. It’s an important example of how Black communities are often treated by institutions — and how missing Black children are too frequently overlooked.

What’s something about Black culture that brings you joy?
The joy itself. Even after facing so much adversity — especially here in the United States — Black culture remains welcoming, rooted in family, and centered on togetherness.

02/28/2026

Black History Month Staff Spotlight, Cbelle Fernandez, Director of Development

What is your favorite Black-owned local business?
My favorite business isn’t just one—it’s actually a nonprofit that supports an entire collective of entrepreneurs. I admire what Blair Durham has done with Black BRAND, the regional Black Chamber of Commerce. From working to close the wealth gap to fostering innovation, Blair’s work in our Hampton Roads community uplifts Black voices and builds legacies.

What’s a piece of Black history you wish more people knew?
That the Underground Railroad was more than tunnels and safe houses—and that our very own Great Dismal Swamp played a significant role. Its rough terrain protected those who journeyed through or made a home within the invisible landscape, deterring those who sought to capture enslaved people.