Celebrating Long Beach’s New LGBTQ+ Cultural District
Last month, the Long Beach City Council unanimously adopted the Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) to create a new LGBTQ+ Cultural District along the Broadway corridor, making it the first cultural district in Southern California dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community. This designation recognizes the rich history of LGBTQ+ advocacy and community in the City of Long Beach and the Broadway corridor in particular.
The LGBTQ+ Cultural District is envisioned to be a local and regional destination that uplifts the cultural and historical significance of the LGBTQ+ community in the area, supports the LGBTQ+ businesses and institutions within the district, and ensures the LGBTQ+ community continues to have the resources needed to thrive.
“From bars acting as funeral spaces to queer people collectively moving into a neighborhood in order to provide comfort and safety, the Broadway Corridor has long been the home of Long Beach’s LGBTQ+ community—and the fact that our city is formally recognizing the importance of that space is a sign of both evolution and empathy.”
Throughout the plan’s development, meaningful community outreach and engagement was an essential component of the process. Community members, businesses, and other stakeholders provided extensive feedback, including over 1,000 responses to project surveys, with more than 60% of the respondents identifying as a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
The adopted SIP serves as an important milestone, identifying community priorities and providing a roadmap for key placemaking improvements such as street trees, string lights, tree and façade uplighting, and historical plaques.
The City has already allocated $2.5 million in funding for initial improvements and is exploring grants and other funding sources for future phases. PlaceWorks is proud to be part of this historic project and looks forward to seeing the community’s vision come to fruition!
Learn more about the project: https://longbeach.gov/lbcd/planning/advance/lgbtq-cultural-district/