Our Mission
Compass' mission is to engage, empower and enrich the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people and those impacted by HIV and AIDS.
Nuestra Misión
Our Vision
Compass will be a collaborative leader in creating a safe, healthy, inclusive, equitable, and affirming community for all LGBTQ people and those impacted by HIV and AIDS. We will engage the individual and collective strengths of our community and its allies to promote and develop leadership, unity and pride. We will connect the community through diverse communications, vibrant programs, essential education and resources, and creating opportunities for our community to be seen and heard.
Our Code of Conduct
Compass is a safe space. In order to maintain that space, we require all guests, employees and clients of the Center or our events accept our Code of Conduct. By entering our building or our events, you agree to abide by the The Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct is on display throughout the center and you can also access it here.
Statement on our Twitter account:
Compass, along with CenterLink and many other LGBTQ centers, have made the decision to deactivate our Twitter accounts immediately due to Twitter quietly removing its longstanding policy aimed at protecting transgender people from targeted misgendering and deadnaming.
The practice of targeted misgendering and deadnaming is considered a form of
hate speech. Social media companies must commit to fostering safe environments
for LGBTQ people, not removing policies protecting them.
Over the past few months, the Twitter landscape has become an unsafe platform for
LGBTQ and BIPOC people to use. Anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ tweets have greatly
increased, as well as anti-Black and antisemitic tweets that are published under the
guise of bringing "free speech" back to the platform. Additionally, Twitter owner Elon
Musk recently promoted an anti-trans tweet about severe punishments for parents of transgender children.
Purposeful communication requires an honest and transparent dialogue in spaces
that respect our lived experiences and honor everyone’s safety. Rolling back LGBTQ
safety pulls Twitter out of sync with TikTok, Pinterest, and Meta
(Facebook/Instagram), which all maintain policies to protect users at a time when
anti-transgender and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric is at an all-time high.
With more than 430 pieces of legislation targeting healthcare, education, public
places and services, and drag performers or entertainment, 2023 is on pace to be a
record-setting year for state legislation targeting LGBTQ adults and youth. Now is a
time to lift up the voices of those who are most vulnerable and most marginalized,
and to take a stand against those whose actions are quite the opposite.
The direction Twitter has taken does not align with Compass’ mission or values.
Effective immediately, we have left the Twitter platform. You can still find us on
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube, and we look forward to connecting with
you on those platforms.
Our History
In 1988, a local group of community-centered men and women joined our nation’s efforts to educate the public about the spread of HIV by starting the Stop AIDS Project of South Florida, Inc. With federal funding and strategic grassroots organizing, friends, families and co-workers opened their homes and businesses and facilitated meetings to identify those living with HIV, and to equip the larger community with knowledge and skills necessary to protect themselves from contracting the virus.
As the Stop AIDS program grew over the following four years, the board of directors – along with volunteers – recognized the role that stigma, bias and discrimination played in the transmission of HIV and identified a critical need to provide a safe space for youth and adults who were struggling with issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity. With private contributions and local funding from the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, that group of volunteers established Compass as the gay and lesbian community center of Palm Beach County in 1992.
Over the course of the next decade, Compass continued to prove itself as a leader in HIV prevention and care efforts, and as an organizer of information and referral services for gay and lesbian youth and adults who needed assistance at home, at work or in school as they navigated their way toward empowered, healthy, productive lives. For over ten years, Compass remained as the sole provider of crisis and care services for people living with HIV for the Palm Beach County Department of Health. Today, Compass has on-site HIV case management services to connect newly-diagnosed people to care, and continues its tradition as an expert in HIV prevention activities in partnership with the Florida State Department of Health.
In 1999, with the help of a generous contribution from Ken Adams, Compass’ board of trustees set an ambitious goal – to make all of Palm Beach County a safe place for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their friends and families. Compass created one of the largest outreach events of its kind in Florida and Palm Beach County’s history, Pridefest of Lake Worth and the Palm Beaches (2000). Then, in an effort to connect local residents to their municipal, state and national representatives, Compass created the Stonewall Ball (2002), along with the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, so that our unique and diverse voices would be heard and understood by those with the responsibility to lead us.
In 2003, Compass opened the first gay and lesbian cyber center in Florida with the help of the David Bohnett Foundation, and in 2005 became the first gay and lesbian community center in the nation to host the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s traveling exhibition, “The Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals (1933-1945).” And in 2007, Compass entered into a unique public-private partnership with the City of Lake Worth, FL to renovate and operate a city-owned building that had existed as a facility addressing urgent needs for seniors for more than 30 years.
Compass is among the largest and most respected LGBTQ community centers in the country. More than 25,000 people utilize its 14,000 square foot facility, and more than 17,000 referrals are fielded by more than 12,000 volunteer hours graciously contributed by hundreds of community-centered individuals each year.
In 2018, Compass and its family will proudly celebrate 30 years of service to Palm Beach County, South Florida and the many constituents who have donated their time, money and expertise to advance one united mission: to engage, empower and enrich the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and those impacted by HIV and AIDS.
Compass accomplishes its mission each day by emboldening our youth, promoting pride in our community, and acting as an educator, advocate, health service provider, and focal point for community organizing.
As good neighbors, effective partners, and respected participants in our civic responsibilities, Compass promotes awareness of the caring nature of our diverse community, and continues to make history doing so.
Compass seeks to continue to grow its partnerships throughout the community. The following entities and people have joined us in making this world a better place.
