According to a Gallup poll, the Portland metro region is home to the second highest percent of LGBTQ residents of any metropolitan city in the country. 5.5 percent of adult residents in the Portland region identify as LGBTQ. With the growing LGBTQ community in Portland, there emerges a need to provide a safe space where people can connect and feel empowered.

The Q Center is a place that provides a safe space to support members of the community through celebrating diversity, equity, visibility and community building. Founded in 2005, Q Center hosts dozens of groups and events with a wide range of topics and activities on a regular basis. Programs and events are multi-generational and include; discussion groups, education, exercise programs, health and wellness, inter-generational programs, resource and referral information, and social and cultural programs.

The Health and Wellness programs includes:  addiction support and recovery, a safe space for coming out, face-to-face community dialogues, among many other programs.

If you’d like to volunteer or learn more about the Q Center contact them here.

This week at Portland Radio Project we featured the Q Center as part of our award-winning Community Voices series. You can listen below to interviews with key members of the organization:

Raina Daniels, Program Manager

Stacey Rice, Executive Co-Director

Susan Kocen, Senior Community Program Manager

Paul Iarrobino, SMYRC Staff

 

PRP