Center Update
We have news. It’s not bad news, but it is not great news. At the end of our lease we moved to a temporary spot to keep functioning for a few months while we worked out a new lease. Our plan fell through and after considering our finances and what our monthly support looked like, our board made the decision that we needed to close the physical space of the Pride Center at this time.
We have been meeting the past few weeks and have figured out how our services can still continue. Our support groups will continue. We are still supporting Prism and will make sure they have some where safe to meet. We still want to have the Rainbow Festival even if it will look differently this year due to finances and security concerns. We still want to host and support important cultural events. But it is going to happen without a physical space for us to call home.
Our goal will be to get back to having a space, but that really depends on what support looks like from our community. Grants and donations have dipped steeply. It’s just a sign of the times. We have had a 30k operating budget for the last 5 years and only a small portion of that came from grants. Most of it was small donations made whenever possible by folks that believed in the center and wanted it to exist. Thank you so much for trusting us and supporting us. If a space opens back up, it will be because you all support it and want that to exist here.
So what are we doing in the meantime?
We’ll have pop up events and we will still be fundraising. All money will go right into making sure we can support what we are still doing without a space. It’s just that rent will no longer be our biggest monthly expense.
It’s a transition, not an end. We will keep going as long as we have your support to keep doing things.
Times are tough, but if you have the funds and want to keep us around, right now would be an excellent time to make a donation. We’ll still be busy, it’s just going to look a little different.
The Pride Community Center of the Tri‑Cities (PCC) is dedicated to creating a safe, inclusive environment that supports the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of LGBTQIA+ individuals across the Tri‑Cities and surrounding regions. We aim to establish a visible, positive presence for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other diverse identities within our community.
Since opening our downtown Johnson City location in 2019, the PCC has served as a gathering place where members can nurture, empower, and share their experiences. We envision a space that fosters understanding, education, acceptance, advocacy, and personal growth—a hub that brings together the LGBTOIA+ community to explore new possibilities and strengthen communal bonds.
To continue and expand our vital services, we seek your support. Contributions will help us maintain our facility, expand programming, and enhance outreach efforts. Please consider donating to the Pride Community Center of the Tri‑Cities and help transform our vision into reality for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Thank you for your partnership in building a safer, stronger, and more inclusive future.