When Neil Giuliano, Tempe, Ariz.’s former gay mayor (he’s still gay but not currently mayor) spoke at the recent Cream City Foundations Business Lunch, he stated a remarkable and embarrassing fact: LGBT people contribute less to their own causes than straight people do. I’m sure there are many legitimate reasons. Perhaps it’s our predisposition to fending for ourselves. Many of us had it rough as LGBT people and managed to succeed despite the odds. But, now it’s that time again when we get that gentle prod, the end-of-year giving letter.
Among all those holiday cards, bank calendars, seasonal sales flyers, car recalls and bills, and sometimes outnumbering them all, are those annoyingly desperate cries for cash. They’re easy to ignore and toss into the recycling bin. Who wants to feel guilty and cheap during the holidays? But you should open them, at least the ones from LGBT organizations.
We have lots of choices. We can contribute to specific groups or to our philanthropic foundations. Those groups span the spectrum from arts and athletics to health and social services. Most are lead by volunteers. Cream City Foundation (CCF) funds LGBT organizations like PrideFest, the LGBT Center of Southeastern Wisconsin and the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center. Earlier this year, it gave a $65,000 gift to the LGBT Archive at UW-Milwaukee’s Golda Meir Library. The Archive is one of few nationwide dedicated to preserving local LGBT history. Its holdings include records from our first grassroots organizations. Many of those, financed by generous supporters at the time, have evolved into today’s major, federally funded organizations like the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. CCF also underwrites the various “Out” events at our mainstream theaters. Did you attend the last one for the Skylight’s Wizard of Oz? It was wonderful!
There’s also the Gay/Lesbian Community Fund. It supports smaller and start-up organizations. This year it dispersed funds to 17 different groups from the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center to GAMMA, BestD Clinic and the Pride Parade.
The amount doesn’t matter either. For the cost of a couple of Cosmos you invest in the community. Just a few short months ago, LGBT Wisconsinites did not have the right to marry. That victory was not only achieved by those who fought for marriage equality. Anyone and everyone who was out and about made that change possible. And we didn’t do it alone. Straight people did not suddenly embrace marriage equality. They supported our rights once they got to know LGBT people. They got to know LGBT people through our sports, visual arts, theater, gay-straight alliances, PrideFest and all the other groups that together create the public face of our community.
We’ve all profited from the efforts of all of our community organizations, large and small. They have impacted our lives in ways that we often take for granted. It would be a pity if any of them failed for lack of funds. Besides, if they were gone, there would be nothing left to archive.
