By Ji Hyun Lim | AsianWeek Staff Writer
With Brian Cheu at the helm, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Community Center has become the hub for social and educational activity for the LGBT community in the Bay Area. The center has been open since March 2002 and Cheu has been executive director since May. This year’s one-year anniversary of the center marks a time of transition for the center as well as Cheu, who will be resigning as executive director.
Throughout his tenure as executive director, Cheu has seen a lot of changes, compromising and goal tackling. Before his stint as executive director of the LGBT center, Cheu spent four years as an executive director of LYRIC (Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center), which provides recreational, educational and leadership opportunities for LGBT youth. He also spent four years at the city’s Human Rights Commission.
Cheu, 39, laughs modestly when asked how it feels to be a role model for the APA community. As one of only two executive directors of color of the 137 LGBT centers around the country, he is the only APA in that position.
“In San Francisco, 35 percent of the population is APA,” he said. “We don’t always see that reflected in leadership positions. We especially don’t see it in a non-Asian organization. I urge people to take leadership in the community.”
In his commitment to reflect the diversity of the Bay Area LGBT community, Cheu has made it a goal to accommodate and reflect the myriad of interests and backgrounds of the some 2,000 people who use the center. According to Cheu, those who use the center closely match the Census Bureau’s profile of San Francisco.
“I wanted to make sure that since we were a new organization, we played well with others in terms of working in a cooperative manner with others or organizations that have been around,” Cheu said.
The LGBT center has been able to accommodate an estimated 300 programs each month. Since its birth, the center has implemented programs for youth, senior, deaf, transgender and ethnic communities. The architecturally modern center has also been in partnership with City College of San Francisco (CCSF). Many CCSF students attend classes forums and panels there.
“When we opened, it was really important to form collaborations with existing groups,” Cheu said. “We spent a lot of time meeting with people in other organizations and made it clear we were not going to be imposing our agenda.”
Fifteen different community-based organizations are housed at the LGBT Center. Art exhibits by world-renown artists like Robert Rauchenberg, black lesbian and gay film festivals, supervisorial debates and celebrations like the “Hooray, Jesse Helms is retiring!” party are just some of the activities held at the center.
Cheu points out that the success of the LGBT center comes from its willingness to create partnerships with existing organizations. “Meetings and lots of compromising” have been fundamental in creating a stronger sense of community, he said.
Still, with the successes come challenges. On Feb. 6, 70 members of Gay Shame, a radical LGBT group that opposes the mainstreaming of gay community, rallied in front of the LGBT center protesting a fundraiser hosted by mayoral candidate Gavin Newsom, and society planner and Arts Commission President Stanlee Gatti.
The protest ended in bloody violence. Police tried to hold back the ralliers who attempted to enter the LGBT center. Protesters were injured and cited for resisting arrest and two were in police custody until Friday. The protesters opposed Newsom and followers for slashing cash grants to the homeless.
The LGBT center dropped felony charges against the protesters because they felt that a constructive dialogue between the protester and police would be a better way of resolving differences that came about in this situation, Cheu said.
“It was an unfortunate incident, Cheu commented. “We encourage peaceful protest and we called the district attorney’s office to tell them we support them.”
He added, “We’re a place for a specific discourse and we anticipate that people will have disagreements. We feel it’s entirely appropriate as long as protest does not intimidate visitors to the center and as long as there is not damage to the center, it does not harm the visitors and as long as there’s not an attempt to disrupt the actual event.”
Friends and colleagues comment that Cheu’s ability to make people build a consensus despite the rough times has been an integral part of his leadership style. Esther Lee, district representative for State Sen. John Burton’s office points out that Cheu’s “temperament and ability to sit down and talk to people and to take their ideas and implement them” is one of his greatest assets.
“Brian makes you feel relaxed, comfortable and safe,” Lee said. “For a lot of queer folk, feeling safe is important. He’s a consensus builder and he’s very patient and will find a way to have everybody’s perspective be a part of the decision-making. It’s a very organic way of decision making.”
With his bachelors degree from Stanford University, law degree from Columbia University and years of nonprofit work under his belt, colleagues feel Cheu will find his niche somehow.
Cheu admits that he may now spend some time “to reflect.” He would still like to continue community service and would like to remain in the Bay Area with his friends and family.
Said Cheu: “After my first year, it is time to step aside, now that I have done my start-up work here and my work at LYRIC. We want to have someone here who wants to be here longer and kind of keep building on what we have here. Sometimes you have to make decisions for the organization and it’s the best for everyone.”
Reach Ji Hyun Lim at jlim@asianweek.com.
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