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P.O.C. Young Adult Group

A social & support group for and by LGBTQ people of color ages 18yr-24yrs old.

About P.O.C. Young Adult Group

This space is designed for those in the community wishing to discuss issues relevant to life as a person of color, intersecting with their gender identity and sexual orientation in a supportive, non-judgmental environment. The group discusses ways to help increase the visibility of people of color, promote social justice, share ideas, and engage in networking opportunities.

While we appreciate our while allies, we want to create a safe space for queer young adults of color specifically.

Please also consider our Young Adult Group!

WHEN

6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
4th Thursday of the month

WHERE

Grand Rapids Pride Center
343 Atlas Ave SE
Grand Rapids MI 49506

CONTACT US

For more information:
Call: (616) 458-3511
Email: info@grpride.org

Get Involved

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

Become A Sponsor

Become A Facilitator

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Advisory & Planning Committee

Volunteer With Us!

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Dec 6

Next Monday, December 13, spend your evening with NY Times bestselling author & humorist David Sedaris at DeVos Performance Hall. Be on the look out later this week for a chance to win tickets to his show!

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Dec 3

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Nov 30

In 2018, we launched our Proud To Be Healthy health services program aimed at decreasing the disparities associated with 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals accessing quality services needed in order to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Leslie Boker (they/them), our Health Coordinator assists individuals in accessing quality health services, mental health services, safe & affordable housing, healthy foods, and wellness programs. Proud To Be Healthy works to reduce the numbers of marginalized 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals through partnering with affirming and non-discriminatory community organizations.
Because of this program we have been able to help 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals overcome barriers and access the health services they need. One example of this is F.M.’s story:

“When I unexpectedly lost my health insurance, I was so overwhelmed and stressed; on top of that, I was denied Medicaid. I simply didn't know what to do. I signed up for a Proud to Be Healthy session, and Leslie Boker made the process of applying to the marketplace for health insurance easy. They walked me through the entire process. Because of Leslie's help, I was able to find something that didn't strain my already low budget, and included all of my existing doctors in-network. Now I am back with insurance, and I can access the care I need. Thank you Leslie!!!” -F.M.

The Grand Rapids Pride Center plans to continue providing these essential services and reaching our fundraising goal will help us do just that. Thank you to our generous supporters. There is still plenty of time to get your #GivingTuesday donation in and we hope that you’ll feel inspired to give and contribute to the campaign!

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Nov 30

At the Grand Rapids Pride Center, our mission is to empower our 2SLGBTQIA+ community through supportive services and awareness. We aim to be the center of a vibrant and inclusive community that supports all 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals.

Help support the Grand Rapids Pride Center’s Proud To Be Healthy (PTBH), Therapy Assistance (TAP) and Co-Pay Assistance (CAP) programs this #GivingTuesday.

Donate through our #GivingTuesday Facebook fundraiser ⬆️link in bio⬆️

Thank you to Natalie H. from Rockford High School for our #GivingTuesday artwork this year!

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Nov 25

Instagram post 18177873721095777

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Nov 16

Join us, Grand Rapids Trans Foundation and Grand Rapids Community College this Saturday, November 20, as we remember and honor the transgender individuals whose lives were lost to transphobic violence. 🕯🏳️‍⚧

There will be a memorial and reading of names in observance of Transgender Day of Remembrance.

GRCC has no specific COVID requirements for outdoors, but we encourage people to distance themselves as much as possible, and ask that people stay home if exhibiting any cold or allergy-like symptoms (including congestion, headache, sore throat, chill, or fever).

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Jul 23

LGBTQ centers around Michigan are coming together to ask our LGBTQ+ community about their experiences with tobacco. Anonymously and without judgement, we're hoping to learn about the effects of LGBTQ-targeted advertising from tobacco companies, how and why people start smoking or vaping (or quit, or never started!), and what community needs aren't being met by health programming.

Please consider passing this link around, and take the survey yourself for a chance for a small prize.

http://bit.ly/tobaccosurvey-GRPC

http://bit.ly/encuestatobaco-GRPC

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May 3

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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.

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
Victim Services
Calendar
View All >

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 >