Los Angeles LGBT Center
A Los Angeles nonprofit community center providing health, social, housing, cultural, leadership, and advocacy services for LGBTQ+ people.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Los Angeles LGBT Center is a nonprofit organization serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and related communities in Los Angeles. Founded in 1969 by activists including Morris Kight and Don Kilhefner, it began as the Gay Community Services Center in a Victorian house on Wilshire Boulevard. Its creation formed part of the broader post-Stonewall-era expansion of organized LGBTQ+ community services and rights advocacy in the United States. The organization was among the earliest American nonprofit groups to place the word “gay” in its name. The Center has developed from a small activist-run community facility into a large, multi-site service institution. Its work is organized around health, social services, housing, and leadership and advocacy. Programs include primary and specialized medical care, HIV and sexual-health services, transgender health services, youth programs, senior services, survivor support, legal assistance, housing support, community and peer groups, vocational and economic-empowerment programs, cultural events, arts programming, and public education. The organization also provides services designed for communities with distinct cultural, racial, age, or gender identities. Its facilities include the Anita May Rosenstein Campus, which became the organization’s headquarters in 2019; the McDonald/Wright Building; the Village at Ed Gould Plaza and Renberg Theatre; The Center WeHo; Triangle Square; Mi Centro in Boyle Heights; and the Trans Wellness Center. In 2015, the Center partnered with the Latino Equality Alliance to establish Mi Centro, extending culturally responsive services into Boyle Heights. In 2020, it opened Center South in Leimert Park to expand its presence among the area’s predominantly African-American community. The organization has also received substantial public and philanthropic support. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded it a five-year, $13.3 million grant to develop a model program for LGBTQ+ youth in foster care. The award was described as the largest federal grant to an LGBT organization at that time. The Center’s transgender-focused work has included programs such as Trans Pride L.A., Trans* Lounge, the Transgender Economic Empowerment Project, and transgender health services. In 2016, the estate of transgender performer Holly Woodlawn established a memorial fund at the Center to support programs benefiting transgender youth. In addition to direct services, the Los Angeles LGBT Center remains involved in public advocacy and civic participation. In 2023, it joined allied organizations in supporting LGBTQ+-inclusive policies during a Glendale Unified School District Board of Education controversy. Through its combination of clinical care, social services, housing, culture, and political advocacy, the Center functions both as a community institution and as a major regional LGBTQ+ service provider. It is widely described as one of the largest facilities in the world dedicated to serving LGBTQ+ people.
History
The Los Angeles LGBT Center was founded in 1969 by gay and lesbian rights activists Morris Kight, Don Kilhefner, and other organizers. Initially known as the Gay Community Services Center, it operated from a Victorian house on Wilshire Boulevard. The early organization was notable for being the first American nonprofit to use the word “gay” in its name, reflecting the period’s emergence of openly identified gay and lesbian community institutions. Over subsequent decades, the Center expanded beyond political organizing into a broad network of direct services. Its programs came to cover four principal areas: health, social services, housing, and leadership and advocacy. These areas developed into a wide range of medical, HIV, sexual-health, legal, housing, youth, senior, transgender, survivor, vocational, cultural, and peer-support programs. The organization also created spaces for community gatherings, arts, education, and public events. The Center’s institutional and cultural footprint grew through dedicated facilities and specialized programs. In 1998, its library was named the Judith Light Library in recognition of benefactor Judith Light. The organization later operated or developed sites including the McDonald/Wright Building, the Village at Ed Gould Plaza and Renberg Theatre, Triangle Square, The Center WeHo, the Trans Wellness Center, and other neighborhood facilities. A major federal investment came in 2010, when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families awarded the Center a five-year grant of $13.3 million. The funding supported development of a model program for LGBTQ+ youth in foster care and was described as the largest federal grant awarded to an LGBT organization at that time. The Center broadened its neighborhood and cultural reach in the 2010s. In 2015, it worked with the Latino Equality Alliance to open Mi Centro in Boyle Heights, a facility intended to provide culturally sensitive services to the area’s predominantly Latine community. In 2016, the estate of Holly Woodlawn created a memorial fund for transgender youth, supporting several transgender-focused programs and health services. In 2019, the Anita May Rosenstein Campus on Santa Monica Boulevard became the organization’s new headquarters. In 2020, the opening of Center South in Leimert Park extended services to a predominantly African-American neighborhood. The organization has continued to combine service delivery with civic advocacy. In June 2023, it joined a coalition of LGBTQ+ and allied organizations supporting LGBTQ+-inclusive policies at a Glendale Unified School District Board of Education meeting. Today, the Los Angeles LGBT Center remains an active Los Angeles-based nonprofit with a multi-site service network and a mission spanning health care, housing, social support, community life, leadership, and LGBTQ+ rights advocacy. It is recognized as one of the world's largest facilities devoted to LGBTQ+ services.
- 2020
Center South opens
[1]A new facility opened in Leimert Park to expand services for the surrounding African-American community.
- 2019
Anita May Rosenstein Campus becomes headquarters
[1]The Center's new headquarters opened on Santa Monica Boulevard near McCadden Place.
- 2016
Holly Woodlawn Memorial Fund established
[1]Holly Woodlawn's estate created a memorial fund supporting transgender youth programs and services.
- 2015
Mi Centro opens in Boyle Heights
[1]The Center and Latino Equality Alliance opened Mi Centro to provide culturally responsive services in Boyle Heights.
- 2010
Federal foster-care grant awarded
[1]The Center received a five-year federal grant to develop a model program for LGBTQ+ youth in foster care.
- 1998
Library named the Judith Light Library
[1]The organization's library received the Judith Light Library name in recognition of benefactor Judith Light.
- 1969
Organization founded
[1]Morris Kight, Don Kilhefner, and other gay and lesbian rights activists founded the organization as the Gay Community Services Center in Los Angeles.
Products and positioning
A comprehensive, community-centered LGBTQ+ nonprofit combining direct health and social services with housing, culture, leadership development, and civil-rights advocacy.
Health care
Community Health Services
The Center provides health-related services for LGBTQ+ communities, including medical care, HIV and sexual-health services, prevention, testing, and related support. These services form one of the organization's central program areas and are delivered through its network of Los Angeles facilities.
Health and social services
Transgender Health and Wellness Services
Transgender-focused services include health care, wellness support, community programs, and economic-empowerment resources. The Center's transgender work is also connected with programs such as Trans Pride L.A., Trans* Lounge, and the Transgender Economic Empowerment Project.
Youth services · 2010
Youth and Foster-Care Services
The Center offers programs for LGBTQ+ youth and developed a model program for LGBTQ+ young people in foster care with support from a major federal grant awarded in 2010. Its youth work is part of a wider service system addressing safety, housing, health, identity, and community connection.
Housing and social support
Housing and Social Services
Housing and social-service programs support LGBTQ+ people facing homelessness, instability, or other barriers. The wider service portfolio also includes legal assistance, survivor services, senior programs, support groups, vocational training, and referrals.
Culturally responsive community services · 2015
Mi Centro
Mi Centro is a Boyle Heights facility created through a partnership with the Latino Equality Alliance. It was designed to provide culturally sensitive LGBTQ+ services in a predominantly Latine neighborhood and represents the Center's effort to extend programs beyond its traditional West Hollywood and central Los Angeles locations.
Community and civic engagement
Leadership, Advocacy, Arts, and Community Programs
The Center organizes leadership development, advocacy, educational activities, support groups, cultural programs, theater and arts events, and community gatherings. These activities complement direct services by creating spaces for LGBTQ+ civic participation, visibility, solidarity, and public education.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Support for Glendale LGBTQ+-inclusive school policies
Glendale · Los Angeles County
The Los Angeles LGBT Center joined LGBTQ+ and allied organizations in publicly supporting LGBTQ+-inclusive policies at a Glendale Unified School District Board of Education meeting.
Outcome. The Center's participation added regional LGBTQ+ institutional support to the public discussion; the available reference does not establish a specific policy outcome.
Brand decisions
2020
Open Center South in Leimert ParkStrategyBackground
The Center aimed to improve access for LGBTQ+ residents in and around a predominantly African-American Los Angeles neighborhood.
Action taken
It opened Center South in Leimert Park.
Aftermath
The new site expanded the geographic reach of the Center's programs and services.
2019
Establish the Anita May Rosenstein Campus as headquartersStrategyBackground
The organization's expanding multi-site operations required a substantial central campus and headquarters.
Action taken
The Center opened and designated the Anita May Rosenstein Campus on Santa Monica Boulevard near McCadden Place as its headquarters.
Aftermath
The campus became the principal administrative and service hub for the organization.
2015
Expand culturally responsive services through Mi CentroStrategyBackground
The Center sought to broaden access to LGBTQ+ services in Boyle Heights, a predominantly Latine neighborhood.
Action taken
It partnered with the Latino Equality Alliance to open Mi Centro.
Aftermath
The partnership created a dedicated neighborhood facility focused on culturally sensitive community services.
Sources2 sources
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