Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Center announces plans for Pride Cafe
The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Center capped a successful effort to raise money to create an affirming space in the Lehigh Valley for LGBTQ+ youth seeking job training.
During a Thursday evening news conference, the center announced that it has raised the $575,000 needed to build out the Pride Cafe.
The cafe, projected to open in fall 2024 in the center’s garage in downtown Allentown, will be dual purpose, said Bill McGlinn, the center’s interim executive director. Not only will it provide job training, but also act as a community space for residents to gather, connect and learn through cultural programming.
“This is a major project that addresses critical needs in our community,” he said. “The Pride Cafe will become a community hub for music, poetry and literary events and will offer key job training opportunities for LGBTQ+ youth.”
Staff at the center have designed a comprehensive youth programming initiative, McGlinn said, which will include a career readiness program with a curriculum focused on business and entrepreneurial skills.
The center had quietly raised $300,000 toward the project, said Bradbury-Sullivan’s spokesperson, Braden Hudak.
Them Thursday, state Sen. Pat Browne announced that he secured the final $275,000.
“It’s an emotional night here at the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center,” Hudak said. “Senator Browne has a long history of fighting for equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community; however, our team did not anticipate reaching our fundraising goal this evening. We are so happy for our community and are especially thrilled for our LGBTQ+ youth.”
Renderings of the space, created by Alloy 5 Architecture and Boyle Construction, provide an advanced look at what the space next to the center’s lobby might look like. The designs show an open space filled with bright light from a wall of windows and ample seating in the cafe. While the walls are white, there’s a rainbow border near the ceiling.
However, the design will likely change, Hudak said. They’re in the first of three stages of the project, the design-to-build phase. After that portion is complete, it will be time for budgeting before, finally, construction.
Safe, affirming spaces for job training are especially important for LGBTQ+ folk, who continue to face discrimination in the workplace and often earn less than others, advocates argue.
“LGBTQ+ workers earn about 90 cents for every dollar that the typical worker earns,” according to the Human Rights Campaign, citing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. “LGBTQ+ people of color, transgender women and men and nonbinary individuals earn even less when compared to the typical worker.”
The center’s board is still searching for a permanent executive director. Adrian Shanker, who founded the center in June 2014, in February announced he was going to resign and leave the Valley. In October, Shanker announced he will work for the federal government, serving as senior adviser on LGBTQ+ health equity through President Joe Biden’s office of the secretary for health.