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Change in Leadership

November 11, 2020/0 Comments/by Jazz McKinney

Dear Grand Rapids Pride Center Community, It is with appreciation, yet sadness, that we announce Thomas Pierce has stepped down from his role as Executive Director of Grand Rapids […]

GRPC ADDRESSES RACIAL INJUSTICE

June 4, 2020/0 Comments/by Thomas Pierce

As Grand Rapids’ LGBTQ+ community center, the Grand Rapids Pride Center has dedicated itself to creating an inclusive community for queer folk and recognize that queerness intersects across diverse dimensions. […]

Wellness In The Time Of Corona

April 27, 2020/1 Comment/by Leslie Boker

The Ring Theory of Venting suggests that a person experiencing trauma or hard times should vent to and lean on their immediate supporters or caregivers, and those supports then vent […]

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The Grand Rapids Pride Center aims to be at the center of a vibrant and inclusive community that supports all LGBTQ individuals.

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Apr 7

Exciting news! @AYA Youth Collective, in conjunction with the Grand Rapids Pride Center, presents The National HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Carnival! Saturday, April 10th, from 12-3 pm, in the parking lot across the street from AYA (320 State St.), come out and enjoy food, carnival games, prizes, and a dunk tank! Other community organizations will be in attendance and participating. The carnival is free for ages anyone between 14-24; anyone outside of that age range will have a suggested $5 donation. Please come out, enjoy good food, and have a good time!

To register, please follow the link provided and sign up NOW!!!
http://ow.ly/eW9850EiHoQ

Image: A yellow background with red streamers and a red carnival tent with the text "AYA brings you National HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Carnival, Saturday April 10th Noon to 3pm, Held in the parking lot across from AYA. HIV Testing Resources, Food Truck, Carnival Games, Staff Dunk tank, Face Painting. See AYA staff to pre-register on (Eventbrite) Preregister to get your game tickets and food ticket.

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Apr 6

Join us Thursday at 6:30 pm EDT on Facebook Live with Jay Kaplan from @ACLUofMichigan as he discusses SB 218, the bill that would disallow student athletes from playing on their preferred team due to gender.

https://fb.me/e/49k8OI76h

Image: Background of trans flag alternating blue, pink, and white stripes. Photo of a smiling white man with grey hair wearing a suit and tie, seen from the chest up, and labeled as "Jay Kaplan, Attorney, ACLU." Text says, "What's At Stake? April 8, 2021 at 6:30pm EDT. Live streamed to @standwithtrans FB. Hear from Jay Kaplan about SB 218*. *Senate bill that would disallow student athletes from playing on their preferred team due to gender." Image also includes logos from sponsoring organizations, ACLU Michigan, Transcend the Binary, Great Lakes Bay Pride, Equality Michigan, Ruth Ellis Center, Out Front Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids Pride Center, Affirmations LGBTQ+ Community Center, Sage Metro Detroit Advocacy & Services for LGBT Elders, Gender Identity Network Alliance, OutCenter of Southwest Michigan, Transgender Michigan, Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network, and Human Rights Campaign.

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Apr 2

A few months ago, we held our first TGNC grief workshop. It was overwhelmingly so well received that we are going to be offering it now as a 6-week series. Down below, is a link that I hope as many people as possible can fill out where we want to gather more information about how people grieve and ways that this series can be helpful.

Please let us know if you have any questions and you can reach out to Jazz at jazz.mckinney@grpride.org or Rachael at info@amidwifeforcollectiveliberation.com anytime!

https://forms.gle/Yd9KAWFLDWSJwZWL7

Image: A black background with a lit tea candle in the middle.

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Mar 23

Come celebrate Trans Week of Visibility with us!

MAJOR!: https://fb.me/e/BYAQktom
Book Reading: https://fb.me/e/UiC2eV6v
Conversation: https://fb.me/e/2dTLV5qPe

Image: A grey background with a list of events. It states "Trans Week of Visibility Events! Friday March 26th: Virtual Screening of MAJOR! 7 - 9 pm. Sunday March 28th: Virtual Children's Book Reading 2 - 3pm. Monday March 29th Virtual Conversation w/ Rachel Crandall-Crocker on Importance of Trans Health 1- 2pm. March 28th - April 3rd: Visible: A Trans Art Showcase Instagram: @transing_art

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Mar 22

The Grand Rapids Pride Center (GRPC) is thrilled to announce the hiring of Jazz McKinney as our Executive Director. McKinney (they/them) has been an active member of GRPC as a volunteer and board member. Starting their volunteering close to a decade ago, Jazz is intimately connected to the pulse of the 2-SLGBTQ+ community.

A native of Detroit, college brought Jazz to our community. A graduate of Grand Valley State University (GVSU), they bring a unique perspective on how complex West Michigan can be for a BIPOC person to navigate. A natural connector, Jazz is well known in the GRPC, GVSU and greater Grand Rapids community as an advocate for all, personally identifying most with the Black, Indigenous, Trans, and disabled community members we serve.

Most recently at GRPC, Jazz was chair of the Transgender and Gender-Non-Conforming (TGNC) committee and its representative on the board of directors. With a decade of mental health experience at YWCA West Central Michigan and D.A. Blodgett, McKinney is well positioned to continue our community health and advocacy efforts.

Jazz is not afraid of change and eager to listen to multiple perspectives, while staying true to advocating for those most oppressed. The GRPC community is excited to begin a new decade with Jazz McKinney at the helm. We are prepared to bring a hunger for change, intentional leadership and the practiced inclusivity required to build a community center where all of us feel like we belong.

They welcome the opportunity to connect with you via jazz.mckinney@grpride.org or 616-458-3511 x 101 and hear how you want to contribute to our work.

Image: A brown-skinned non binary person in a grey and black striped sweater smiling while standing in front of a progress pride flag with rainbow colors.

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Mar 18

Since the start of the pandemic last spring, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in the U.S. have seen increased racist rhetoric and violence at a much higher rate than previous recent years (though we acknowledge this is an ongoing feature of U.S. culture and history.) Much of this rhetoric and violence is designed to tell AAPI that they do not belong here, no matter if they are immigrants or not.

Over the past year there has been an increasing number of cases of vulnerable AAPI individuals being attacked, often elderly individuals, disproportionately women. This week we witnessed the events of a particularly disturbing mass murder of eight individuals in the Atlanta area, most of whom were Asian women, who were employees of massage parlors. This brings to light the overlapping issues of gendered anti-Asian violence, immigration status, the ways fetishizing and objectifying of Asian women combines with anti-sex worker opinions (though, to be clear, massage parlors does not equal sex work) and sex shame, as well as the devaluing of the often gendered, racialized, and underpaid labor of caregiving work like massage exists. These overlapping issues come together to make AAPI women particularly vulnerable to harm and then having that harm minimized and their lives undervalued, and we are deeply aware of the often overlooked increased risks for our queer, trans, and gender non-conforming AAPI siblings as well.

Together, it is our responsibility to condemn hate and create lasting social change. Today and every day, we stand united against all acts of racism, hatred, and violence. We condemn the recent tragic attacks in Georgia and elsewhere as well as all the xenophobic and racist rhetoric and remain in solidarity with the AAPI community.
#StopAsianHate #StopAAPIHate

If you want more information please visit: http://ow.ly/pUh950E2bnj or http://ow.ly/Zos650E2bni

Image: A white background with words #StopAsianHate in bold black letters.

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Mar 8

Today we celebrate, International Women's Day which is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.

From challenge comes change, so let's all choose to challenge.

#ChooseToChallenge #IWD2021 #TransWomenAreWomen

Image: A Purple Circular symbol on a white background with the words "International Women's Day"

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Mar 5

Discrimination is still commonplace for LGBTQ+ people. Opponents of LGBTQ+ equality continue to file discriminatory bills in states across the country in an attempt to undermine existing protections in adoption, marriage and access to basic public services and businesses. The Equality Act would ensure that all LGBTQ+ Americans can live, work, and access public spaces free from discrimination, no matter what state they call home.

We know that 83 percent of Americans want LGBTQ people protected from discrimination, including 68 percent of Republicans. But right now, that message is being drowned out by a small—but *very* vocal—number of opponents.

According to Capitol intel, they’ve logged hundreds of calls to Senate offices over the last three days, filling Senators’ voicemails with fearmongering about transgender people, in an effort to drive down support for this broadly popular bill.

We've spent months building strong support for the Equality Act in the Senate. We can’t let calls from the opposition stop our progress when we’re this close to winning.

Call both your Senators with just a few clicks. Follow this link: https://lgbtactionlink.org/equality-act to decide which action(s) to take. Tell them LGBTQ people face discrimination daily and desperately need federal nondiscrimination protections like the Equality Act.

Clearly, opponents know we can win—that's why they’re slamming the Senate right now. Let’s make sure we win, by ensuring they can’t drown us out.

Image: A black background with a picture of a capitol building lit in rainbow colors with the words "The Equality Act provides nondiscrimination protections for everyone" #equalityact, underneath the building.

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Feb 23

Join us to recognize past icons, current change-makers, and ways to mobilize for the future. This event is hosted by a caring community collaboration of LGBTQ Organizations across America.

Streamed live at https://www.facebook.com/609845512488545/posts/2003173396489076/ or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm0O0kQX-3g

Image: A flyer with 4 sections: 1st section is red background and 2nd section has a gold background both with the words: Honoring Black History Month - Amplifying LGBTQ Voices. Friday, February 26, 7pm est/4pm pst/live on FB. The 3rd section on the bottom left is a green background with the words "Join us to recognize past icons, current change-makers, and ways to mobilize for the future. Hosted by a caring community collaboration of LGBTQ organizations across America. The 4th section is the Progress Pride Flag with the white, pink, blue, brown, and black in a right-facing arrow to the rainbow colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

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Feb 22

Day 8: Infant Mortality

Did you know that even though America’s infant mortality rate has gone way down in the last 50 years, Black babies are still almost 2.5 times more likely to die before reaching their 1st birthday? Did you know that Black mothers are 3 three times as likely to die during childbirth, that Black and Hispanic mothers are more than twice as likely not to receive proper prenatal care and Native American mothers are more than 3 times less likely to receive proper care?

https://youtu.be/ZjM4v5jKMcI

Image: A light-skinned Black man, Jay Smooth, in a blue shirt and dark blue jeans sitting on concrete steps with the words: Systemic Racism in bold white to the left.

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Feb 21

Day 7: Immigration Policy

Have you ever wondered why, even though undocumented people come to the US from all over the world, the face of undocumented persons is always assumed to be from Central America or South America? And our heavy-handed enforcement policies, that ruin lives and tear families apart every day, are focused almost entirely on the Southern US border, and the Hispanic people of color who cross that border?

https://youtu.be/2PeXNJYBM2s

Image: A light-skinned Black man, Jay Smooth, in a blue shirt and dark blue jeans sitting on concrete steps with the words: Systemic Racism in bold white to the left.

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Feb 20

Day 6: Drug Arrests

Did you know that over 40% of drug arrests are not for selling any drugs but just for possession of marijuana? And that White and Black Americans are about equally likely to use marijuana, but Blacks are 3.7 more likely to be arrested for it? And that even if they don't get convicted of a crime that arrest can stay on their record and affect their chances at good jobs, housing and bank loans for the rest of their lives?

https://youtu.be/2UQfbAZfG_8

Image: A light-skinned Black man, Jay Smooth, in a blue shirt and dark blue jeans sitting on concrete steps with the words: Systemic Racism in bold white to the left.

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Feb 19

Day 5: Incarceration

Did you know that back in the 80s there were less than half a million people in the US prison system, but now, thanks to the war on drugs, there are more than 2 million? That out of every 100,000 Americans about 700 are incarcerated, but out of every 100,000 Black men over 4,000 are incarcerated? And one of the many effects of that trend is that combined with felony disenfranchisement laws, it means 13% of Black American men are denied their right to vote?

https://youtu.be/-0B2LUGByb8

Image: A light-skinned Black man, Jay Smooth, in a blue shirt and dark blue jeans sitting on concrete steps with the words: Systemic Racism in bold white to the left.

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Feb 18

Day 4: Government Surveillance

You probably know that today's technology lets the government watch what we do and track where we go more than ever before, so much that privacy's almost a thing of the past. But did you know the government watches some of us a lot more than others depending on where we come from? That as recently as 2011 the NYPD was exposed for targeting their surveillance specifically at what they called "ancestries of interest" (Indian, Bangladesh, Pakistani, Guyanese, Egyptian, Lebanese). Using our tax dollars to spy on these people's everyday lives just going to the barbershop and the bookstore, and singling them out for this constant invasion of privacy based on nothing but where their ancestors were born?

https://youtu.be/CjI59-h6ZHE

Image: A light-skinned Black man, Jay Smooth, in a blue shirt and dark blue jeans sitting on concrete steps with the words: Systemic Racism in bold white to the left.

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Feb 17

Day 3: Housing Discrimination

What would you call it if lifetimes of legal segregation followed by decades of pervasive racist housing policies still, to this day, disadvantage Black people in almost every aspect of life, because where you live can decide everything from how safe you are, to what food you eat, to the quality of your health care to the quality of your job, to the quality of your children's education?

https://youtu.be/7WlVnFPVvsY

Image: A light-skinned Black man, Jay Smooth, in a blue shirt and dark blue jeans sitting on concrete steps with the words: Systemic Racism in bold white to the left.

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Feb 16

Day 2: Employment
Did you know that no matter what else is going on in America, year in and year out for the last 60 years, Black unemployment is always about twice as high as white unemployment? And even if you just look at Black college graduates, they're still almost twice as likely to be unemployed as white college graduates? And if you just apply for a job with a white sounding name, you're 50% more likely to get a callback than with a Black sounding name?

https://youtu.be/fM07um4L_-Y

Image: A light-skinned male in a blue shirt and dark blue jeans sitting on concrete steps with words: Systemic Racism to his left.

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Feb 15

The theme of Black History Month 2021 is "The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity," Experts say understanding Black history and learning more about systemic racism is essential as our country faces backlash to civil rights activism and it’s important to recognize the many ways racism is baked into America’s foundational systems.

Failing to understand the history of race and racism and a strong desire to overlook the worst aspects of racist violence in the United States has fueled resentment toward civil rights activism, said Dan Hirschman, an assistant professor of sociology at Brown University in Rhode Island.

As we look to educate ourselves and our community, we will be taking a look at an 8-part series on systemic racism. "What Is Systemic Racism?" is an 8-part video series that shows how racism shows up in our lives across institutions and society: Wealth Gap, Employment, Housing Discrimination, Government Surveillance, Incarceration, Drug Arrests, Immigration Arrests, Infant Mortality. Here is the 1st video: Wealth Gap https://youtu.be/GPVXdjJCkCA

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Feb 3

While February was declared Black History Month to recognize the many accomplishments and contributions of African Americans, the lives of Black LGBTQ+ people are often left out of the picture. From civil rights leader Bayard Rustin to community advocate Mandy Carter to well-renowned inventor George Washington Carver, Black LGBTQ+ people have enriched our nation and our lives.

While these are some nationally known Black LGBTQ+, we know that we don't have to look far to find some amazing people in our own community! If you would like, please comment below (with their permission of course) some our local Black LGBTQ+ trailblazers so we can celebrate our own. Also, remember that while this month is the 'recognized' holiday, Black History should be celebrated all year round.

http://ow.ly/Rkvu50DqhSr

Image: The words Celebrate Black History Month on a black background with a red, yellow, and green border.

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Jan 22

We are looking to hire a marketing team!

The Grand Rapids Pride Center is taking on a grant to explore the relationship between a person’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression, and the increased rates of tobacco and ENDS (electronic nicotine delivery systems) usage in the LGBTQ+ community.

GRPC seeks to expand upon this work through strategic partnerships, community-based date collection, and capacity building. We are pursuing to expand the development of data regarding the Michigan LGBTQ+ community and the use of tobacco and ENDS products to further develop services and programs for the 2021-2022 year.

In preparation for our grant research we are looking to hire a marketing team to design and implement our communications plan with regards to distribution of the survey and data collection within the community. This marketing campaign will be taking place for the duration of about three months (ASAP-April 2021).

If you are interested please reach out to Jazz McKinney at jazz.mckinney@grpride.org

Preference will be given to LGBTQ+ and/or BIPOC-led marketing teams.

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Dec 15

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Dec 15

While for some 2-SLGBTQ+ people seasonal celebrations mean joy, family, and togetherness, for many others it can mean a time of stress, difficulty, and even sadness, anxiety, and/or depression...especially if one feels that they have to hide who they are for their psychological and physical safety.
This year due to the pandemic, it is even more important to work to combat these stressors and isolation from not being able to be with friends or family. Here at GRPC, we know how important having support, even virtually, can be to help relieve some of the isolation and loneliness.
Because of this we are offering again, on Friday, December 25, 2020, we will be offering an “Open” Support Group for anyone that is 18+ years old. We will open up our zoom so that anyone who wants to connect with people can just hop on zoom anytime from 5p – 8p. You are allowed to eat, drink (21+), play card games, make jokes, or just hop on for 5 minutes to say hi and meet new people.
This group will be open to all 2-SLGBTQ+ folks and allies so please come join us on Friday!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2595694373

[Image: A very light blue and yellow background of a sky with the words "Open Support Group, December 25, 2020, 5:00 - 8:00pm"]

Grand Rapids Pride Center | Supporting the LGBTQ+ Community

The Grand Rapids Pride Center aims to be at the center of a vibrant and inclusive community that supports all LGBTQ individuals.

Education & Training

Sensitivity Training
LGBTQ Glossary
Parent Resources
Request Training

Programs & Services

Support Groups
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EMAIL
info@grpride.org

REACH OUT
(616) 458-3511

LOCATION
343 Atlas Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506

CENTER HOURS
MON – FRI 10A-4P
SAT & SUN CLOSED

EMAIL
info@grpride.org

REACH OUT
(616) 458-3511

LOCATION
343 Atlas Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506

CENTER HOURS
MON – FRI 10A-4P

Education & Training

Sensitivity Training
LGBTQ Glossary
Parent Resources
Request Training

Programs & Services

Support Groups
Victim Services
Calendar
View All >