San Mateo County Pride Center begins reopening

While many have rushed to reopen, the Pride Center has taken a much more cautious approach. For Sapp and his team, reopening the Pride Center has been about taking the pulse of the community it serves and, while some groups are interested in meeting face to face, others are happy with remote options, he said. 

With that in mind, Sapp said the center is embracing a hybrid approach that will cater to everyone’s needs. The system has proven successful for the organization and its clients who have turned to virtual meet-ups for peer support groups, one-on-one counseling and social events. 

Pre-pandemic attendance was limited to locals with access to transportation but with remote options, the organization has welcomed participants from all over the nation and in some cases, other countries. 

The center’s Adult Gay Men’s Group and Queer Womxn’s Social Group has seen an influx on participants. And its monthly Legal Name Change and Gender Marker workshop has caught the attention of other centers throughout the state who are interested in modeling a program of their own after the monthly event. 

The center has also started new programming like a LGBTQ+ Parents group, a monthly peer support group for queer parents of children as old as 5, and fitness classes. 

“We never closed. We just look different,” Marilyn Fernando, the Pride Center marketing and community engagement lead, said. 

Meeting the needs

The hybrid model is intended to preserve that reach but is focused on ensuring county residents who may not have easy access to the center can still participate. To do that, the team has invested in an Owl Lab system which links remote participants to in-person meetings through a camera that rotates to face whoever is speaking within a room, Fernando said. 

While closed, Sapp said the team also worked on revamping the center’s interior to be more inclusive, ensuring furniture was welcoming to anyone regardless of ability or size and creating a conference space that can be modified depending on the group’s needs. 

“We’re constantly adapting and it’s all about the love for the space, the love of the team and the love for the community that we’re just trying to maintain and advocate for,” Sapp said.

The team also recognizes that the pandemic has touched everyone but its influence on the everyone in LGBTQ+ community has been unique, Fernando said. Older community members may have been retraumatized by the pandemic, having survived the HIV/AIDS epidemic and younger community members may have spent the past two years stuck in homes with people who either didn’t know they were queer or didn’t accept them. 

Sapp noted queer folks, which includes much of his staff, are also more likely to experience greater housing insecurity, job insecurity and financial strains than their straight and gender conforming counterparts. The pandemic has only exacerbated those struggles as shown by data collected by the center and packaged in an LGBTQ+ COVID Impact Report during the pandemic. 

Knowing that, Sapp said he’s not willing to throw out an arbitrary reopening date for the sake of a big announcement. Instead, he and his team have chosen to offer in-person programming when and if the community and his staff feels safe to do so. 

For some, in-person counseling has been an option throughout the pandemic and some staff have started scheduling check-ins at the center. The county’s local Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays group is also expected to begin meeting face to face this December. Restarting other in-person programs would only require a conversation, Sapp said. 

“It’s about presenting options and giving people control to make decisions on what they need,” Sapp said. “I want it to be with the consent of our staff as well.” 

Making the return

Ellyn Bloomfield, the center’s Older Adult Program coordinator, was one of the first staff members to express her readiness to return for some in-person programming, Sapp said. Her clients have long valued the opportunities they’ve had to sit together regularly but when the pandemic struck and services went online, Bloomfield said she noticed participation dip even with access to electronics sponsored by the center. 

Those connections are vital especially for older adults with few to no family members in the county or those who may have gone their lives hiding their identities, Bloomfield said. The concern has led her to host a small Friendsgiving next Wednesday for some of her clients.

“It’s important that people have that contact. ... That connection is really important because I think it restores confidence in people” Bloomfield said. 

This Friday, the county will also honor Transgender Day of Remembrance, shining a light on anti-transgender hate crimes and honoring victims including nearly 50 individuals this year alone. Dana Johnson, the co-chair of the LGBTQ Commission and the Pride Initiative will emcee the online event. A panel discussion will also be held between Anjali Rimi, founder of Parivar Bay Area; Blossom Brown, a coach and activist; and Sera Fernando, chief diversity office of Silicon Valley Pride. Poets Dena Rod and Hilary Cruz Mejia will also perform readings. 

Bloomfield was part of the original team that fought to bring the center to life years ago. Despite the region’s liberal identity, she said the Peninsula has long needed a space where members of the LBGTQ+ community would feel at home. 

The center became the first of its kind in the county almost five years ago and the Pride Center team is slated to celebrate the big anniversary in June. As Pride Month, the community will see additional events and celebrations honoring the lives of those within the LGBTQ+ community. 

How those celebrations will look is still unclear, Bloomfield said. When the center first opened, she said hundreds of people gathered but a toned-down event will likely be held next year. And after hosting remote Pride events the past two years, Sapp said the San Mateo County Pride Initiative is expected to host both in-person and remote events come June. 

Fernando said she’s hopeful other in-person services will soon return including a queer focused Alcoholics Anonymous class and programming for youths who’ve spent much of their school lives on computer screens during the pandemic. 

She and Bloomfield also implored those interested in services to reach out to the center for assistance, noting the team partners with numerous core agencies and nonprofits across the county.  

“We’re here, we’re queer and we’re not going anywhere,” Bloomfield said. “We’re a resource so instead of staying in a place of total anxiety and worry, reach out. We’re here and we can make what you’re going through, that experience much more meaningful and positive.” 

Visit the Pride Center website at sanmateopride.org for more information on services and how to get involved. Visit lgbtq.smcgov.org/events/transgender-day-remembrance-2021 to register for the 2021 Transgender Day of Remembrance event. 

sierra@smdailyjournal.com 

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106