Author D. Marcell of Atlanta discusses his controversial book, “Saved, Sanctified and Same Gender Loving” today at the Evolution Center from 3-5 p.m. The Evolution Center is located at 583 Juniper St. #1, Atlanta, GA 30308.
This book is the first in a series D. Marcell is writing about issues directly impacting the black gay community. Marcell is the founder and editor of N-Convenient Truth, “a publication designed to validate, authenticate, and empower same-gender loving African-American men to fulfill their purpose on earth.”
The Evolution Center is part of AID Atlanta’s outreach to gay and bisexual men. It’s new center opened in Midtown in March.
The Atlanta organization that helps black gay youth transition into adulthood is itself experiencing a maturation process. During a March 11 open house, organizers and participants of the Evolution Project celebrated a recent move that nearly tripled the non-profit organization’s space and relocated it into the heart of Midtown.
“We’re really in a phase of expansion and growth,” said Kevin Hatcher, activities and linkages coordinator for the Evolution Project.
Hatcher is one of a half-dozen new staff members at the Evolution Project, the most employees the organization has had since it was founded in November 2006.
Funded by grants from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the Evolution Project was created by AID Atlanta to provide HIV-prevention to young black gay men, one of the demographics most at-risk for the disease. Although HIV-prevention remains at the core of the Evolution Project’s mission, part of the organization’s growth is to ensure that people don’t view it as a clinic or social services organization.
“Though we offer services such as a psychologist you can meet with if you need mental health support, as well as HIV testing, treatment and referrals, we don’t have a social services model,” Hatcher said. “We’re all about empowerment here, and so it’s not just a place you come when you need something, it’s also a place for you to come when you want to grow, when you want to hang out, when you want to be involved in something.”