[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 54 (Thursday, April 26, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E651-E652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO BILLY DE FRANK LESBIAN AND GAY COMMUNITY CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 26, 2001

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Billy DeFrank 
Lesbian and Gay Community Center of San Jose. On April 28th, the 
DeFrank Center will celebrate 20 years of service to the Santa Clara 
Valley.
  The DeFrank Center opened on Keyes Street in downtown San Jose in 
1981. Services in what was then a 2 room storefront included a hotline, 
counseling, and a switchboard. Today, the Billy DeFrank Lesbian and Gay 
Center serves a large and diverse community. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and 
transgender people of all ages and backgrounds find resources here that 
are not available elsewhere. Each month over a thousand people visit 
the DeFrank Center's headquarters, and many more call the switchboard. 
Over 140 meetings, workshops, health programs and special events take 
place at the DeFrank Center each month.

[[Page E652]]

  I am proud of the caring staff and corps of volunteers whose 
dedication has built the Billy DeFrank Lesbian and Gay Community 
Center. It is because of their hard work that the DeFrank Center is ``a 
place to call home,'' and I thank them for their 20 years of service to 
our community.

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