On Thursday evening, people streamed into an upstairs space at the Manchester YWCA. Pride flags and a poster proclaiming “YOU ARE LOVED” graced the walls. An enormous mural covered one side of the room, depicting a Pride flag set amid a stained glass pattern in a rainbow of colors.
The event marked the opening of the Manchester True Collaborative Center, the first LGBTQ community center in New Hampshire. Scott Cloutier, the president of Manchester True Collaborative, the nonprofit group that opened the center, said he’s been involved with the local pride festival for years and saw a need for that kind of support year-round.
“Just seeing all of the people that come out to that, and then have no other support throughout the year really, was a sad thing,” he said.
Cloutier said the center is meant to fill that gap by providing a permanent space where LGBTQ people from the Queen City and beyond can connect and be themselves.
The center will host programs for both youth and adults: support groups, game nights and a Dungeons & Dragons night are among the things on the schedule, Cloutier said. It also has resources like “Chloe’s Closet,” a room where queer and gender-non-conforming people can try on clothes “in any fashion that they want.”
“it's just a magical thing, and there is such a need for it – just a space where people can be themselves and get together as a community,” Cloutier said.
At Thursday night’s event, Willow Young of Exeter called that “long overdue.” She and others said this kind of space is especially important in the current political climate, with rising hostility towards trans people in particular.
“I think it's getting scary for a lot of people to even leave their homes, especially our gender expansive youth,” she said. “Feeling like they've got any place that they can be recognized, feel safe, feel welcome is critical.”
Paul Cody of Manchester said the internet and social media have made it easier for LGBTQ people to connect with each other. But they’ve also eroded the importance of physical gathering spots, like LGBTQ bookstores and bars.
“Having a place like this is important because we need to come together as a community,” he said. “I think it's very important when people rattle off ‘LGBTQ’ to realize that we're all connected — and not to be siloed in terms of this part of the community, or that part of the community.”
Ronnie Cloutier-Content, Scott Cloutier’s husband, designed the center’s mural. Attending Thursday’s event in drag, he said this kind of place can make a big difference in the lives of LGBTQ youth.
“For me, had I had a place like this growing up from a young kid — think of it like a queer Boys and Girls Club — certain things would have blossomed, certain lights would have been realized, and it would have just given people a chance to grow more into their authentic selves, as opposed to being pushed back into the shadows,” he said.
