Brian Baxter invites all to visit ARP

A community center can be many things to many people. Before moving to Reno, my local LGBTQ community center was where I met my dearest friends, found support in our struggles for respect and fair treatment and gathered with others to rally and strengthen our resolve. It’s where I sat with movie stars, politicians and media bigwigs to discuss U.S. Supreme Court issues. It’s where I danced when I didn’t want the bar scene. This was also where all the information sources were. On many solemn occasions, it’s where we memorialized our fallen brothers and sisters; victims of hate-motivated violence, self-destruction and the AIDS pandemic. On it’s best day it hosted my wedding reception. Most of all, it was the safest place in town, day or night.

Upon arrival in Reno, my husband and I called several gay social networking organizations to see what was available in our new hometown. Ben Felix, of A Rainbow Place, was the only call returned. Ironically, when we went to meet Ben, the facility was being packed up by it’s founders, due to a crumbling building and an unresponsive landlord, and A Rainbow Place no longer had a home. It would be 9 months before they landed in the current facility on Vassar Street in late 2005. Sadly, though, many in the community mistakenly thought A Rainbow Place had permanently closed when the St. Lawrence Street location shut down.

In the following two years, A Rainbow Place would see a revolving door of staff, volunteers and board members coming and going, changes in ways we seek funding and much of the general disorder that comes with rebuilding a community center. Some community relationships and other crucial elements fell through the cracks, while other ideas and concepts came to fruition with the influx of new volunteers. One youth group moved on to another location while our current group continues to grow and thrive, peaking at 40 and counting.

On my first day in this position, I posted this statement throughout ARP and on the front door:
“A Rainbow Place strives to be a safe, secure environment where everyone can attain equitable access to information and services, expanded opportunities and an increased quality of life free of oppression and stigma. LGBTQ people are all too familiar with discrimination and hostility sometimes encountered in the greater community, and sadly, in their own community, too. We need to build ourselves up, not tear ourselves down. Please respect all who come through our doors.”
It may seem trite to some, but in a climate such as ours, we can ill afford to be ripping our community apart from the inside. I’m told there is a long history of that in northern Nevada, but I see a groundswell of strength within our growing community and A Rainbow Place is going to be a part of that groundswell.

It is now summer 2008. A Rainbow Place has endured the chaos of an unexpected move and changes in the staff and Board of Directors have settled. Accountability and responsibility are our internal goals, while service and a healthy community are our external goals. We have a fantastic collection of community-focused individuals on our ever-expanding Board. The state is admiring our devotion to our purpose and our lack of personal agenda and volunteers are returning in numbers unseen in the recent past.
Bridges are being rebuilt and relationships with other organizations and businesses continue to strengthen.

We are helping countless individuals with a variety of services. Our counseling services are gaining recognition in the community and our successes are nothing shy of wonderful and plentiful. We now have ‘A Life Worth Living’, a therapy-theater project and the annual Stonewall LGBTQ Community Picnic as well established events for the LGBTQ community. Our membership in the Northern Nevada Outreach Team is a proud standing for us, as we are always concerned with STD and HIV infection in the LGBTQ community and we are doing everything we can to educate the population on prevention behaviors and getting tested. We’ve begun a monthly Hepatitis C support group in association with the Nevada Hepatitis C Task Force. Our cyber-center is being utilized more and more by the general public and, as always, we offer a very comfortable lounge with coffee, popcorn, a large flat screen television and a broad LGBTQ video and print library.
Our intention is to remain available to everyone in our community and to stay on the ‘high road’ in all that we do. Again, our collective health is of utmost importance to A Rainbow Place, as we hope it is with the entire LGBTQ community of northern Nevada.

Understanding there may be a variety if public misperceptions about A Rainbow Place after all these years of change and flux, I encourage everyone to contact A Rainbow Place, directly, to learn more. Our new website, www.arainbowplace.org is updated at least twice a week and offers everything you need to know about us. Call us at 775-789-1780 to speak directly to staff or drop in anytime Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00am to 7:00pm to see our facility in action. We are located at 2890 Vassar Street, Suite B, in Reno, where Vassar Street hits the airport at the corner of Telegraph Street. We are also accessible by RTC RIDE bus #14 and #14-A.

I thank you for taking the time to learn about us. A Rainbow Place looks forward to a strong and healthy year for you and the community.

In closing, I make this final offer. If you have an idea for a support or social group, or if your group needs meeting space at any time, please let A Rainbow Place be host to your gathering. We have the space and facilities to ensure a comfortable and successful event.
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Brian Baxter
Executive Director
A Rainbow Place
www.arainbowplace.org