OUR MISSION AND HISTORY

The mission of The Center Orange County is to advocate on behalf of the Orange County LGBT community, and to provide services that ensure its well-being and positive identity.

COMMUNITY ADVOCATES
The Center Orange County has always been on the forefront of social justice issues and advocacy. Our Center has always strived to advocate for the Orange County LGBT community. That advocacy has changed over the years as the needs of the community have changed. It is our effort to respond to those needs and reflect to the community a Center that is the backbone of the community. Through current actions advocating for marriage equality, new programs for seniors who gave us our roots and being a safe place for the youth who are our future, The Center is optimistically looking forward.

THE VERY BEGINNING
Having its start in a private home in Costa Mesa in 1971, The Center Orange County was established as a volunteer organization and incorporated in 1975 as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit community-based agency. In 1994, The Center Orange County joined forces with gay & lesbian centers around the nation and became a member of the National Association of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Centers. The Center Orange County is one of the oldest gay & lesbian centers in the United States, and serves thousands of clients annually.

We work to promote sensitivity and understanding within the community, and we help people reach their human potential through the provision of life affirming and life enriching services.

WHERE WE ARE NOW
The Center Orange County has weathered many changes and is currently located on Garden Grove Blvd. Orange County has had a long history of extreme political and religious conservatism. It is home of the Crystal Cathedral, Trinity Broadcasting Service, the Traditional Values Coalition and Lou Sheldon. Orange County encompasses 948 square miles, and borders on Los Angeles County to the North and San Diego County to the South. With 42 miles of coastline and sandy beaches, there are 143,915 acres dedicated to residential use. According to the 2000 census, the county had a population of 2,846,289, making it the second most populated county in the state of California and the fifth most populated county in the United States.

OUR COMMUNITY CENTER IS A HOME FOR EVERYONE
It is here that The Center Orange County provides a wide continuum of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) services including: support groups, counseling, youth programs, HIV/AIDS prevention, social activities, newsletter, web site, referrals, library, special events, and meeting space for community groups.

Since its inception almost 35 years ago, The Center Orange County has taken a leading role in advocating for the civil rights of LGBT people. In addition to advocating for issues such as same sex marriage and parental rights for same-gender parents, our leadership has been active in the community helping craft legislation and develop public policy on gay and lesbian youth issues, HIV testing, immigration, HIV/AIDS, discrimination, hate crimes, health care issues and more. Through meetings with legislators and public policy makers, as well as sponsoring active letter writing campaigns to officials, The Center Orange County has worked diligently through the community to ensure that rights of LGBT people in Orange County and throughout the state of California are not ignored or marginalized.