After 10 years of organizing, the grassroots nonprofit group Somos Familia Valle opened the first LGBTQ+ center in the San Fernando Valley run by and for LGBTQ+ people.
On Saturday, June 8, the queer community and its allies were joined by educators, community partners and elected officials for the grand opening and ribbon cutting at the Sun Valley location.
“It definitely warms my heart, especially right in the middle of Pride, that we get to open, in a historic first time ever in the 818 community, a space for the LGBTQ+ community,” said State Sen. Caroline Menjivar. “And it’s right in the heart of our Latino community, right in Sun Valley.”
Menjivar, a Marine veteran, is the first LGBTQ+ person elected to the Senate District 20 office.
“Somos Familia is the first ever actual LGBTQ center [in the area], so we need to make sure we’re uplifting this entity,” continued Menjivar. “They’re doing the work that no one else is really doing here in the Valley.”
“What I see inside, the people who attended [this event], are really the rainbow of diversity of the San Fernando Valley,” she described.
It was a community celebration with tacos, music and a drag performance to “Todos Me Miran” and “A Quien Le Importa” by Elektra LaKill, a trans Latina drag queen from the San Fernando Valley, who got her start with Somos Familia Valle. All tips for the performances were donated back to the organization.
Many throughout the day spoke of the importance of the center described as a place for LGBTQ+ members and allies to build community, offer services and strengthen political advocacy.
“A lot of healing is going to happen in this space,” said Kevin Perez, President of Somos Familia Valle.
“[This center] means that we can finally be proud and be visible in our community.”
Perez said the center will offer support groups, youth groups, house vogue classes spearheaded by House of Balmain, yoga and reiki sessions, committee meetings for San Fernando Valley Pride and be used as a general event space.
“Now that we have an actual center that we can use for all our events, all our support groups, it’s very surreal,” said Alexandra Casanovas, Vice President of Somos Familia Valle. “It’s really like a dream come true for us.”
“A lot of us grew up not having a center here. We’d have to go to other cities that have more resources,” said Casanovas, who grew up in Van Nuys. “It’s a huge milestone to have a place right in the neighborhood, where the [LGBTQ+ community] can go, ask for resources and meet other people just like them [to] just have a sense of community here.”
LA Councilmember Imelda Padilla noted how proud she was of Somos Familia Valle’s growth over the years.
“My office is a partner, a friend, somebody that is always going to be supportive of you,” said Padilla. “The more you are unapologetic about love being love, the more you’re also helping those that are not part of this [queer] community [to] accept, love and respect those in their families that are.” She added that even the name of the organization being in Spanish sends a message to the “Raza community,” that “También son sus hermanos y el amor es el amor.”
Ethan Molina, a Pacoima resident, said the opening of the center is testimony to their strength.
“Just being in this space is a reminder of how powerful queer people of color are, and how resilient we are in making our mark in spaces in the valley,” said Molina. “It also shows us how much we can do when we’re empowered and are given the same resources as other folks. And how much we have to fight for our resources to make sure that the rest of our community is taken care of.”
Perez said the center is funded through Measure J and a grant from the Los Angeles County Justice Care & Opportunities Department. The lease was signed in April, and it took around two months and a lot of volunteer help to redo the center and prepare for the opening.
“We need more LGBT funding in the valley,” said Perez, noting that Somos Familia Valle has been built on and continues to operate with primarily volunteer support.
He believes opening the center is a significant step toward building and sustaining a strong queer community in the valley. Next, Perez wants to employ more people to run and manage its services – to create paying jobs.
“That’s sustaining the community,” said Perez. “That’s our goal.”
