Billy DeFrank Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center
Encyclopedia
The Billy DeFrank Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center is a non-profit organization that promotes services for and about the gay community
of San Jose, California
and Santa Clara County
. It started on March 3, 1981. The mission statement of the DeFrank Center is to “...provide Community, Leadership, Advocacy, Support, and Services to Silicon Valley’s LGBT people and allies.”
The DeFrank Center is named after Billy DeFrank, the stage name of William Price (1936–1980), an African-American and prominent 1970s gay rights activist and a member of the Bay Area's drag
community. The Billy DeFrank Lesbian and Gay Community Center opened its doors on March 1, 1981 in a two-room storefront on Keyes St. in south downtown San Jose, a year after Santa Clara County residents voted to repeal ordinances extending housing and employment protections to lesbian
s and gay men.
The new DeFrank Center emerged from a desire to respond to that setback.
In the two decades that have passed since those modest beginnings on Keyes Street, the DeFrank Center has expanded to serve a large and diverse community. Each month more than a thousand people visit the DeFrank Center at its current headquarters on The Alameda
and many more call the resources available via its telephone number.
From all around the 9 counties of the Bay Area, the DeFrank Center provides resources to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of all ages and backgrounds that are not available elsewhere.
Gay community
The gay community, or LGBT community, is a loosely defined grouping of LGBT and LGBT-supportive people, organizations and subcultures, united by a common culture and civil rights movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality...
of San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
and Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
. It started on March 3, 1981. The mission statement of the DeFrank Center is to “...provide Community, Leadership, Advocacy, Support, and Services to Silicon Valley’s LGBT people and allies.”
The DeFrank Center is named after Billy DeFrank, the stage name of William Price (1936–1980), an African-American and prominent 1970s gay rights activist and a member of the Bay Area's drag
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
community. The Billy DeFrank Lesbian and Gay Community Center opened its doors on March 1, 1981 in a two-room storefront on Keyes St. in south downtown San Jose, a year after Santa Clara County residents voted to repeal ordinances extending housing and employment protections to lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
s and gay men.
The new DeFrank Center emerged from a desire to respond to that setback.
In the two decades that have passed since those modest beginnings on Keyes Street, the DeFrank Center has expanded to serve a large and diverse community. Each month more than a thousand people visit the DeFrank Center at its current headquarters on The Alameda
The Alameda, San José, California
The Alameda is a historic street in San Jose and Santa Clara California. Except for the last few blocks of The Alameda on the Santa Clara end, the road is signed as a part of State Route 82. The road was built in the late eighteenth century by Native American neophytes at Mission Santa Clara de...
and many more call the resources available via its telephone number.
From all around the 9 counties of the Bay Area, the DeFrank Center provides resources to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of all ages and backgrounds that are not available elsewhere.