Gabrielle Antolovich on Queer History, Memory, and Collective Power

Gabrielle Antolovich is the Board President, CEO of the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center. Founded in 1981 in response to the repeal of LGBTQ+ housing and employment protections in Santa Clara County, the Billy DeFrank Center began as a two-room storefront in downtown San Jose and quickly became a beacon of possibility for the South Bay’s LGBTQ+ community.More than four decades later, the DeFrank Center serves thousands each week at its home on The Alameda and through its resource line, connecting LGBTQ+ people of all ages and backgrounds to affirming services across the region, from Foster City to Gilroy.Named in honor of William Price—also known as Billy DeFrank—an African American drag performer and beloved activist of the 1970s, the Billy DeFrank Center carries forward his spirit of inclusion, love, and generosity. Today, the Billy DeFrank Center remains what it has always been: a safe place to gather, a catalyst for action, and a place to call home.Want to be a guest on Voices That Propel Us: Stories of Justice, Action, and Community? Send Danise Sugita a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1763751693205864f9876416e