Pridelines Turns 30

As part of its 30th Anniversary "Pearl" Gala celebration, Pridelines Youth Services will be honoring two of the organization’s founders, Alexei Guren and Dr. Marilyn Volker.

"Mr. Guren and Dr. Volker have both played integral roles in founding and continuing to support Pridelines throughout our three decades of service to LGBTQ youth.  We are proud to honor them at the gala for all of their contributions,” said Executive Director Victor Diaz-Herman.

In addition to being one of the founding youth of Pridelines, Guren also began outreach and advocacy for married bi-sexual Latino men in the early ‘80s.  He currently resides in Tucson, Arizona with his wife Julie Levitt Guren who will both be present at the gala.

In 1982, Dr. Volker, along with Peter Meyer and a group of LGBT college students including Alexei, created the Gay and Lesbian Youth Group of Miami, a peer-led/adult-facilitated discussion group, at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus.  The group provided a supportive and educational environment where youth were given the opportunity to understand the challenges of sexual identity and were provided the tools to grow personally.  In 1996, the group was renamed Pridelines Youth Services, Inc.

In addition to her work with Pridelines, Dr. Volker directed the education division of the Health Crisis Network, helped establish the Institute on Sexism and Sexuality in Miami Dade schools and hosted "Sex with Marilyn," a daily call-in radio program.

This year's 30^th Anniversary Gala, which helps raise funds for Pridelines to continue providing its services, promises to be Pridelines' most spectacular. With an open bar courtesy of GREY GOOSE^® Cherry Noir Vodka and hors d'oeuvres by Barton G., 250 guests will be entertained by DJ Nancy Starr and singer/songwriter EnVee. The evening will also include a silent auction where guests can bid on Caribbean vacations, restaurant gift cards, spa packages, and much more.

VIP tickets to the gala are sold out, but general admission tickets are still available at Pridelines.org or PearlAnniversary.ezregister.com.

Pridelines Youth Services is a grassroots 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created by gay youth for gay youth and their allies in the wake of Anita Bryant’s “Save Our Children” campaign. Pridelines’ mission is to support, educate and empower South Florida’s LGBTQ youth in a safe and diverse environment as well as to foster dialogue and cultivate social change.  For 30 years, Pridelines has provided safe space, social support, skills building, leadership development and referrals to mental health, health care and support services for LGBTQ youth and their straight allies between the ages of 13 and 24. 

Pridelines is located at 9526 NE 2nd Avenue, Suite 104, in Miami Shores.  For more information about Pridelines, call (305) 571-9601, or visit Pridelines.org.