Callen-Lorde Community Health Center

October is LGBTQ+ History month, an opportunity to look to our community's history for inspiration as we face the challenges of today. The long legacy of the LGBTQ+ community is vast and all around us, so this year we will be spotlighting different sites and their histories right here in New York City.

Utilizing the NYC LGBTQ+ Historic Sites Project, we will be helping to make our shared invisible histories more visible and sharing just a few of the stories that make this city such an important space for the LGBTQ+ Community.

Las Mariquitas is NYC's first trans-centered salsa band and a force of nature. If you've been to one of their shows you know the singular vibe they bring to the room. They are more than a band, they are a political liberation project focused on centering women, q***r, and trans voices and salserxs.

Their music includes original transfeminist salsa tracks as well as performing signature songs from the genre. Together they have headlined NYC's first trans music festival, Transmission, and have held residencies at venues like C'mon Everybody and The Clemente Soto Vélez Center.

Alongside playing shows, they also host descargas, or jam sessions. They also give back to the community by facilitating workshops around salsa dance and the healing that came come with writing music.

At the end of every September, we acknowledge World Heart Day as a reminder to keep our hearts healthy and bring awareness to cardiovascular disease (CVD).

For 2026, we pledge to not miss a beat by keeping an eye on health metrics such as blood pressure and cholesterol, which can give us early warning signs of future cardiovascular issues.

Need to checkup on your health? Callen-Lorde provides testing for blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels for existing and non-patients regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Call 212-271-7200 or visit callen-lorde.org/register to learn more!

This Bisexual Visibility Day, we honor the diversity of bisexual experiences—every identity, every expression, every story.

Bony Ramirez (he/him) is an American artist born in the Dominican Republic. His work is heavily influenced by his childhood in Tenares, Dominican Republic, infusing his art with the elements of rural landscapes, Catholic imagery, and Caribbean colors.

His work includes both paintings and sculptures, with many pieces including oil-painted figures adhered to wooden panels. His figures are vibrant and regal, and many works add every day, tangible items to his compositions. He has exhibited at institutions including Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Bradley Ertaskiran and the Newark Museum of Art.

Most recently, we spotted Bony's work this past year on display at the Historic Chapel in Greenwood Cemetery. The solo exhibition entitled El Cielo Del Mar explored "mythological and cultural associations between the sea and the afterlife, the work positions water as a threshold where memory, loss, and spirit converge."

Thanks to the scientific advancements of HIV treatment, including the milestone approval of protease inhibitors in 1995, people living with HIV can live long and healthy lives. National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAD), which falls every year on September 18, is a testament to that.

Together, let's honor our long-term survivors (LTS) living and thriving with HIV and those who came before us, who have paved the way in our continued fight to ending the epidemic once and for all and advocating for a cure.

Lights, camera, action, shimmer. Tickets are now on sale for our biggest event of the year: The 2026 Community Health Awards! Every year, the annual gala honors Callen-Lorde’s mission and our community members that make it possible.

We’re so excited to announce this year’s host, the gorgeous and vivacious Peppermint, our dazzling auctioneer, Dana Goldberg, and our incredible honorees:

- The Keith Haring Foundation
- Annie Fan & Sung Ki Park
- Jennifer & Eddy Salcedo
- Stephanie & Scott Rostan

We chose them because of their contributions to the visibility and health of LGBTQ+ people and their incredible work as partners to Callen-Lorde's mission.

Join us on Thursday, November 5 at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers to celebrate them. Learn more about our honorees or purchase sponsorships today at callen-lorde.org/cha or through the link in our bio.

Between September 15 and October 15, we're taking time to acknowledge the richness and complexity of Hispanic heritage. For the next four weeks we'll be spotlighting members of the LGBTQ+ community with Hispanic heritage that make up just a part of this diverse experience.

Join us as we learn about how these individual stories can impact our path forward as a community, both in what we share as common experiences and what defines each of our unique histories.