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Leonard-Litz Co-Founders Help Bring Pride to Easton, CT 724 695

Leonard-Litz Co-Founders Help Bring Pride to Easton, CT

What an amazing Pride month! In celebrations big and small, our LGBTQ communities came together all around the world to share in some much-needed fellowship and affirmative support. And that includes Easton, CT, hometown of our co-founders Elliot Leonard and Roger Litz. In addition to supporting Pride ceremonies throughout Fairfield County, Westchester County, and Washington, DC, Leonard and Litz promoted Pride right at home. The couple were vocal advocates for the raising of a Pride flag at Easton Town Hall for the second year running. In a community that has traditionally been more conservative and resistant to change, this was a remarkable step forward. The flag-raising ceremony was attended by a number of local and state elected officials. “Pride is an issue that extends well beyond Easton [and] crosses all party lines,” Leonard said. “We live in a diverse world and we’ve made major advances here.” The ceremony was followed by a festive celebration hosted by Leonard and Litz. You can read more about the events here. Thank you, Elliot and Roger!

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Black Lives Matter During Pride Month, Too 1000 1000

Black Lives Matter During Pride Month, Too

As LGBTQ+ people around the world prepare for the much-anticipated commemoration, celebration, and fellowship of Pride season, we will inevitably see images of racial equity and justice fade away, to be replaced with rainbows and other symbols of gender and sexual equality. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se. More than ever, it is important to celebrate and honor our resilience as a community, even as we reflect on the huge losses so many of us have faced in the past year. But on the heels of the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, it is critical that we also remember that Black Lives Matter during Pride, too. The legacies of brutal policing, racial discrimination, and civic disenfranchisement that Black people in the U.S. and around the world have endured for centuries don’t take a break for Pride month. In fact, it is important to remember that for a great many people in our community, there isn’t the luxury of choosing one or the other. For many Black and Brown members of the LGBTQ+ community, Pride month can be a double-edged sword, a reminder that our movement is too often dominated by white, cis, gay men, at the expense…

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Leonard-Litz Foundation: Q2 Grants Update 948 788

Leonard-Litz Foundation: Q2 Grants Update

It’s been a busy second quarter of 2021 for us at Leonard-Litz! In our ongoing mission to help LGBTQ+ people fulfill their potential, we’ve had the opportunity to meet with and learn about some amazing organizations engaged in life-affirming services, programs, and advocacy, and are pleased to announce the following grants:   Asylum Connect Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center Brooklyn Community Pride Center, Inc. Eastern PA Trans Equity Project Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. In Our Own Voices, Inc. Kids in Crisis Live Out Loud The LOFT Community Center OUT MetroWest, Inc. Pride Center of New Jersey, Inc. Pride Center of Maryland Rockland County Pride Center YouthPride, Inc.   We are proud and humbled to be able to support these inspiring programs and individuals. We wish we could give more to every organization—and next year, we plan to, so please spread the word! Stay tuned for more as we continue to review grant applications in Q3. Please keep in mind that, in addition to grant applications for specific programs, we also seek to support causes and advocacy opportunities around the important issues affecting our community.

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Happy PRIDE from Leonard-Litz Foundation! 500 331

Happy PRIDE from Leonard-Litz Foundation!

Happy PRIDE! We’ve come a long way since that first brick was thrown at Stonewall. But we know we still have a long way to go. As part of our commitment to supporting organizations that advance the interests and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community, the Leonard-Litz Foundation is proud to be a Presenting Sponsor for a number of Pride Celebrations this June. Hopefully, you can join in some of these celebrations, or otherwise find a way to celebrate in your own way, wherever you are. Triangle Community Center: Fairfield County Pride 2021 The LOFT Community Center: Westchester Pride 2021 Caribbean Equality Project: Live Pridefully: Love and Resilience Within Pandemics Washington Blade: D.C.’s Royals, A Celebration of Drag After so many months of tragedy, of isolation, of uncertainty, it feels fitting to celebrate our Pride. We’ve made it this far. We are so much more resilient than we even realize. We’ve survived a plague before, and we can do it again. This is a moment for us to acknowledge and honor our losses from this past year, while also looking forward to brighter days ahead. Click through the above links to see the full list of events—there’s something for everyone! Wishing…

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Leonard-Litz Foundation Joins Partnership to Support LGBTQ COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics 720 480

Leonard-Litz Foundation Joins Partnership to Support LGBTQ COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics

Leonard-Litz Foundation has partnered with Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, a nonprofit organization in Pennsylvania, to increase the capacity of LGBTQ community centers to host COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Five LGBTQ community centers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic have been selected to receive a grant from the Leonard-Litz Foundation and technical assistance from Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center. The five centers are: The Frederick Center (Frederick, Maryland) The Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) LGBT Center of Greater Reading (Reading, Pennsylvania) The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center (White Plains, New York) Pride Center of Vermont (Burlington, Vermont) The five participating centers are organizing leading-edge vaccine promotion strategies, even adding incentives such as drag performances and additional health services to the vaccine sites. Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center has been offering LGBTQ COVID-19 vaccine clinics since mid-March and has arranged over 1,000 doses through clinics held on-site. This partnership seeks to ensure that LGBTQ community centers across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are prepared to offer COVID-19 vaccines for the LGBTQ community in their service areas. “Vaccine hesitancy is the number one issue we need to address if we want to return to living our lives,” said Elliot Leonard, founder of the Leonard-Litz Foundation. “The LGBTQ community has…

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Leonard-Litz Welcomes New Executive Director 198 198

Leonard-Litz Welcomes New Executive Director

The Leonard-Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation is thrilled to welcome Colin Hosten as its new Trustee and Executive Director as it continues to expand its work of supporting life-affirming advocacy, programs, and services for LGBTQ+ people. Colin brings a wealth of diverse skills and resources to the role. He is a former Councilmember and Chairman of the Board of Education in the City of Norwalk, Connecticut. He is also a writer and teacher with a professional background that includes children’s book publishing and digital media. An MFA graduate of Fairfield University, he studied English Literature at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, before earning his first graduate degree, in Publishing, at NYU. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Triangle Community Center for three years. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Colin self identifies as “very gay,” and is committed to fighting for the human rights of LGBTQ+ people everywhere. Colin replaces Daryl Duarte, who is returning to oversee his husband’s landscape architecture company after leading the Leonard-Litz Foundation through its first rounds of grant disbursements. The Leonard-Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation was created to help fund organizations that advance the interests and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community, with particular emphasis on…

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The Leonard-Litz Foundation Awards Covid Relief Grant to The LGBT Community Center in New York 1200 635

The Leonard-Litz Foundation Awards Covid Relief Grant to The LGBT Community Center in New York

The Leonard-Litz Foundation is pleased to announce it has awarded a Covid Relief grant to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center in New York. Based in Manhattan, The Center is the leading resource for New York City’s LGBTQ community, delivering programs for health, wellness and community connection. The $15,000 grant will supplement The Center’s LGBTQ life-saving services for community relief including family assistance, youth programs and enhanced support for seniors. The Leonard-Litz Foundation was established to fund partner organizations in the northeast U.S. that are working to improve the lives of the LGBTQ+ population, with an emphasis on intersectional LGBTQ+ advocacy. The Center, operating in- and serving- one of the world’s most diverse regions, strives toward a future of justice and equity for LGBTQ New Yorkers that recognizes and advocates for all intersections of LGBTQ identities. Brad Synder, Director of Strategic Giving, notes, “Since February 2020, services increased by 61%, with 48% to transgender and non-binary people, and 40% to people of color. We operate an LGBTQ+ Community Relief Fund to prevent people from sliding into homelessness. Our LGBTQ+ Youth Program also continues via multiple weekly Zoom meetings, a group chat and one-on-one check ins by staff. In…

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The Leonard-Litz Foundation Awards Covid-19 Relief Grant to GLAAD 1000 563

The Leonard-Litz Foundation Awards Covid-19 Relief Grant to GLAAD

The Leonard-Litz Foundation is pleased to announce the award of a Covid Relief grant to GLAAD. Based in New York City, GLAAD is a non-governmental organization working in media monitoring, and it was founded to protest the defamatory coverage of LGBTQ people. They later extended into the entertainment industry to help curate a positive narrative for LGBTQ people that amplifies visibility and accelerates acceptance. GLAAD will use the $15,000 grant to create online programs for New England’s Black and Brown queer journalists, online activists and community leaders to promote connection amid the mass closings of LGBTQ Centers during the pandemic. The Leonard-Litz Foundation was established to fund partner northeast U.S. organizations that are working to improve the lives of the LGBTQ+ population, with an emphasis on intersectional advocacy. GLAAD Media Awards honor TV shows, films, artists, journalists and other media that depict fair, accurate and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. Bruce Morrow, Senior Director of Institutional Giving at GLAAD notes “When Covid-19 shut down the GLAAD Media Awards, it exacted $2 million from community engagement and outreach.” The 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards ceremony premiered this month and is viewable here. Over recent years, not only have we…

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The Leonard-Litz Foundation Awards Covid-19 Relief Grant to New York’s Caribbean Equality Project 2048 1284

The Leonard-Litz Foundation Awards Covid-19 Relief Grant to New York’s Caribbean Equality Project

The Leonard-Litz Foundation is pleased to announce it has awarded a Covid Relief grant to the Caribbean Equality Project. Based in Queens, the non-profit organization is a principal resource for Black and Brown queer and transgender people who have been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic that has ravaged New York City. The Caribbean Equality Project will use the $15,000 grant to provide emergency relief to its LGBTQ community, including those who are undocumented, refugees, asylum seekers, unemployed, homeless, and those experiencing food insecurity. The Leonard-Litz Foundation was established to fund partner organizations in the northeast U.S. that are working to improve the lives of the LGBTQ+ population, with an emphasis on intersectional LGBTQ+ advocacy. Caribbean Equality Project, serving one of the world’s most diverse neighborhoods and regions, advocates for LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights, gender equity, racial justice, mental health and ending hate violence in the Caribbean diaspora. Mohamed Amin, Executive Director of the Caribbean Equality Project, notes, “Many of our community members have lost their employment, but don’t qualify for unemployment based on their undocumented, refugee, and/or asylum status. Many have little to no family support and are living in the NYC shelter system.” The Caribbean Equality Project was…

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The Leonard-Litz Foundation Awards Covid Relief Grant to LGBT Life Center 2048 1463

The Leonard-Litz Foundation Awards Covid Relief Grant to LGBT Life Center

The Leonard-Litz Foundation has awarded a Covid Relief grant to the LGBT Life Center. The recipient has continued to provide myriad health and wellness programs and services to the LGBTQ+ community in Hampton Roads, despite the challenges resulting from the pandemic. The Foundation’s $15,000 grant to the nonprofit organization will ensure its infrastructure for emergency services remains operational. Among many health and wellness programs, LGBT Life Center offers medical case management, housing, meals, transportation, outreach, prevention, education and HIV/STI testing. Since the advent of the pandemic, the need for these services has risen precipitously. Stacie Walls, CEO of LGBT Life Center, notes “Mental health, LGBTQ senior services, emergency food pantry and emergency housing assistance have all increased dramatically during Covid-19. Mental health services experienced a 145% increase in the number of people needing services, and food distribution has increased over 80K lbs. compared to the prior year.” Established in 1989, the LGBT Life Center remains a leader in disseminating resources and support for LGBTQ+ people to strengthen families and communities, and preserve healthy, connected lives for LGBTQ+ individuals. We invite you to learn more about these organizations and help us support the important work they are doing for our community.

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