16 The Courier sun • june 30, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Photos via Twitter/@RoryLancman and @JimmyVanBramer Courtesy of Google Maps Something everyone in The Q Center is a safe place for all. A Little Neck community center has pride for those who have it too By Candace Higgins editorial@qns.com/@QueensCourier A community center in Little Neck is devoted to creating a safe space for people of all orientations. The Q Center, located in the Samuel Field Y at 58-20 Little Neck Pkwy., holds mixers every Thursday for individuals affiliated with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. From 11 a.m to 1 p.m., the Q Center provides a haven for people to chat with each other over coffee. It is a place for intellectual and progressive conversation. To perpetuate an inclusive environment, the center also offers workshops and trainings about the LGBT community for the purpose of educating students of all ages, educators and service providers. Their workshops address discrimination of LGBT individuals, supportive actions and acceptance of different types of family structures. The Q Center is part of a larger organization called the LGBT Network. The organization is a united front of three other advocacy groups: Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY), The Long Island LGBT Community Center (The Center) and Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders – Long Island (SAGE-LI). Together, each organization works within The Network to end homophobia and transphobia, to provide a home and safe space for the LGBT community, and to advocate for equality. Since 2012, The Network has produced the annual Pride Parade and Pride Fest celebration every June as a celebration of individualism. The LGBT Network covers the Long Island and Queens area but offers its services to people from all boroughs. Each center is only a train ride away. To schedule a workshop or training, visit lgbtnetwork.org and complete an online request form. Queens can be proud of Thousands of Queens residents, including local lawmakers, flocked to Manhattan on Sunday, June 26, for the annual New York City Pride Parade. Bearing rainbow flags symbolic of the LGBT movement, the marchers began at the historic Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village and headed uptown. The Queens delegation of the City Council was well-represented at the Pride Parade, with Councilman Rory Lancman joining his colleagues — Jimmy Van Bramer and Daniel Dromm — for the occasion.
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