JACKSON, MI - In the basement of a church, a room donning a rainbow awaits its grand opening.

After years of efforts, the Jackson Pride Center officially opens Friday, offering a place for LGBT youth and other community members to gather and have open dialogue. The center is in the basement of St. John's United Church of Christ, 801 S. Mechanic St.

"It just gives us a base to be together as a community," said Jackson Pride Center Director Nikki Joly. "It's a safe place. And safety is really needed in our current political climate."

Friday's grand opening is at 4 p.m. upstairs at the United Center. Following tours of the space, the party moves to the Grand River Brewery at 6 p.m.

The space becomes a reality due to a $2,500 grant from the Michigan United Church of Christ, said United Center Director Barb Shelton. The award was for an innovative, unique project in a community or for a project to help battle a social justice issue.

Speakers at the grand opening include a representative from the office of U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, and Michigan Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, on behalf of 2018 gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer. About 300 to 500 people are expected, Shelton said.

"One of the other goals for the center is, we're hoping to be able to start a dialogue," Joly said. "A lot of the times when you get a lot of the fear, it's because people don't understand."

The center is available as meeting space for various LGBT groups in the area. It's open Tuesday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. for youth to hang out. Donated computers are being refurbished for the resource area of the space.

The opening comes one week after the Jackson City Council approved a non-discrimination ordinance, protecting LGBT individuals from discrimination based on housing, employment and public accommodations.

Despite the city taking this step after nearly 20 years of tabling the topic, Joly said the comments from those opposed to the ordinance at the Feb. 7 meeting are telling.

"Listening to the opposition, it gave us definite proof of why a place like this is needed," Joly said. "It's definitely a progressive step."