Have A Gay Day Inc
 | |
| Non-Profit Organization | |
| Founded | February 25, 2012 |
| Founder | Michael Knote |
| Headquarters | Dayton, Ohio |
Number of locations | 1 |
| Website | haveagayday |
Have A Gay Day Inc is a non-profit organization located in Dayton, Ohio, supporting and protecting the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. It primarily focuses on creating a safe environment for the people by leveraging equality, education, and support programs.[1]
It was founded in 2012 by Michael Knote as a tribute to a late American Teenage Activist - James T. Rodemeyer, with the aim to not let his attempts to eradicate homophobia go in vain. Some of Have A Gay Day’s popular programs are Food Pantry, Pantry Delivery, Free Little Pantry, Seasonal Pantry, and Narcan & Wound Care.[2]
Have A Gay Day for its unwavering efforts to uplift the community has received three Collaborative Funding awards from PFLAG Dayton and two Horizon grants. It has also been featured on several local as well as national media platforms.[3]
History
The Have A Gay day organization was founded in 2012 by Michael Knote. Prior to that, he started a memorial page which soon gathered attention and turned into a full-service non-profit organization. The name “Have a Gay Day”, refers to the double meaning of the word “gay”—” homosexual” and “cheerful.”[4]
The establishment of this organization was inspired by the death of a renowned teenage activist Jamey T. Rodemeyer, known for his activism against homophobia.[5] His tragic suicide was attributed to relentless bullying, which even prompted the introduction of new cyberbullying legislation. Have A Gay Day, since its inception, has been promoting a safe community for the LGBTQ+ community by organizing educational and support programs.[6]
As of 2021, Have A Gay Day has a monthly social media reach of over 15 million. Have A Gay Day is also associated with several other membership programs with CenterLink, Amazon Smile, eBay for charity, Humble Bundle, and Kroger.[7]
Programs
Food Pantry
This pantry serves Montgomery County in Ohio. People can visit this pantry once a month on call to avail the benefits.
Pantry Delivery
Have A Gay Day also has a volunteer delivery service for the people who can not reach the food pantry.
Free Little Pantry
This pantry was donated by the Mosaic Institute and built by Jes McMillan. It is home to a variety of food items and snack items for those in need. People can also leave their items here for donation.
Pet Food Pantry
This is a first-come-first-serve service for pet owners who have trouble keeping up with the extra expenses and operates on a donation-driven model.
Narcan & Wound Care
This program was started in affiliation with Harm Reduction Ohio and offers Narcan training, along with wound care kits donated at the facility.
At these pantry programs, Have A Gay Day also offers seasonal products like electric heaters, bedding, socks, gloves, or anything for that matter that may be donated or requested by the community. It also offers personal care kits, which are stocked via individual donations. The organization also gives away laundry tokens as they are available.[8]
References
- ↑ Duke, India. "Local nonprofit aims to support and educate LGBTQ, allies". dayton-daily-news. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ↑ "A New LBGTQ+ Food Pantry And Resource Center Opens In Northridge". WYSO. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ↑ "LGBT Organization Launches 'Big' Ad Campaign". WYSO. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ↑ Ohio[m, ERIN McCALLA [e]Outlook. "It's not all unicorns and rainbows at 'Have a Gay Day'". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ↑ Gross, Doug (4 December 2013). "2013: The Web's year of the hoax | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ↑ "Facebook blocks more than 100 users for posting photo of two men kissing". PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBT+ news. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ↑ "Facebook: It was an 'error' to remove photo of two men kissing". PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBT+ news. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ↑ "LGBTQ+ organization opens new food pantry and resource center in Northridge". WDTN.com. 28 February 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.