William Way LGBT Community Center

The William Way LGBT Community Center is a nonprofit organization serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and nearby communities, located at 1315 Spruce Street in Philadelphia in the Gayborhood.[1]

William Way
LGBT Community Center
Founded1975
TypeLGBT Community Center
Location
Area served
Delaware Valley
Key people
Board Co-Chairs, Sue Gildea & Kira Kinsman
Executive Director Chris Bartlett
Websitehttp://www.waygay.org

Chris Bartlett has been the center's executive director since 2010.[2]

History

This community center was founded in 1975 as the Gay Community Center of Philadelphia. Organizers purchased its current building at 1315 Spruce Street in 1997; the center has owned it since local businessman Mel Heifetz paid off its mortgage in 2005.[3]

Art and notable architectural features

The western wall of the community center features Ann Northrup's block-long mural, "Pride & Progress", with images of LGBT citizens who have contributed to Philadelphia's cultural and intellectual life throughout history.[4]

Programs and services

The center's programs include an extensive library, and programs in peer counseling, senior services, education, and arts and culture.[5] The center also offers numerous twelve-step meetings throughout the day and night,[6] and opened the Arcila-Adams Trans Resource Center in 2019 to centralize resources for trans people in Philadelphia.[7]

In 2021, the center collaborated with HIV/AIDS healthcare provider Philadelphia FIGHT to provide COVID-19 vaccines to LGBTQ people in Philadelphia.[8]

The center houses the John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives, which collects and preserves local and regional LGBT documents and artifacts.[9] The archive is one of the most important collections of LGBTQ documents and artifacts in the United States.[9] Along with researchers from the ONE Archives in Los Angeles, archivists from the John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives have been searching for unidentified men photographed at a gay wedding held in 1957.[10] The search, which began in 2013 and is still ongoing, was covered in both LGBT and mainstream press.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Queer or trans and live in Philly? You could get vaccinated at William Way". Billy Penn. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  2. "Chris Bartlett Selected as William Way Executive Director", Philadelphia Gay News, 3 June 2010, archived from the original on 6 April 2019, retrieved 3 June 2010
  3. "The Gay Way", Philadelphia City Paper, 12 June 2007, retrieved 25 August 2010
  4. "Pride & Progress", Mural Arts Program, retrieved 25 August 2010
  5. "William Way LGBT Community Center", William Way Community Center Website, retrieved 25 August 2010
  6. "Southeastern Pennsylvania Intergroup Association Meetings", Southeastern Pennsylvania Intergroup Association, retrieved 25 August 2010
  7. Smythe, Laura (November 8, 2019). "William Way opens new trans resource center". WHYY. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  8. Winberg, Michaela (April 2, 2021). "Queer or trans and live in Philly? You could get vaccinated at William Way". Billy Penn. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  9. Fiorellini, Nick (2019-10-07). "New Philly exhibit spotlights LGBTQ activism across three decades". The Philadelphia Citizen. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  10. Fiorellini, Nick (2019-07-19). "Dear Gentlemen, Your 60-year-old Wedding Pics are Ready". The Philadelphia Citizen. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  11. "Filmmaker trying to solve the mystery of the 1950s gay wedding photos". WHYY. Retrieved 2021-06-01.

39.94737°N 75.16334°W / 39.94737; -75.16334

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