Community, creativity and connection: Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Center plans busy April
The Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center is preparing for a month of comedy, poetry, advocacy and art, all designed to bring people together and strengthen community ties across the region.
For Charlie Solidum, the center’s director of programs, the goal behind the busy April calendar is simple: create a welcoming space where people can connect, express themselves and find support.
“The Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center is really a hub for the community to come together with our various programs and services,” Solidum said. “We’re just happy to be that locus of support for the community.”
Now in its 21st year, the center has grown into a gathering place for LGBTQ+ residents and allies throughout the Hudson Valley. Solidum said many of the programs and events hosted there are shaped by community members themselves.
“When we plan programming, we’re really trying to see what the community is asking of us,” Solidum said. “A lot of times we will be approached by a different organization or collaborator … and we do our best to make those events come to fruition.”
That collaborative approach is reflected in April’s schedule.
The month begins with the Gay Gasp Comedy Showcase on April 11, presented in partnership with Big Gay Hudson Valley. Solidum said the evening will feature comedians and offer a chance for the community to gather for a night of humor.
The following evening, the center will turn its focus to poetry with “Speak Out: A Spoken Word Jam,” part of National Poetry Month.
The event is organized by longtime volunteer and spoken word artist Lucy Winsong Rain, who has previously performed at the Rosendale Theatre. The program will feature both invited performers and an open-mic component for local poets.
“It’s really an invitation for local poets to come and perform their work,” Solidum said.
Advocacy will also play a role in April programming. On April 15, the center will host an LGBTQ+ teen workshop focused on postcard writing as a form of civic engagement. The program is being held in collaboration with the LLSOL School, which focuses on mental health in schools.
Participants will learn how to write to elected officials about issues that matter to them and how postcard campaigns can raise awareness among policymakers.
“We’re going to be talking about these issues that are important to queer young people and telling them about how they can contact their representatives,” Solidum said. “And how to get their voices heard.”
That same day, the center will offer another workshop focused on healthcare communication. Titled “Medical Self-Advocacy: Finding Your Voice in Healthcare,” the program is presented with Saugerties Therapy Center.
Solidum, who has a background in healthcare, said the workshop addresses challenges some LGBTQ+ patients face when speaking openly with doctors or medical providers.
“LGBTQ folks, because of stigma, often have trouble communicating with their medical providers,” Solidum said. “This is going to take some of the fear out of that medical provider-patient dynamic and talk about how we can effectively communicate with our providers to make sure that we are getting the health care that we need.”
Art will also take center stage this month with a new exhibition titled “And We Shine.”
The exhibit features work by three artists: Raymond Vagg, who is creating a large installation; photographer Sabrina Kee, whose portraits highlight members of the community; and the late Afro-Boricua artist and community organizer Gerardo Castro.
Solidum said the exhibition reflects both celebration and resilience within the LGBTQ+ community.
“We were thinking about the current moment that the LGBTQ+ community is in and how we can create representations of LGBT folks and community that despite everything, we shine,” he said.
The exhibition will also include a community altar installation, inviting visitors to bring offerings or mementos honoring ancestors and those who came before them.
Solidum said the installation also acknowledges figures in LGBTQ+ history, including Del Castro, who died several years ago from HIV.
“We’re thinking about queer lineage and who came before us,” Solidum said. “How to draw upon the power of our ancestors who have fought so hard for the rights that we have right now.”
Beyond events and exhibitions, the center has also recently launched a new lending library of LGBTQ+-focused books. Solidum said the collection is the largest of its kind in New York state outside New York City.
For those who have never visited before, Solidum said the center strives to create an atmosphere that is welcoming from the moment someone walks in.
“The feedback that we hear the most from people who wander in is how welcoming it is here,” he said. “It’s just an open space where people can exist in all their truth.”
Image: The Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center in Kingston. (Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center)