First LGBT center in Coastal Bend is on the way

Mark Young | Corpus Christi

Show Caption Hide Caption Coming Out: Teens, young adults share stories Riley Dawson (from left), Averi Holt, Abbey Wagner and Sam Legendre-Davis share their coming out stories.

LGBT people in the Coastal Bend will soon have a space devoted to them, as the Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation finalizes plans for a LGBT community center.

The center will be part of the Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation and would provide LGBT people in the Coastal Bend with resources and services that are not offered elsewhere.

The center would be the sixth of its kind in Texas and the only one south of San Antonio.

Bill Hoelscher, the chief executive officer of the Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, said the new center will help give more visibility to the LGBT community.

"We have always been at the forefront for helping the LGBT community and we recognize that the LGBT community doesn't often have a seat at the table," Hoelscher said. "In our work with health and health disparities in the community, we saw that people often didn't feel safe or didn't have a place to feel safe."

While the idea of an LGBT community center has been discussed, solid plans are in place as the Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation builds a new facility.

While the programs at CBWF are funded by grants, the new center will do grassroots fundraising and the foundation is aiming to raise roughly $100,000 dollars a year.

The center is scheduled to open March 2019.

The planning for the center is primarily being lead by Angie Baker, the LGBT youth coordinator for the CBWF, who says they are not boxing in the potential for what can be provided.

"We have a had a lot of discussions about what we can offer and we hope to hear more from the community about what they feel we need," Baker said. "We would love something for older LGBT people, resources for job hunting, educational events and hopefully a place for people to come and feel safe."

In Texas, it is legal to be fired for sexual orientation or gender identity, which can cause disparities among the LGBT community for jobs and health. Hoelscher said the center will try and fix those issues.

For many, the center will serve as an important next step to greater equality for LGBT people in the Coastal Bend.

During a townhall meeting to discuss ideas for the new center, many were excited about the impact it could bring.

"Coming from a very religious background and also being LGBT for myself, I can see where this would be so important for our community. Not just for our community, but people that are just learning about our community and becoming part of our community, " said Anastacia McClure, a transgender woman who attended a town hall.

McClure said the center will be available "have those moments where you can say 'I know what you're going through, I know what it's like. Here's resources."'

The center will also be able to offer a bridge between communities within the Coastal Bend and the LGBT community.

Abbey Wagner, a 17-year-old lesbian from Flour Bluff High School, said the center will offer a space outside of gay bars for LGBT people to socialize.

"I think (a community center) can educate for sure, my parents always have questions, like what all I go through, what my friends go through," Wagner said. "Somewhere they can learn about us and the community could really do some good."

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