In February 2019, we set a goal to transition from a part-time to full-time Executive Director, to support the continuing growth and expansion of our services for Kern County's LGBTQ+ community. 

This year, that goal has been realized. The Center is pleased to welcome Anne-Natasha Pinckney as the new Executive Director!

"Not only is Anne a talented and compassionate counselor, but she is also an experienced community builder and nonprofit administrator," said Board President Brie Chartier. "On behalf of the entire board, I want to say thank you to Anne for stepping up and continuing to serve the Bakersfield and greater Kern County community." 

Anne-Natasha has been a key member of The Center's staff, since joining in 2016 as the Advocacy Services Coordinator. In that role, she designed services around counseling, support workshops, cultural competency trainings and multi-cultural events. Before that, Anne-Natasha volunteered as the Youth Director at The Center from 2014 to 2016. 

"She is the perfect person to carry us through our next phase of growth," said Jan Hefner, who has served as The Center's part-time Executive Director, since 2016. “She has been an integral part of The Center since well before she joined our staff." Jan will continue with The Center as the Administrative Manager. ​

Our organization has been shaken to its core by the horrific killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Rashard Brooks, and the countless list of black lives lost at the hands of systemic racism and police brutality. We share the outrage, the pain, the anger, and the mourning expressed by our Black/African-American community members. We understand that it should not have taken the current events to have us make this statement and commitment we are coming to you with, today.

Our mission, since our founding, is to provide an easy access hub for safe, supportive spaces and services for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning/plus communities and to serve as a bridge to the greater community throughout Kern County. 

On reflection, we acknowledge that we have failed our Black/African-American LGBTQ+ and larger community. By leaving our focus unchecked and by not investing in anti-racist education as an organization consistently, we have allowed harmful exchanges and erasure to happen.

We apologize for not integrating anti-racism tools as daily programmatic methods for sustaining and evaluating programming at the Center and Annex. We commit to do better!

Our board and staff are dedicated and committed to both personal and organizational growth to better fulfill our mission to serve our entire community. Toward that purpose, we pledge to make specific and visible improvements, including:  

• We will, by October 2020, require all staff, board members, and current volunteers to attend anti-racism training. We will commit to educate ourselves individually and as an organization so that we can identify and eradicate systemic bias continuously in all of our programs and activities.
•  We will begin a support group for Black, Indigenous, and other POC to build community and have protected space in discussion.
• We will expand and provide renewed energy to upgrade our deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and commit to becoming an organization and community where Black/African-American, Indigenous, and other POC will feel valued, prioritized, and welcomed.
• We will provide programming that unpacks racial bias by highlighting the intersections of race and being LGBTQ+; celebrating the diverse history and culture of Black/African-American and other POC/Indigenous peoples in America who often were founders of our modern LGBTQ+ experience.
• We will start a program focused on intersectionality and intentional inclusivity with a book club intended for non-Black/African-American LGBTQ+ people in our community to learn in guided conversation about systemic racism, the ways we may unknowingly participate in it, and ways to work on becoming anti-racist for the betterment of our LGBTQ+ and broader communities. 

We are always open to feedback and can be reached at info@thecenterbak.org or execdirector@thecenterbak.org, or by phone at (661) 404-5209. We will review our progress toward our pledges annually and highlight our inclusive programming and events on our annual Impact Statement.

These commitments are just the beginning. As we currently know, individual and organizational improvements spring from a dedication to lifelong learning, which only comes when hearts and minds are open and committed to change and growth. We, the staff and board of the Center, promise that we will do better and are committed to the truth that Black Lives Matter.

​The Center for Sexuality & Gender Diversity is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community organization, founded in 2011, that provides a safe and welcoming environment with support and services to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and allies. EIN 45-3709449 - Contributions are tax-deductable as allowed by law.

The Center | 902 18th St. in downtown Bakersfield | 661.843.7995
The Annex | 841 Mohawk St., Suite 260 | 661.404.75209
www.thecenterbak.org

The third installment of “Meet Our Crew” series features one of our wonderful volunteers, Austin Davis!

What motivated you to reach out and help the Center?
What motivated me to reach out to the community is that I wanted to share my life with the people who are close to me in my heart and is related to me in general. And I wanted to help out my community to make a better environment and to make this known than it already is.  

What’s your favourite thing about the Center? 
My favourite thing about The Center is it's home - it is a safe building to walk in and not get judged on. It is a great place to know people who actually cares about you and wants to sit and listen – a place to be open.  

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I enjoy singing. I enjoy being educated with a lot of things. I enjoy writing.

Tell us your most favourite thing about Bakersfield? 
If I'm being honest, Bakersfield isn't really a good place to have fun because there isn't much to do here. But I do love going to the antique malls and getting inspired by things that are ancient and enjoying the times when I wasn't existed then.

What’s your favourite event/shop/restaurant in Bakersfield?
My favourite restaurant here in Bakersfield Uricchio's Trattoria, and my favourite event is every event that we (The Center) create as possible that we can for everybody to enjoy themselves. 
 
What place(s) do you enjoy visiting outside of Bakersfield? 
The best place is New York City, I love going to the Rockefeller Center and the Central Park. I have gone to Los Angeles, California as a field trip in elementary and we went to the Museum and I love every structure they have. Would love to go again one day. 

What’s on your playlist? 
If you meant music playlist, the musical “Kiss of the Spider Woman” has a song called “She’s A Woman” and that’s my all time favourite musical. And I have all sorts of mixed genres. 

Who’s your favourite musician and why?
I love Lady Gaga because not only are we the same but I love her because I can relate to what she's saying and the way how we both carry ourselves as human beings on this earth and how we express ourselves. 

What shows are you currently streaming on Netflix?
I don't have Netflix and I don't have a specific show that is on Netflix but I do love watching my favourite film “La Haine” by Mathieu Kassovitz in 1995.
  
What is your favourite movie of all time and why? 
I love “Wicked Woman” movie from 1953 because my favourite actress Billie Nash played Beverley Michaels. I love how she showed sexiness and how she was being a floozy and tried to get at Mister Bannister to leave to Mexico. Best way I can put it. 

 Is there a LGBTQ+ public figure that has inspired you? How so?
Once again I have to say Lady Gaga because she is a spokesperson activist in our community and she does all the best that she can to help the community to become the best people that we can be. Also, the messages in her music are so noticeable that it catches people’s eye. I cherish every inch  of her that God has made her to be.  

Tell us a unique feature about yourself! 
My unique is in the light – I am very enthusiastic with everything I do and that I will be doing in the future. My uniqueness is wordless!

On Tuesday November 5th at 7pm, a fundraising picnic is taking place at the beautiful Metro Gallery benefiting the LGBTQ+ youths and allies in Kern County! 

Enjoy the night filled with fun festivities in support for our LGBTQ+ youths and student clubs. Proceeds will go into creating safe environments for youths in school.

For more details and to purchase your tickets, visit ​PICNIC @ the Gallery: Stepping Up and OUT for Students.

I am excited to say that the Women’s Support Group is starting up again at The Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity! The first meeting is going to be Halloween themed and will be held on October 2nd at 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM.

The recipe for a good time consists of a great environment, enjoyable people, and food, of course, so for this first meeting, we will be having a potluck with a pumpkin carving! 

• This group is inclusive to all women 18+ that identify as women. We welcome diversity and would love for everybody to feel safe, respected, and supported. We would like to build a safe space for empowering, providing support, and creating bonds with other women. We would like to make this group fun and exciting, too! (The worst case scenario of coming to the first meet up is that I suck at cooking.) 
• The group is peer led which means you can help to make it grow. We are always open to suggestions and would love to see where this group goes.
• The main objective is to create a positive/safe environment for everyone and getting to build bonds with one another. We have some very exciting plans including trips and yes, I'll say it again, food.
  
• The group will meet once a month on the first Wednesday of each month from 5:00 PM - 7 PM. This group is being run by lead facilitator Roschel, and Karin and I will be co-facilitators.

Things to Bring to the October 2nd Potluck & Pumpkin Carving: You can bring any size of pumpkin and carving tools. You can also bring a food of choice to the potluck. We plan to have Hocus Pocus playing in the background. (If you do not wish to bring any food or pumpkins you are more than welcome to come by anyway, and have something to eat while getting to know everyone).

The best way to reach out and learn more about the group is to find it on Facebook at The Center Women's Support Group​. This is a closed group online that you can add yourself to. (If you do not wish to do so that is perfectly fine as well; you could always send us a message and we could get back to you as soon as possible.)

Hope to see you there!

I was raised Catholic by Lebanese parents who grew up in war. My parents moved to America shortly after my older sister was born. Religion is what got them through tough times even after moving to America and having to basically start over. I strongly respect them and what they believe in even though I’m not religious myself anymore.

In high school I was very religious. For almost two years, I went to church every Wednesday on my own accord because I wanted to feel close to God. I always loved the spirituality part of it instead of sitting through Mass and listening to some grumpy looking old man talk about the Bible.

I would go to church, talk to God for however long about anything, and then I would go home feeling great. I did not tell anyone else at the time that I was attracted to girls and would ask God to give me a sign that it was ok to like other women. I also really wanted to be bisexual so that I could just focus on my attraction for men.

One of the main issues with that was the lack of attraction and the depression that would go along with dating people you’re not into. I wanted so badly to be gay without feeling like God would disapprove or that something was wrong with me.

My parents never talked about the LGBT community but my mother had gay friends while I was growing up so I knew she at least didn’t think negatively about the community. I still spent a good time in silence feeling like I was disappointing God and eventually my family if I ever decided to date a girl. Eventually I stared telling people including my sister. She was ok with it from the start.

When my parents found out, I knew by then I was only attracted to women. They were approving which was surprising to me but there was an adjustment period for them. I started feeling guilty for my parent’s approval because I didn’t want them going to hell too because I liked girls and they supported me no matter what.

I started taking some philosophy classes in college that made me question religion. I ended up coming to the conclusion that if there is a God, he doesn’t care about people being gay or believing in him. He Just cares about people being good or bad. I’m not someone who thinks I have all the answers I really don’t know much but I think it’s ok to have different opinions and I respect anyone for their religion or lack of.

One time I went to church with my sister and we attended a Mass where the priest was genuinely kind but he said that it was wrong to be gay. That really bothered me because he isn’t trying to cause harm to others and he thinks he’s doing the right thing. Saying things like that could truly hurt LGBT children in the future, who love God but hate themselves for being who they are.

Life is difficult enough we don’t need people telling us that who you are as a person is morally wrong. I actually really liked the priest until I heard that because he seemed like he really cared about what he was doing and talking about with good intentions.

It’s a weird feeling to know you strongly disagree with someone who thinks in their heart they’re helping you. I once had a lady hand me a card saying I deserve to burn in hell for my sins and an advertisement for her church on the other side because I was talking to my friend about a girl I liked. She told me, “Jesus loves you” and I thanked her for the card until I read it and was taken back by the dramatization of my doomed future in the fiery pits of hell. In my heart again I felt like she meant well so it puts me in an odd position but I do not agree with her and I think it’s really unhealthy to think this way.

I spent too much time feeling guilty for being a lesbian and lusting after women but in a world with Olivia Wilde playing bisexual characters on TV, it’s just cruel. All jokes aside, I know a lot of churches and religious people do actually accept the LGBT community. I’ve also met a few religious people that are members of the community and I think that’s great.

My family is very religious and I love them with all my heart. I know there are a lot of wonderful religious and atheist people out there. We can all exist peacefully if we all respect one another. I think that anyone is entitled to their own religious beliefs and should be respected and respect others for their beliefs.

San Diego Pride was held on the weekend of July 13th – 14th this year and there was a whole lot of glitter in the air. According to the Times of San Diego, a ground-breaking record of 360,000 people unified together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall legacy. First thing on my agenda was the Pride 5K Run & Walk race to cheer on my beautiful wife, Karin, and the Center’s very own, Jaime!

While I waited for them to cross the finish line, I walked around to admire the decorations for the parade. The streets of Hillcrest were filled with extravagant ornaments of rainbows, sparkles, and unicorns to say the least! Everything was so vibrant that it really generated an inviting and inclusive atmosphere. I hurried back just in time to applaud Karin’s and Jaime’s victories at the finish line. They surely made the race look easy and they inspired me to maybe even join them for next year’s race.

We managed to secure a great spot for the parade before it got too crowded. The energy was contagious – Hillcrest was captivated by a big wave of positivity and respect. The freedom of self-expression was LOUD and people looked blissful and confident in being themselves. 

One of the first groups that led the pack was Dykes on Bikes. There’s something about women on badass bikes that shouts liberation and empowerment! I appreciate their symbolic movement and maybe one day my wife and I will join in on the fun.

There were many awesome floats, ones where a lot of effort had been put in. It was an honour to watch the LGBTQ+ community march on with their respective clubs. Each club represented a significant meaning to raise awareness and as each group passed, I couldn’t help but proudly acknowledge how far we’ve come and how crucial it is to keep fighting for our rights. In that moment, I felt the purpose of the parade – its significance within the community and in my life.

After the parade, we made our way to Pacific Beach to cool down from being out in the San Diegan heat. The beach was exactly the vitamin I needed to prepare myself before dancing the night away. 

The Pride festivities continued at Balboa Park and it had plenty of vendors, music stages and good vibes. My night started off dancing to HYM at Movement stage and then grooving to Kinky Loops. My favourite performance of the night was King Princess at the Main stage. What I loved most was that she brought a lot of different energies to her set. The last act I caught was DJ Whitney Day, who closed down the night with an energetic house set at the Euphoria stage.

​Overall, I was really impressed with the execution of the festival as it had the right balance of spreading awareness and showcasing talent. Not only was it uplifting to be amongst the LGBTQ+ community in tribute on a monumental anniversary of Stonewall, but it was also the perfect reminder that WE ARE NEVER ALONE.  I would definitely attend again and highly recommend San Diego Pride for everyone to experience.

If you look back at your life to that period after childhood and before adulthood, chances are you have at least one movie (or song, or band, or TV show) that you would pinpoint as being definitive for you - something that spoke to the core of the person you were. Or at least, the person you suspected that you were becoming.

​Our blog team will be doing a series of coming-of-age personal stories: the LGBTQ+ representation in media that shaped our identities, welcomed and inspired us. This is the first installment. 

It's a powerful thing, when you're a teenager or young adult, to see some part of yourself amplified and played back to you. Especially for those of us who grew up queer and isolated, with a lack of representation and an absence of role models of people like us, art can be a hugely validating, magical experience.

Velvet Goldmine was that film for me. I was raised in the Middle East, within the evangelical Christian church. In other words, I grew up surrounded by people who believed very rigidly in binary gender roles and that homosexuality is a perversion. The consequence for being outed ranged from ostracization and social death to jail and actual death, depending on who you were (your level of privilege) and how far you chose to step out of line.

My family moved back to the United States when I was a preteen. We moved to the Central Valley, which I instantly recognized as being similarly rigid and repressive.

I remember watching a train go by with "God Hates Fags" spray-painted on the side of it. I remember listening to strangers shout "Dyke!" at one of the only girls at BHS who outwardly read as queer with short buzzed hair and body hair. It happened all the time, as she walked across campus between classes, and I never saw any adult notice, or care.  

No one ever had to tell me to hide who I was as a teen. I could read the room and knew I wasn't welcome most places. That's how it feels when there's something about you that if other people find out, you're pretty sure they will reject you. Not because of something you did or said, but because of who you are. The world feels hostile. 

Outside of the theater community, a de facto somewhat-safe queer space, I made sure to keep my head down. Being out and proud was something I knew was better saved for adulthood, when I would have the freedom to be less vulnerable. At least, that was the hope - that one day I'd grow up and get to choose to live my life openly somewhere else.

So when I watched Todd Haynes' Velvet Goldmine at 17, with it's explosion of color and music and defiant celebration of queer culture, I was enthralled. The film follows journalist Arthur (Christian Bale) who is writing an article on the life of Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Myers), a glam rock star. Slade's career and relationships are retold in a series of flashbacks as Arthur interviews Slade's former wife Mandy (Toni Collette) and lover/fellow rock star Curt Wild (Ewan McGregor). 

While not an official biopic, the film is a loose retelling of David Bowie's career and Ziggy Stardust persona - where Bowie had Ziggy, Slade has Maxwell Demon as his alter-ego, an androgynous alien come to earth to shake up cultural norms and toy with the press while channeling Oscar Wilde. The excesses of the 1970's youth culture are vividly depicted against a manic soundtrack featuring Pulp, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, T. Rex and Steve Harley as well as covers of songs by Roxy Music and The Stooges by the in-film band, Venus in Furs. 

I loved all of it, from the vibrant costumes to the abstract, theatrical narrative. But my favorite thing about the film was Brian Slade's complete refusal to apologize for being himself.

In the scene below, a teen Arthur watches rocker Brian Slade give a press conference. When journalists badger Slade about his marriage, sexuality and make-up, he shocks Britain by speaking frankly.

The way Arthur stands up in front of his parents and points at the screen, "That's me!" captures the feeling of wanting to be seen so perfectly. Of course, that didn't really happen. Instead he sits quietly, carefully gauging the disapproving reactions of his mother and father.

Slade smirks his way through the interview, alternatively provocative and coy. His answers about gender and sexuality are fluid and expansive. He goes toe to toe with the journalists, never missing a beat, refusing to let them corner him. 

Journalist: What about your fans? Aren't they likely to get the wrong impression?
Slade: And which wrong impression is that?
Journalist: Well, you're a blinking fruit. 
Slade: Well, thank you sir, and no. It doesn't concern me in the least. I should think that if people were to get the wrong impression of me, the one to which you so eloquently referred, it wouldn't be the wrong impression in the slightest. I mean, everybody knows most people are bisexual. 

While I didn't necessarily believe that "most people are bisexual", I adored how he was throwing the intrusive questions from journalists back in their faces. They harp on his sexuality, so he makes them question theirs. It was a glorious inversion.

I, like Arthur, was captivated. It was the first time I'd seen someone acting that way: refusing to allow their sexuality to be a liability, breaking down gender norms - and winning. 

The Bi/Pan+ Workshop is a workshop series for people who are bisexual, pansexual, queer or anyone who has ever been attracted to more than one gender. Last week, I sat down to talk with Dani Muñoz and get the full scoop. Dani is one of the awesome people working at The Annex to facilitate workshops and events for our community. They filled me in on all the details you'd want to know if you're thinking about attending - read on for more!


So what is this group all about? What kinds of things can I expect to talk about at the workshop?

We have conversations about a lot of different topics. We talk about our own gender; about the gender of people that we're attracted to; what it's like to come out; representation in the media; relationships. What are healthy relationships, what aren't; what it's like to be in a relationship when you're not monosexual. 

There's still a lot of "pick a side" stigma, both in the straight and gay community. We talk about what it means to be bi or pan, what it means to us personally, and how we can be affected by the erasure of our experiences.

We also talk a lot about how to feel confident and comfortable with yourself in your orientation. There's no single right way to be, and we want to help people be as out as they want to be (and that is different for everyone).


Where do the materials and programming come from for the workshop?

The volunteers that created the group researched and came up with themselves. We have connections with LGBTQ+ centers across the country. We can reach out and get materials from other centers that are willing to share.

The workshop has been around for about two years, and it keeps growing and evolving with each new facilitator, based on feedback from workshop members. We do a lot of surveys to find out what people are interested in and what their needs are.


Do I have to be in a certain age group to attend?

Not at all. Right now the group is a pretty even mix of college-aged people, middle-aged people and people 50+. 

If you're under 13, you'd need to get parental consent, and it's up to the facilitator's comfort level on whether we can include someone under 13 in any particular workshop series. But definitely talk to us, and we'll get you connected to support services, whether it's with this group or a different one.


Can I drop in? Do I have to attend every single week?

The workshop runs for eight weeks, and we ask that people try to attend at least five. However, if you can't make it to the full series, drop ins are welcome. 


What does it cost to attend the workshop?

It's free! Donations are always welcome, but like every support group at The Center, the Bi/Pan+ Workshop is completely free. 


When and where does the Bi/Pan+ Workshop meet?

Where: The Center’s Annex location - 841 Mohawk Street, Ste. 260, Bakersfield CA 93309
When: Wednesday, 6:30 - 8:00 PM


If you'd like to attend the Bi/Pan+ Workshop, get in touch with us by calling The Annex at (661-404-5209). You can download a calendar with all of the events taking place every month at both The Annex and The Center here.