{"id":232563,"date":"2026-03-23T13:57:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T13:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/232563\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T13:57:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T13:57:10","slug":"transparency-will-help-not-hurt-san-diego-lgbt-center-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/232563\/","title":{"rendered":"Transparency will help, not hurt, San Diego LGBT Center \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

The March 1 San Diego Union-Tribune article about the $18.9 million<\/a> bequest from the Thimot-Rawnsley trust to the San Diego LGBT Community Center has brought renewed public attention to an issue many in our community have been quietly discussing for years: transparency, accountability and stewardship at one of San Diego\u2019s most important LGBTQ+ institutions.<\/p>\n

As the three senior LGBTQ+ individuals interviewed for that article, we would like to offer additional perspective and a fuller picture of the concerns being raised within San Diego\u2019s LGBTQ+ senior community.<\/p>\n

Let us be clear at the outset. These concerns come from LGBTQ+ seniors who support the Center and believe deeply in its mission. For decades, the Center has provided critical services, advocacy and a sense of belonging for LGBTQ+ people across San Diego County. Many of us have volunteered, participated in programs, donated or encouraged others to support its work.<\/p>\n

That is precisely why transparency matters.<\/p>\n

The $18.9 million gift from the Thimot-Rawnsley estate represents one of the largest known bequests in the Center\u2019s history. Legacy gifts of this magnitude carry not only financial significance but also profound symbolic importance. They reflect the trust donors place in an organization to steward their life\u2019s legacy in service of the community they cared about.<\/p>\n

When such a gift becomes known only years later with limited public explanation, it understandably raises questions. Those questions are not about undermining the Center. They are about ensuring that community institutions remain accountable to the communities they serve.<\/p>\n

Nonprofit governance depends on public trust. Donors, volunteers, program participants and the broader community assume that boards of directors will operate with openness about major financial developments, particularly when those developments could shape an organization\u2019s long-term direction.<\/p>\n

In recent months, over 100 community members \u2014 including donors, volunteers, allies and program participants \u2014 have signed an open letter to the Center\u2019s leadership expressing concerns about governance and transparency related to the bequest. The letter calls for greater clarity about the terms and intended use of the funds, and for stronger communication between leadership and the community.<\/p>\n

These are not unreasonable requests. They are consistent with widely accepted nonprofit best practices. When organizations receive transformative gifts, they typically share clear information about how those resources will advance their mission, honor the bequest and serve the community\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

Transparency benefits organizations as much as it benefits the public. Clear communication builds donor confidence, encourages additional philanthropic support, and strengthens leadership credibility. Conversely, when information about major financial developments is perceived as limited or delayed, it can unintentionally create uncertainty and speculation \u2014 conditions that serve no one well.<\/p>\n

The Center has long played a vital role in the lives of LGBTQ+ San Diegans, providing health services, youth programs, senior support, cultural programming and advocacy at a time when LGBTQ+ communities continue to face real challenges locally and nationally. Its success depends on the confidence and engagement of the community that sustains it.<\/p>\n

That is why this moment should be seen not as a conflict, but as an opportunity.<\/p>\n

By openly addressing questions about the Thimot-Rawnsley gift and clearly communicating how these resources will support the Center\u2019s future, leadership can strengthen trust and reaffirm its commitment to transparency and accountability. Community institutions thrive when they welcome dialogue rather than avoid it. The Center has an opportunity to demonstrate the values that have long defined the LGBTQ+ movement: openness, integrity and respect for community voice. Those values helped build the Center. They can help guide its future as well.<\/p>\n

The senior LGBTQ+ community in San Diego has invested decades of time, energy and generosity into this institution. When questions arise about governance or stewardship, raising them is not an act of opposition \u2014 it is an act of care.<\/p>\n

Strong institutions are strengthened, not weakened, by transparency. A legacy gift intended to support the senior LGBTQ+ community should ultimately do just that: reinforce the trust, openness and shared responsibility that sustain our community organizations for generations.<\/p>\n

Callam studied organizational psychology at United States International University, advocates for LGBTQ+ elders and lives in Poway. Kaminski is a retired architect and lives in Talmadge. Lewis, Ph.D., volunteers at the LGBT Center and lives in Lakeside.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The March 1 San Diego Union-Tribune article about the $18.9 million bequest from the Thimot-Rawnsley trust to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232564,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[964,975,74,76,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-232563","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-commentary","9":"tag-opinion","10":"tag-san-diego","11":"tag-san-diego-headlines","12":"tag-san-diego-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}