Oklahoma City’s first LGBT Equality Center becomes a reality

(from the Gayly's December issue)
by Robin Dorner
Editor in Chief

In January, Cimarron Alliance will open the doors to Oklahoma City’s first LGBT Equality Center, according to the organizations executive director, Scott Hamilton. The center will allow Cimarron to almost instantly expand programs and services, provide meeting and event space to allied LGBT groups and it is a major step forward for Cimarron and the entire community.

“It is, though, only an interim step. We plan to be located in the new space for three to five years as we continue to explore new and innovative ways of serving the community,” said Hamilton. “Our plan is to outgrow the new facility in that time span and then move to a more permanent home.”

The new location is projected to be located in Midtown. Based on leasing, the doors are scheduled to open in January with a grand opening in February.

Also in January, Cimarron Alliance will undertake a comprehensive community needs assessment of central Oklahoma’s LGBT community. This will be the first ever to be done in the community.

“We are finalizing the assessment tools now and will reach out to all members of the community (and our allies) to help define present and near-future needs,” said Hamilton. “This will prove invaluable to every LGBT organization in our state as we all make our plans for how best to provide programs and services that are needed and wanted.”

Cimarron will approach the assessment tool in a multi-faceted approach. One phase is an online survey, there will be focus groups and they will enlist help of LGBT organizations and other groups. Other tools will be formulated as the needs assessment infrastructure grows. Of course, all answers are confidential.

“This will be good info for state and federal agencies to let them see how to address the needs of our community,” added Hamilton. “It’s also so we don’t take a patriarchal approach and say, ‘we know what you need, and here it is!”

Cimarron Alliance is also the first LGBT organization to be given a grant by the US Dept. of Labor, made possible by a short-term grant. This grant will enable Cimarron to build the infrastructure to re-launch DBA, the Diversity Business Association, with the infamous Monty Milburn as the chair. The 12-month goal is to have 300 active members from LGBT owned and allied businesses.

Hamilton brings considerable non-profit experience to Cimarron Alliance. He is a native Oklahoman and an OU graduate, who has spent most of his career in New York City working non-profit.  He has been married to his husband, Wayne Johnson, since 2009, but the couple has been together for more than 20 years.

We asked Hamilton how all this came together at the same time and he said,” It’s very much like an actress who, for 15 years goes to auditions takes voice lessons, acting lessons, dance; and one day she gets the role of a lifetime in a movie. Then someone comments how she landed the role so quickly. It’s about all the work that we have done; the seeds that we have planted.”

For more information about the Cimarron Alliance or how you can get involved in the new LGBT Equality Center, please visit www.cimarronalliance.org or call (405) 495-9300. Donations are greatly appreciated.