The LGBT Life Center celebrated the opening of its new Hampton location Thursday with more than 100 guests and supporters.
Founded in 1989, the nonprofit center has changed a lot since. After five rebrandings and a variety of service expansions, CEO Stacie Walls said it’s become the fifth largest LGBT community center in the U.S.
The LGBT Life Center is continuing to evolve with its latest extension into Hampton. Walls said the new location will increase access to health care such as STI testing and counseling services, as well as offer LGBT residents on the Peninsula a welcoming community space on their side of the water.
“This is a place where you can come and find solace,” she said. “You can find community. You can find people who are walking the same journey as you are.”
The Hampton location includes a full clinic, on-site pharmacy and a food pantry, all of which Walls expects to be in full operation by October.
“This facility is not just a building,” Walls said. “It’s a beacon of hope and support for our community.”
The establishment of the Hampton facility was thanks in part to Congressman Bobby Scott, who helped secure $1.8 million in federal funding for the center through the FY22 Omnibus Appropriations Act.
The center is known for being a lifeline for people with HIV and AIDS dating to its earliest days. While rates of infection and health outcomes have improved over time, Scott said there is still a critical need for diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
“The progress has regrettably plateaued,” he said. “The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has developed a comprehensive plan to end the HIV epidemic in America by 2030, and organizations like this center will be a key part of that work and addressing other health disparities as well.”
The nation’s highest rate of new HIV cases are found in the South, particularly among young, Black LGBT men. It’s part of what makes expanding the center’s services so important to board member Quan McLaurin.
“It’s places and spaces like this that make sure that we continue to fight and we continue to provide the care and the places of refuge that are needed,” he said.
State and local officials joined Walls to officially cut the ribbon for the new center, including Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck.
“The sign on the door says LGBT, but this center will be a significant part of the entire Hampton community,” Tuck said.
“The opening of this center just a few blocks away from City Hall should make it even more clear we want young LGBT students to feel comfortable in their schools and in their communities. We want patients with HIV to get medical care in a welcoming facility.”
Del. Marcia Price, the first openly LGBT Black woman in Virginia’s House of Delegates, spoke about the progress she’s seen on the Peninsula – and the work to come.
“I challenge each of us that will pose for pictures (and) be public in our support today to take that same energy to behind-closed-door meetings when we need a good ally to stand up for our rights,” she said. “We need you to fight like you’ve never fought before (and) we need you to stand up and be there for us.”
