After much anticipation, the Los Angeles LGBT Center has unveiled a newly renovated first-floor clinic at its McDonald/Wright Building—designed with community, comfort, and care at its core.
The remodeled first floor now features a more efficient layout, as well as expanded exam rooms and newly created lab space to reduce wait times and make it easier to get in, get seen, and get back to your day.
Along with a newly created first-floor waiting area, improved pharmacy queuing system, and upgraded spaces throughout, the new McDonald/Wright supports the Center’s commitment to offering world-class care in a setting where every patient feels respected and understood.
Full operating hours can be found here. Existing patients can make an appointment through our Patient Portal, or call 323-993-7500 to get started.
This renovation not only reflects the Center’s commitment to modern, quality care, but also honors the rich and resilient history of the McDonald/Wright Building on N. Schrader Boulevard.
The story of the McDonald/Wright building is deeply intertwined with the Center’s ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ recognition, equality, and liberation. The building once housed the IRS office where the Center’s founders first applied for nonprofit status in 1971. The IRS denied the application at the time, saying the organization (then known as the Gay Community Services Center) was “neither benevolent nor charitable” because it served homosexuals.
It was nearly three years and multiple appeals later before the Center was finally awarded nonprofit status in 1974 on the condition that it not “advocate the practice of homosexuality” or allow “avowed homosexuals” on its board of directors. The Center accepted the nonprofit status but refused to comply with conditions, which were legally removed a decade later.
In 1989, the Center purchased that very same IRS building, making it the organization’s headquarters for the next several decades. The street that the building sits on was renamed in 1994 in honor of Rand Schrader, a gay rights activist and longtime Center board member who also served as a judge of the Los Angeles Municipal Court.
The building has since been commemorated in honor of the extraordinary contributions of John McDonald and Rob Wright to both capital and endowment funds. John and Rob’s involvement with the Gay and Lesbian Center (now the Los Angeles LGBT Center) began in 1980 through their long-standing friendship with Schrader. In addition to their love and devotion to each other, John and Rob share a lasting commitment to the Los Angeles LGBT Center and to its mission.
Today, McDonald/Wright is home to the Center’s Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic, one of the few Federally Qualified Health Centers with providers who specialize in primary care for the LGBTQ+ community and those living with HIV; the Audre Lorde Health Program, which specializes in providing care for LBTQ+ women; and a full-service Pharmacy.
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