They’re here, they’re queer — and they’re going to build a place of their own with or without Bruce Ratner’s help!
Brooklyn’s gay community is moving forward with a plan to create a place of their own in or near Downtown, even without promised space from developer Ratner.
Last year, Ratner and Borough President Markowitz had discussed providing space for the “Brooklyn Pride Community Center” in a Ratner-owned building Downtown, but the Lambda Independent Democrats, a gay political group, had a falling out with the Atlantic Yards developer and his chief cheerleader over suspicion that gays would need to support the mega-project in exchange for getting the community center.
Now, organizers of the pride center are moving full-steam ahead without Ratner. Since September, organizers have created an 18-member board, and begun fundraising.
The next step is to find permanent space, said board chair Tom Smith, a former president of the Stonewall Democrats political organization.
“We’re willing to meet and discuss possible sites in Brooklyn with any developer who’s willing to want to make a presentation to the board,” Smith said. “But Ratner has never done that. We’re opening to meeting with him, but obviously the ball is in his court.”
Ideally, a permanent location will be in an easily accessible Brooklyn neighborhood, like Downtown, where dozens of subways and bus routes converge, Smith said.
“The first year, we are going to look at either renting low cost space or begging some churches or other institutions to let us use it as cheaply as possible,” Smith said.
The center will offer social events, discussions about community and legal issues, and possibly career counseling, Smith said. The board also hopes to establish a legal center.
“A lot of problems occur here in Brooklyn, and [not everyone] wants to travel all the way up to the center in Manhattan,” Smith explained, pointing to issues like youths coming out, language barriers with immigrants, and seniors’ concerns. “It’s 70 square miles, it’s large enough to sustain its own center.”
Markowitz, who has long supported gay rights, agreed.
“Brooklyn has one of the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations in the United States, so it’s with a great deal of pride that we support our very own center,” said Markowitz. “I’ve always said that Brooklyn is a proud home to everyone from everywhere — with emphasis on the word proud — and this center will be a welcoming space for our growing LGBT community.”
Ratner did not return a call for comment.
For more information about the center, visit www.brooklynpridecenter.com.
