Queens Community House is the major provider of services and community space to LGBT seniors and youth in the borough of Queens. With a population of over 2 million people, Queens is one of the largest counties in New York State and one of the most ethnically and economically diverse in the world. QCH serves the LBGT community through two centers: Generation Q, a drop in center for youth up to age 22 and SAGE/Queens for older adults.

 

More than a decade ago, Queens Community House was asked by local LGBT activists to assume responsibility for the first LGBT senior center outside Manhattan: Senior Action in a Gay Environment (SAGE)/Queens. Today, SAGE/Queens remains the only program of its kind in the borough of Queens, which is home to more seniors than any other borough of New York City.

 

In 2004, activists in Queens approached Queens Community House about taking on another LGBT program, this time for youth. Generation Q had been part of the (now defunct) Rainbow Community Center, and is now thriving as an essential youth program in the Queens Community House’s range of services.