Café Metropolitan owner celebrates birthday with Lambert House donation |
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Seattle Gay News
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posted Friday, November 13, 2009 - Volume 37 Issue 46 Café Metropolitan owner celebrates birthday with Lambert House donationby Shaun Knittel - SGN Staff Writer Seattle business owner, artist, and Gay advocate Quyen Luu recently donated a sum of money to Lambert House for the 11th year in a row. Beginning in 1997 when he was 22 years old, Quyen, who owns the popular Capitol Hill bar Café Metropolitain, has asked friends and family to give donations on his birthday in place of cards and gifts. He then donates the money to Lambert House. When Quyen was 18 years old, his life had a different outlook. To the world, the Chinese-born teen was a straight boy. He dated girls, helped take care of his immigrant parents and siblings, and was, for all intents and purposes, the perfect son. But inside of Quyen, it was a different story. As the 35-year-old business owner now says, "I was struggling with my identity." The internal struggle led him to search the phonebook for a place that boys like him could go, feel safe, and meet others who were LGBTQ. His search was over when he found Lambert House, a center for LGBTQ youth that encourages empowerment through the development of leadership, social and life skills. The questioning teen said he went incognito, entering the house wearing fake glasses and calling himself "Kin." From that day on, he says, his life dramatically changed. By finding Lambert House, he had, in a sense, found himself. "It changed me forever. I learned about the differences in our community and met so many other kids like myself," he told SGN. "In no time at all, I was putting together a youth group that promoted self-protection. Society treated us differently in 1993." He remained a youth at Lambert House until he was 22 years old, the cutoff age for services offered at the house, and became their youngest board member. Quyen was nominated for the board in 1997 because the other board members saw that he could fill a very important role: to act as a bridge between the youth and volunteers, as well as be a role model for the kids. A few years later, Quyen became the vice president of the Lambert House Board of Directors - a position he still fills. According to Quyen, every day, approximately 25 youth visit the house, which has a drop-in center with a full kitchen, living room with a pool table, a library with Queer books, TV, games, and structured meetings. He said Lambert House is a safe place for Queer youth ages 22 and younger. When asked how he came up with the idea to ask for donations in place of birthday gifts, he replies, "Instinctively. It's just always felt like the right thing to do." Over the years, Quyen's birthday donations have totaled well over $2,000 - money he knows is going to a good cause. Lambert House is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that depends on donations and grants to keep the doors open. "Times are tough, and this is when the youth really needs us," Quyen told SGN. "So many cuts have been made, and a lot of grants no longer exist. It's well worth it to support an organization that helps hundreds of youth a year." Quyen's advocacy for Lambert House, and the Seattle LGBTQ community, is always present. He often allows local charities, performance groups, and recently, the Approve Referendum 71 Campaign, to utilize space inside Café Metropolitain for fundraisers to benefit the community - an action he hopes others in the community mimic. "There are a lot of non-profits closing their doors," he said. "We need to do whatever we can to keep those doors open." Lambert House is located at 1818 15th Ave on Capitol Hill, between E. Howell and E. Denny Way. For more information about Lambert House or to make a donation, visit the organization online at www.lamberthouse.org. |
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