In reflecting on 15 months of the Living Local podcast, we have covered a huge range of subjects, with the aim of displaying the equally huge range of issues and concepts United Way works on with our community partners.
One issue we have not touched on with the podcast is our work supporting programs aimed at the LGBTQ community. As luck would have it, just a few weeks ago, Gerry Coon, president & CEO of Diverse & Resilient, a United Way program partner that works with the LGBTQ community, presented at an internal meeting.
Gerry shared a lot about his work and that of D&R, but also a good amount about his personal journey from a young man in a small town trying to discover his identity to finding his tribe in Grad School with UWM’s Gay Community. Now, Gerry has spent two and a half years at the helm of Wisconsin’s largest LGBTQ-serving nonprofit, and has faced some challenges. Shortly after the 2016 presidential election, the D&R building was the subject of a series of vandalisms. This is where the conversation starts.
Learn more about Diverse & Resilient and the programs funded by United Way.
Diverse & Resilient is part of United Way’s Healthy Youth initiative, which aims to reduce teen pregnancy and teen sexual violence for young people of all genders.