New Rainbow Community Center 
offers a pot of golden opportunities
By Alexander Vernon - Flagstaff Resident

Something very unique happened in Flagstaff in April. The Northern Arizona Rainbow Community Center, Inc. opened at the Positive Impressions Executive Office Complex at 1300 S. Milton Road. Your first thought might be, so what? Offices open all the time.

But this office is providing a service to a part of the community that has been somewhat ignored - the GLBT people of Flagstaff. "GLBT" is an acronym for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered individuals. It's one of those acronyms more commonly associated with larger cities like San Francisco, New York, or Phoenix.

Smaller towns like Flagstaff, however, also have GLBT people. They are teachers, food service workers, business owners, and involved in the administrative structure at Northern Arizona University. They are students, writers, actors, and clerks at local grocery and convenience stores.

We are just like everybody else. We hold down jobs. We worry about paying the bills. Some of us have children. We share with other community residents the desire to maintain a quality of life here in Flagstaff.

The Rainbow Community Center opening is important because for the first time ever, local GLBT people have a place to come to get information about issues affecting their lives. It is a place where other related organizations, like Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays, AIDS Outreach of Northern Arizona, Northern Arizona Pride Association, and Mountain Rainbow can hold meetings. It is a place where a lending library with books, magazines, and gay publications from Phoenix, Tucson, and even Palm Springs are available. The board of directors at NARCCI looks forward with excitement to becoming more involved in sponsoring community events for GLBT people.

The Rainbow Community Center is a place where you can stop by on your lunch hour and chat with a volunteer. And even if you're not a gay person, well, you can still stop by and get information on a variety of topics.

Recently, a woman whose brother was "coming out" to her family stopped by the office. She had heard about the opening and figured someone there could give her information about an issue that was profoundly affecting her family. We were able to provide her with reading material and refer her to people in the PFLAG organization to contact.

Another unique aspect to the Rainbow Community Center is that it demonstrates Flagstaff's "coming-of-age." Many people have the idea that a rural town like Flagstaff will not tolerate an office serving the needs of GLBT people. Well, guess what? At the opening, then-Mayor Chris Bavasi was present, as well as members of the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce.

Channel 2 covered the event, and the Daily Sun wrote about the opening.

Of course, this doesn't mean that everybody in town or in the surrounding areas embraces us wholeheartedly. But it does mean that we now have a more visible presence. It also serves as a way to demonstrate that GLBT people continue to be a part of the community. Nation-wide, gay people continue to make strides in attaining political rights and social equality. Smaller communities like Flagstaff are becoming part of this national trend.

The Rainbow Community Center is meant to be a place not only to serve the needs of the GLBT community, but also to be a place where some of the barriers and misunderstandings that exist between gay and non-gay people can be resolved. We feel that in a small community like Flagstaff, such a goal is worth striving for.

Don't just take our word for it, come on down for a visit! Everyone is more than welcome. Please call first, as we have a small volunteer staff and limited hours of operation.

NARCCI is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. All donations are tax-deductible. For more information about the Northern Arizona Rainbow Community Center, call 774-6416.

Alexander Vernon is the Vice President of NARCCI. An 11-year resident of Flagstaff, he frequently participates in the activities of various other civic organizations. Alexander is also the owner of National Furniture.