Persad Center: Out of the Closet event
#HereForYou: Did you know that 40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ+ and family rejection is the leading cause? Or up to 75% of LGBTQ+ seniors live alone? And when they need support or mental health services, where can they go? Persad Center, founded in 1972, strives to improve the wellbeing of those in the LGBTQ+ community, who are often marginalized and discriminated against. On Thursday evening, second lady of Pennsylvania Gisele Fetterman opened her home to co-chair an event, Out of the Closet, for a fundraiser so that the work that the Persad Center began more than 40 years ago can continue to enrich people’s lives. “John and I are huge fans of the work that Persad does and our doors are always open to help expand their reach,” Ms. Fetterman said. “Having these services is important, especially for our youth who don’t always feel like they have support.” Carlos Torres, interim executive director of Persad, echoed her views: “We want to continually provide culturally competent, stigma-free mental health services to our community. Having the support of people like the Fettermans, who are passionate about community-building, is a great opportunity to merge passions for a night like tonight.” Guests mixed and mingled, learned more about the mission of Persad, enjoyed light bites from Black Radish Kitchen and were able to bid on auction items to help further support the mission. “In this climate of hate and intolerance, we must support organizations such as Persad Center that help the marginalized LGBTQIA+ community as they struggle for identity and self-worth,” added Richard Parsakian, who co-chaired the event. “As a member of the Mayor of Pittsburgh’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Council, I will also commit the city’s resources to fight this discrimination until true equality has been achieved.”
#SEEN: Marty Healey and Gene Welsh, Jay Yoder, #SEENBestDressed Rick Soria, Charity Imbrie, Nachum Golan and Steve Hough, John Klein and Bob Davis, Amy Morgan, Sean DeYoung, John Van de Grift and Larry Leahy, Scott Roller, Steve Williams, Tanner Rose, Diane S. Samuels and David Sufrin, and Susan and Barry Merestein.