How the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center has adapted to 2020

The Bradbury-Sullivan Center, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Telework and working at home have not slowed The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center.

Forging a virtual space for the LGBTQ+ community, the Center continues to advocate for civil liberties in the United States.

In March, the administration reacted swiftly to the threat of COVID-19 by implementing safety measures before moving all programs into a virtual setting. These include the fine arts galleries, support groups, queer bookstore, library events, and the youth program.

The Fine Art Gallery displays art from a diverse cast of artisans, including painters, sculptors, craftsmen, quilters, and embroiderers. Most of the Support Groups meet monthly. The Parents of Trans Kids support group meets semi-monthly due to popular demand. A new support group program, The

Space for Aces provides a space for people who identify as asexual. The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Center also hosts lectures, author talks, and poetry readings.

Staff of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center also actively ensure civil liberties for the Lehigh Valley and beyond.

In June, celebrated as Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community, the Trump Administration removed the clause in the Affordable Care Act which protects LGBTQ+ people from healthcare discrimination. The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Center responded quickly. Along with dozens of other nonprofit charities and civil rights organizations, they filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration. The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Center entered as a Plaintiff in Whitman Walker v. HHS, a court case which prevented the Trump Administration’s removal of LGBTQ+ healthcare discrimination.

In August, the Northampton County Council passed a resolution to place LGBT nondiscrimination protections on the ballot, even though there is already a U.S. Supreme Court ruling which would override the outcome. Viewing the referendum as unnecessary and cruel to the LGBTQ+ community, the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Center encouraged Northampton residents to veto the voter referendum by emailing County Executive Lamont McClure Jr. Their initiative was successful. The nondiscrimination protections will not be put to popular vote in November, and the Supreme Court ruling will remain in place.

“When you’ve heard from one LGBT person, you’ve heard from exactly one LGBT person, executive

director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Center, Adrian Shanker, said in an interview with Out Front. Our

community is a community of communities –– with many identities and experiences”