By Joi-Marie McKenzie
“Baby, baby, baby, where did our love go?” Diana Ross’ voice slides over the speakers in Re/Dress Brooklyn, a vintage clothing shop in Cobble Hill.
Three volunteers, wearing coordinated black T-shirts, greeted guests as they came in. While one urged them to pick up flyers promoting the Brooklyn Community Pride Center’s latest programs, another asked for a five-dollar donation. Brooklyn was the last borough in New York to create a center for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. It still doesn’t have a building of its own.
“Everyone just assumed we had one,” said Rachel Stern, a volunteer.
A young woman in a faded navy blue hoodie strolled in from Boerum Place. She took a blue sheet of paper from the rainbow of colored slips displayed on the table next to an assortment of caramel apple, sweet potato pie and pumpkin cheesecake cupcakes from Robicelli’s.
“I feel awkward,” she said to no one in particular. “But I did it.” She scribbled something on the blue slip and handed it to the volunteer.
“We need more people to use orange,” said Amanda, another volunteer from behind the table.
Last night, on National Coming Out Day, the center hosted “Coming Out for Cupcakes,” where people wrote down on colorful slips of paper any element of their lives that they’re too afraid to expose. Later, the sheets were arranged in a rainbow placed in the center’s rented space.
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