Pride Center of Staten Island

Welcome to the Pride Center of Staten Island, Staten Island’s LGBTQIA+ Community Center. This is your Center and we are here to continue the good work in our community supporting the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of Staten Island. Thank you for helping to make the dream come true; we are now an independent LGBTQIA+ Center incorporated in New York State and recognized as a 501c3 nonprofit.

Your Pride Center is a brave and welcoming space with quality local services and activities that promote the overall physical, mental and emotional well-being of Staten Island’s LGBTQIA+ people.

This website will introduce you to all the programs, services, special events, community activities, educational workshops, and ways in which you can support your Center through volunteering and donations.

Feel free to contact me with your questions, suggestions, and support.

Thank you

Carol Bullock, Executive Director

 
 
 

Mission

The mission of the Pride Center of Staten Island is to enhance and sustain the well-being of the LGBTQIA+ and allied communities by providing programs and services that cultivate community; advocate for LGBTQIA+ interests; educate and empower, and provide social support.

Vision

The Pride Center envisions a Staten Island where LGBTQIA+ people and families are empowered to achieve their fullest potential, where people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and abilities are valued and feel a sense of belonging, and where allies support identities and interests outside their own.

Values

Featured
Community
Community

The Pride Center's work is driven by the needs, wants, and interests of the LGBTQIA+ community. While social stigma has isolated and silenced LGBTQIA+ people, the Pride Center of Staten Island believes that together, we can imagine and create a better future for all Staten Islanders.

Inclusion
Inclusion

Practices that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion enrich our community. The LGBTQIA+ community includes people from all races and ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities, and people of faith.

Allyship
Allyship

An ally is someone who supports a community that they are not a part of. Allies to the LGBTQIA+ community lift up that community by listening, building relationships, and becoming advocates. The Pride Center of Staten Island recognizes allies as powerful voices that can help advance LGBTQIA+ interests.

Brave Space
Brave Space

The Pride Center of Staten Island strives to create a brave space where people respect one another, acknowledge the difference between intention and impact, and make space for diversity of thought.

 

Munsee Lenape Land Acknowledgement

The Pride Center of Staten Island is located on Munsee Lenape land. Native communities called present-day Staten Island Aquehonga Manacknong. The Lenape sold the land we now call Staten Island to European colonizers under duress in 1670. To learn more about this transaction, see Andrew Lipman’s article, “A Hard Bargain.” Today, roughly 300 Ramapough Lunaape tribal members live on Staten Island. 

 

Black Lives Matter

A statement from
Carol Bullock, Executive Director
Pride Center of Staten Island, Inc

The past few weeks have been particularly devastating for Black people in the US. The anti-Black racist violence happening throughout the country was brought once again to the national stage with the police and vigilante killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Tony McDade . The death of George Floyd echoes the 2014 death of Staten Islander Eric Garner : both gasped, "I can't breathe." These are the stories that we know of, but there are countless stories of police violence against and killings of Black people that go unheard.

As this violence escalates, communities are rising up in protest all over the nation. Protesters are being met with increased police and military violence, adding to the trauma Black people are experiencing right now. As Martin Luther King once said, "A riot is the language of the unheard."

June is Pride month, bringing the LGBTQIA+ community together to memorialize the 1969 Stonewall Riots. As LGBTQQIA+ people, we must remember that our history is firmly rooted in fighting against police violence and abuse. It was Black and Latinx transgender and gender non-conforming leaders who took up the fight against such injustice.

All of this is occurring as the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately killing Black people.

We have begun to engage in meaningful discussions in our groups about anti-Black racism, police violence, and white supremacy. We will continue to do our best to provide a supportive, safe, and healing space for all LGBTQIA+ people and to foster a deeper understanding and allyship around the conversation of race.

Black Lives Matter

We encourage our supporters and families to engage in these dialogues in your community, with your neighbors, and at your dinner tables. Here are some resources to help:

Anti-Racism Resources:
https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/being-antiracist
https://medium.com/wake-up-call/a-detailed-list-of-anti-racism-resources-a34b259a3eea
https://www.uuare.org/addtional-resources

Resources for White Allies:
https://www.dismantlecollective.org/resources/
https://www.powershift.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/checklist-for-white-allies.pdf

Resources for Educators:
https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2019/08/14/the-urgent-need-for-anti-racist-education.html
https://www.tolerance.org/professional-development/white-antiracism-living-the-legacy

Resources for Healthcare:
https://www.fastonlinemasters.com/affordable/nursing/healthcare-equity-resources/

The Pride Center of Staten Island is here for you!
#PCSIhereforyou