Date:	96-03-28 16:29:35 EST
From:	PRCenter@aol.com

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News from the:
LOS ANGELES GAY & LESBIAN COMMUNITY SERVICES CENTER
1625 N. Schrader Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
PH: 213-993-7400 
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jim Key or Mike Ausiello
             (213) 860-7357
  
   L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center Opens Community CyberCenter -- 
                 First to Offer Free Internet Access
                              
     LOS ANGELES, Mar. 26, 1996 -- The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian
Community Services Center, in its commitment to creating a stronger
gay and lesbian community, broke historic ground on Tuesday, March
26, with the opening of its Queer CyberCenter, the first of its kind and
the first community-based program in Los Angeles to offer universal
access to the Internet. 
     Partially funded by the University of Southern California, the
CyberCenter -- located in the heart of Hollywood at the Gay & Lesbian
Center -- will provide equal, non-discriminatory access to the Internet
and the multitude of resources and information available on the World
Wide Web.    
     "The Internet is an incredibly valuable tool in mobilizing, educating
and uniting people around the world," said Lorri L. Jean, executive
director of the Gay & Lesbian Center.  "It's vital that access to the
Internet and the wealth of information on the World Wide Web be
available to all members of society, not just those fortunate enough to
attend a school with the required computer equipment or those wealthy
enough to afford their own Internet connection."
     The Queer CyberCenter's home page can be accessed not only by
visitors of the new CyberCenter, but by people around the world at:
www.qcc.org.  It provides links to gay and lesbian-related information
on politics and activism, people-of-color, youth, women, transgender
issues, health, arts and entertainment, research data, international
resources and lifestyle issues.
     The CyberCenter will also provide USC researchers and the Gay &
Lesbian Center a unique opportunity, through on-line surveys, to
measure the political attitudes and beliefs of a broad spectrum of gay
and lesbian people -- including those who are not "out."
     "The gay and lesbian community is one of the many populations
that the  University of Southern California is committed to learning
more about," said Eric Shockman, a faculty member in the USC Dept. of
Political Science and co-author of the grant.  "We're excited to be
embarking on this new partnership."
     Gay & Lesbian Center volunteers will empower the community by
offering free classes on exploring Internet resources, e-mail and other
Internet tools.  The CyberCenter, equipped with six state-of-the-art
Apple Computers and a high-speed T-1 Internet connection, will be
open for public use Mon.-Sat., from 1-9 p.m. and available for group
use, by reservation, on Sunday.  Saturday is tentatively scheduled as a
day reserved for youth; Wednesday evenings for women.
     The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center, with
more than 230 staff and an annual budget of $16 million, is the largest
gay and lesbian organization of its kind in the world, one of the
nation's leading HIV/AIDS care providers and equal rights advocates,
and home to an array of free or low cost health, educational, cultural
and social programs welcoming 13,000 visits from ethnically diverse
youth and adults each month.