Pride Center launches inaugural discussion with community
Photos by Antonia Padilla, QSanAntonio.com, September 12, 2011

About 80 GLBT community leaders came together at the Church Theater building on September 10 to discuss the establishment of the San Antonio Pride Center. The event dubbed by organizers as a Community Leadership Summit was the first major public gathering to discuss the project.

The forum provided a chance for leaders from local GLBT organizations to offer input as to what they would like a potential community center to offer.

After a general welcoming address by Pride Center board members Richard Farias and Margit Gerardi, attendees broke up into smaller groups. Each group focused on a particular topic: Health and HIV; social services and youth; education; transgender; social and entertainment; religious; activism; and seniors.

District 1 City Councilman Diego Bernal arrived toward the end of the gathering to address the group and conduct an question and answer period.

After assessing the information gathered in the Leadership Summit, Pride Center organizers will continue fundraising and information gathering with the intent of opening a facility on a two-year timeline.

Farias said the next big step would be the launch of Pride Center's web site which is scheduled in the next couple weeks.

Click here for more photos in this series.

Executive Board of Pride Center San Antonio: Joseph W. Garrett, Chair; Margit Gerardi, PhD, RN, Vice-Chair; Marsha Warren, CPA, Treasurer; Richard Farias, MA, Secretary.

Group seeks to establish LGBT community center
QSanAntonio, August 20, 2011

A new group, Pride Center San Antonio, is holding a leadership summit inviting LGBT leaders from across the city to offer input about how a community center can best serve the mission of local gay businesses and organizations.

The summit will be held on September 10 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 1150 South Alamo. Organizers are inviting two "leadership representatives" from all local LGBT organizations.

The idea for Pride Center San Antonio came about in 2009 with meetings of concerned citizens initially organized by Joseph W. Garrett owner of Ridge Gate Realty, pastor of the River City Living Church and publisher of Ignite magazine.

"It became abundantly clear to the group that such a center should be established, and the group met frequently to strategize and discuss when the time would be right to move forward," read the email invitation dated August 8 and signed by Pride Center's board secretary Richard Farias.

The email explains that, "Pride Center San Antonio was started with the purpose to plan and promote lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and allied events in Bexar County. Initial contact was made with community members at large to gain perspective on how well received an LGBTQA organization would be in the city."

Last February, Pride Center elected a board of directors with Garrett as board chair.

The board members include Pastor Mick Hinson of the Metropolitan Community Church, Marsha Warren CPA who is on the board of Equality Texas and MCC, Michelle Meyers of the San Antonio Gender Association, George Woods who is on the board of BEAT AIDS, Arthur Dawes LCSW and Amanda Benton former president of the Gay & Lesbian Assn. of San Antonio College.

The other five board members -- activists Richard Farias, Julian P. Ledesma, Rev. Naomi Brown LMSW, Margit Gerardi PhD RN LCSW, and Misha Ortiz -- are either staff or editorial contributors at Ignite magazine.

According to its email, Pride Center filed for incorporation by the state of Texas as a non-profit organization in June, and a Federal 501(c)(3) application for tax-exempt status will be submitted to the Internal Revenue Service before the end of the year.

Prior to announcing the leadership summit, Pride Center organizers contacted local LGBT groups with a needs assessment survey to determine the interest and viability of creating a new community center.

"Pride Center San Antonio's mission is to provide an inclusive environment for the LGBT community and its allies. Our future—goals, objectives, programs, and services—will largely be decided through the community's support," Farias wrote in the email.

Should the Pride Center become a reality it will not be the first LGBT center established in the city.

In 2006, the Diversity Center of San Antonio closed its doors due to a lack of funding based on an inability to attract local donors, a failure to pursue all the grants for which it might have been eligible, and rumors of financial mismanagement.

Pride Center San Antonio presents a Community Leadership Summit on Saturday, September 10 from 2-5 p.m. at 1150 South Alamo, (formerly Casbeers at the Church). Due to space limitations, only 2 leadership representatives from each organization are invited to attend. RSVP to pridecentersa@gmail.com with the names of your organization's attendees. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. and the summit will begin promptly at 2 p.m.