New LGBTQ Center opens in south Sacramento. How staff plans to focus on health and community

On June 22, the Sacramento LGBTQ center was able to officially open its door at a brand new location in south Sacramento.

The newly named Marsha P. Johnson Center is located at 7752 Stockton Blvd. For its grand opening, the center promoted free HIV testing and provided COVID vaccines for visitors.

Sexual Health Testing Counselor and Case Manager Aaron Armer told The Bee that they chose south Sacramento to expand their reach to a broader community of people. The midtown center will continue to offer STI and STD testing, but the new center will focus on sexual health with broader testing options, hormone therapies and PREP.

Armer also started the Black Leadership Council at the center, a group of 10 people who help oversee events and ensure the intentional outreach to Black members. Not all members of the Council are active in the center; Armer noted that they chose many individuals from previous work in activism and for their presence in Sacramento.

The Black Leadership Council was also at the helm of this year’s Juneteenth celebration hosted by the center. The event was hosted at the new location and served as an open house to the community with goodie bags from local, black-owned businesses.

They also noted that the Council has helped reach out to local businesses such as barber shops to install condom dispensers as part of the Marsha P. Johnson Center’s efforts to improve sexual health in the community.

The center being named after Marsha P. Johnson was a very intentional choice, as VanKuiken told The Bee. Johnson is “quite a legend” she said. Johnson was at Stonewall and “integral in really sparking the revolution that moved us from in the closet and a really criminalized population to where we’re at today.”

“Sometimes these heroes, these people that are so fundamental in changing the course of history, are wiped out, forgotten and left behind. And that is an injustice,” VanKuiken told The Bee. “I hope people ask that question — who is Marsha P. Johnson? — and they look it up and they learn, because her life really made a difference in so many people’s lives and will continue to.”

New Leadership & Looking forward

Over the last three years, the center has expanded its leadership and employee pool significantly. Previously, the center depended on few employees and many volunteers, but as demand for services has increased, they have expanded to accommodate more employees who can lead initiatives in the community and work to meet demand.

Communication and Marketing Director Jason Alviar described everyone on the team as “old souls,” noting that he has only known the chaos after joining a week before an important philanthropy week and then jumping straight into Pride.

Pulido shared his excitement to create programming for the city and improve existing programs. Nalagan noted that in his three years on the team he has seen the growth of the center and is enthusiastic about what is to come. VanKuiken pointed out that after years of working and organizing, the importance of being in her community. Her decision to leave her former job and join the center is rooted in that realization.

“This work will never really be done,” vanKuiken said. “I mean, hopefully we’ll get there but there’s a lot to do between now and then. And that is what we are going to be working on and having fun while we’re at it.”

This story was originally published July 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.