NEWS

New LGBTQ center set to open in Great Falls

Briana Wipf
bwipf@greatfallstribune.com
  • Great Falls LGBTQ Center is a new community resource center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning/queer people.
  • Open houses will be held Saturday, April 4, from 1 to 4 p.m., and Wednesday, April 8, from 5 to 8 p.m.
  • The center is located at 600 Central Ave., Ste 323.

A center for LGBTQ people and their families and allies is opening in Great Falls, and members of the self-described "fluid" and "grass-roots" group say it's not a moment too soon.

The Great Falls LGBTQ Center will hold two open houses in the coming week, one from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 4, and another from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, at the center, located at 600 Central Ave.

Tim Dallacqua, a licensed clinical social worker, had a space in mind for such a center and wanted to open one. Meanwhile, members of Open Definition: Great Falls LGBTQ + Allies had a similar idea. Since collaborating in January, they've put together the center.

For now, early members of the group say they want the LGBTQ center to be a resource and safe place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning/queer people not only from Great Falls but the entire region. Exactly how it will take form depends on community needs.

"We want this to be a community-driven space," Jules Shindel said. "Let's figure out what Great Falls needs and wants."

They are hoping the people who come to the open house can provide ideas about what they want to see. Because the center will be staffed entirely by volunteers, they're looking to recruit some staff members as well.

Volunteers will receive cultural competency training so they are better able to interact with anyone who comes through the door. Dallacqua has recruited a few therapists and students to help where it is needed.

"We're hoping for this to be a central resource center," Eric Buhler said. "This center is brand new for all of us."

While the particulars are still hazy, members are sure they want the center to be a place where LGBTQ youths can come if they have questions or need guidance, for family and friends to come to get more information about LGBTQ issues, where social events can be held and where the community can coalesce.

The center hopefully will become a point of first contact for people when they move to Great Falls or when they are first coming out, Amma Jones said.

They hope having a designated space will help build a more cohesive, stronger community of LGBTQ people and their allies, Susan Otey said.

"Having a central space is vital for creating safety and acceptance," Shindel added.

While the center crystallized from a collaboration between Dallacqua and members of Open Definition, those involved with putting the center together are quick to point out that legwork, donations and help have come from many areas of the community, including faith groups, PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and others.

According to Dallacqua, $8,000 of in-kind and other donations have helped get the center off the ground, including a year's worth of rent.

Amy Allison Thompson admits her first thought when she heard talk about a center at an Open Definition meeting was that it might be a good thing to do within the next few years.

Three months later, it's become a reality.

Otey explained, "It's moving as fast as it is because when we talked about it at the (Open Definition) meeting and Tim came to a meeting, and it was like, 'Let's go. This can be grass-roots.'"

The upcoming family-friendly open houses will provide a tour of the facility, live music and refreshments. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions of founding members, give feedback and contribute to a community mural on the front wall of the center.

If you go

The open houses for the Great Falls LGBTQ Center will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 4, and from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 8. The center is located at 600 Central Ave., Ste. 323, in Great Falls.