FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: John Mikytuck

 Starbucks Supports Leslie Jordan LGBT Benefit After Anti-Gay Incident

Oct. 6, 2015 (Asbury Park/Ocean Grove, NJ)  – The QSpot LGBT Community Center is proud to welcome Starbucks as a sponsor of actor Leslie Jordan’s benefit concert on Saturday, November 7, 2015.  Jordan made headlines last month after confronting a group of assailants using anti-gay slurs while at his local West Hollywood Starbucks store. An Emmy-Award winning actor/comedian, Jordan is well-known for his roles in “Will & Grace” and “Sordid Lives.” He began yelling “not in my house” while helping to lead the group out of the establishment. The confrontation ended with police arriving to assist.

“We’re so glad that Starbucks has committed to supporting Leslie Jordan’s benefit concert for QSpot,” said John Mikytuck, QSpot Executive Director. “Starbucks has been a staunch supporter of the LGBT community over many years and it’s great that they have reaffirmed that support after the terrible incident in West Hollywood.”

“I was as scared as I’ve ever been in my whole life,” Jordan told TMZ. “It’s a learned language…they don’t know the power of those words,” he said.

Jordan’s benefit concert, called “Not in my House,” will take place on Saturday, November 7 at the Jersey Shore Arts Center, Ocean Grove, NJ. The event will be Jordan’s first appearance in New Jersey.  As part of Starbucks support, members of the company’s Pride Alliance, an LGBT employee affinity and resource group at Starbucks, will volunteer their time for the event, offering complimentary Starbucks coffee and helping backstage.

“It’s telling that Leslie Jordan, one of America’s favorite out actors, could still be the victim of a hate crime. While we celebrate the progress made for the LGBT community over the last several decades, we’ve still got a long way to go before everyone can say they live without fear or discrimination. Until then, QSpot will continue to be a safe place where the LGBT community can gather to socialize, access resources, and find support to live rich, full lives,” said Mikytuck.

ABOUT QSPOT

QSpot LGBT Community Center is one of New Jersey’s largest LGBT safe spaces providing services to the LGBT community without fear, prejudice or discrimination. QSpot features over 2000 sq ft of public and private meeting space along with a coffee-house cafe called the Library Lounge. QSpot’s mission is to foster the health, well-being and pride of New Jersey’s LGBT community by providing support, education and referrals.  Our programs include individual and group counseling, Buddy Program for LGBT Older Adults, job resource and career development center, 12-step meetings, and we’re home to a number of LGBT clubs, including the QSpot Book Club.