Kindness: Gay For Good’s volunteers work to better the Long Beach community
In 2008, California voters narrowly approved Proposition 8 — a ballot measure that would have outlawed same-sex marriage.
Though it was overturned by federal judge just two years later, the decision was a blow to the state’s LGBTQ community, and it prompted three Los Angeles area friends to harness their grief in the form of community action.
During a hike up to the Hollywood sign in Griffith Park, Tony Biel, Steve Gratwick and Frank Roller decided to mobilize their extensive queer community to do acts of service for the public good and later founded a nonprofit organization to do just that — Gay For Good.
More than a decade later, Gay For Good is now headquartered in Long Beach and has 20 chapter organizations across the country — from LA to Boston. The organization and its hundreds of members volunteer their time to serve their communities, whether that be by preparing hot meals for unhoused folks or assisting at local pet adoptions.
By Kristy Hutchings, Press Telegram