Merced LGBT Center could reopen in September

Merced’s LGBT Center, which closed its doors July 1 because of a lack of staffing, could be reopened as soon as September, area advocates said.

Fresno-based Gay Central Valley, the center’s parent group, lined up a new team to take over the center in Merced, according to President Chris Jarvis.

The newly formed group, Merced LGBTQ Alliance, which has a governing board of nine, will take over the day-to-day operation of the center, he said.

“We’re impressed by how they’ve come together in a short amount of time,” he said.

The center, at G and 18th streets, is meant to be a place where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other groups can go to feel welcome. It opened with a flag-raising ceremony last August.

But it closed this month after some of its leaders moved out of the area. Jarvis said the center plays an important role in servicing marginalized groups in a rural area, and could benefit from local leadership.

“We want local people to run it and have their voice in there,” he said.

Along with funding the center obtained last year from the California Endowment, leaders said they were able to secure more from California Rural Legal Assistance Inc., a group that advocates for rural and low-income communities.

The center has also been a meeting space for Merced PFLAG – Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays – and We’Ced Youth Media, a local youth journalism program that publishes a magazine.

Andres Reyes, coordinator for We’Ced, said his organization will do what it can to support the center.

“I can say that We’Ced is very interested in staying in the space and also supporting the continued existence of a safe space for LGBT folks and their allies in Merced,” he wrote in an email this month.

Members of the Merced LGBTQ Alliance could not be reached for comment.

The center’s website is under construction, but the center’s Facebook page remains active at https://www.facebook.com/mercedlgbtcenter.

This story was originally published July 30, 2015 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Merced LGBT Center could reopen in September."