Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society (GALAS)

By Vic Gerami

The Gay And Lesbian Armenian Society is a nonprofit organization that seeks to serve and unite LGBTQ people of Armenian descent in Los Angeles and beyond.

Mission

The mission of GALAS is to (1) foster a safe and supportive network for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people of Armenian descent; (2) promote their empowerment within their communities; and (3) build bridges between the LGBTQ and Armenian communities and among all allied and intersectional communities.

GALAS History

GALAS was formed in 1998 by a number of gay and lesbian Armenians in Los Angeles who were looking for friendship, support, and a sense of belonging in the community. As the informal gatherings gave way to formal meetings, the infrastructure of the organization started taking shape.

In 1999, GALAS ratified its first bylaws and elected seven members to its newly created Board of Directors. In the ensuing years, GALAS transformed into a full-fledged non-profit organization and maintained an active calendar of events year-round.

In addition to social gatherings and its annual fundraising gala event, GALAS, through the last sixteen years, has provided a sense of community and vital resources for its members, such as its educational conferences and access to health counseling. The organization has also made a commitment to provide outreach and promote the equality of LGBTQ Armenians within the larger community.

For more information, please visit GALASLA.org

Vic Gerami

A noted columnist, Vic Gerami is also a journalist and media contributor who is also publisher and editor of The Blunt Post. His show, 'The Blunt Post with Vic' on Public Radio KPFK 90.7 FM, part of Pacifica Network, launched in 2018. Today reaching national international audiences, Gerami first built a foundation of knowledge and skills by learning the media industry during his years at Frontiers Magazine, followed by positions at LA Weekly and Voice Media Group. For the second time, Gerami was selected as a finalist in the Los Angeles Press Club’s National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards “Columnist of the Year” category in 2019, having first made the final round of consideration in 2017. His celebrity Q&A column, '10 Questions with Vic', is syndicated internationally. The Wall Street Journal featured Gerami as a “leading gay activist” in its landmark 2008 coverage of opposition to Proposition 8, the ballot measure that for years denied same-sex couples in California the freedom to marry. In addition to his years of volunteer work as a leading advocate for marriage equality, later Gerami went on to serve as a Planning Committee member for the historic Resist March in 2017. Vic Gerami is also a founding board member of Equality Armenia. In 2015, Gerami was referenced in the landmark Supreme Court civil rights case, Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the Court held in a 5–4 decision that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process and the Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Vic Gerami is a contributor to the LGBTQ San Diego County News, Windy City Times, Montrose Star, DC Life Magazine, Out & About Nashville, Q Virginia, GNI MAG, QNotes, GoWeHo, Asbarez, California Courier, Desert Daily Guide, Armenian Weekly, GED, The Pride LA, IN Magazine, OUT Traveler, The Fight and The Advocate Magazine among others.

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