A new community center catering to Northern Nevada's Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual population is now open in Midtown Reno.
The grand opening of Our Center brought out hundreds of people this weekend to Wells Avenue for food trucks, games and live music.
The nonprofit group behind it has been working since 2009 to raise the funds to launch a dedicated space for LGBT education, advocacy and support services. Jeromy Manke is president of Our Center.
"We have a youth drop-in center," he says. "We'll be offering support groups, counseling services, and really just a general hang-out space where everybody can come and feel welcome regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."
Elaina Snyder is a freshman at Reno High. She says Northern Nevada has been lacking a centralized spot for members of her community to connect, and she's glad to finally have that.
"We were one of the last states to legalize [gay marriage] before [it] was legalized across the board,” she says. “And I feel like it has been lacking a place where LGBT kids can gather, and I'm really glad we finally opened one."
Our Center will also help organize this summer's annual Northern Nevada PRIDE parade, which drew more than 5,000 people last year.
