Newark LGBTQ Community Center

“I’m so excited for them to have a home finally in the library but they’re a wonderful resource,” (Marina Carreria 14). The Newark LGBTQ Community center is a grassroots organization dedicated to providing a safe space and resources for the queer community in Newark and currently housed in the Newark Public Library. The organization was founded in 2013 as part of the Liberation in Truth Church before changing its name. Prior to its foundation it had struggled to to gain support and funding; and efforts to create the organization were a direct reaction to the murder of Sakia Gunn in 2003. 

In 2003, the murder of Sakia Gunn, a young, Black lesbian, shook Newark to its core. Even though the city had a thriving queer community, it was still dangerous to be openly queer in the city. As a response, community members began advocating for an organization dedicated to creating a safe space and advocating on behalf of the community. This struggle would go on for ten years before finally gaining support and funding. This was a tragic event that continues to shape LGBT activism in Newark.

“We talked about that, Patreese and I, and yeah she was happy to hear that I was at the second anniversary party for the LGBTQ community center just the other week and they actually got a bunch of young people out,” (Blair Dorosh Walther). The community center has become an integral part of the Newark LGBT community center. They help all people in the community, reacting to what the community needs during any specific moment. The center has partners all around the city to build a safe and connected space for the local LGBTQ community.

Newark LGBTQ Community Center. Accessed May 12th 2021. https://www.newarklgbtqcenter.org/.

Marina Carreira, Queer Newark Oral History Project. Accessed May 12th 2021. https://queer.newark.rutgers.edu/interviews/marina-carreira.

Blair Dorosh-Walther, Queer Newark Oral History Project. Accessed May 12th 2021. https://queer.newark.rutgers.edu/interviews/blair-dorosh-walther.