Racine LGBTQ center abruptly closes; staff seeks clarity
LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin in Racine closes
After more than a decade, the LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin is now shut down, and staff members say they felt blindsided.
RACINE, Wis. - After more than a decade, the LGBT Center of Southeastern Wisconsin has shut down.
Staff members say they felt blindsided after the Friday, May 16 closure.
Center closes
What we know:
Jasmine Alvarez is still going through a mix of emotions. Alvarez was the center's operations manager. She said on Thursday, May 15, staff members' accounts were disabled. So she called her boss.
"Everybody's hurt," Alvarez said. "I asked her directly what's going on, are we getting fired. She said, ‘I can't tell you that.’"
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The next day, staff members showed up outside the center for a meeting with the board. That's when she said she and others found out the center was closed and they were all let go.
"We feel like the community deserves answers," Alvarez said.
What they're saying:
The LGBT Center of Southeastern Wisconsin put out the following post online:
"The LGBT Center of SE Wisconsin is in the process of dissolution. This decision has been made after careful consideration. Our past fundraising was not at a level to address the needs of unrestricted spending. Along with the challenging socio-political climate it has been increasingly difficult to navigate the issues and concerns which the LGBT Center has faced in the past several years.
All groups and events are cancelled."
Confusion arises
Dig deeper:
Kyle Johnson left the board last year. He said the statement citing financial issues doesn't make sense to him.
"When I was on the board six months ago, we were in a pretty good financial position," he said. "We were in a decent position to continue operations well into 2025."
Alvarez agrees.
"I was aware of new grants coming in recently, so where is all that money going?" she asked.
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They, among many, are looking for answers.
"These are young adults and folks, who don't feel safe at home, can't be who they truly are at home," Johnson said.
"We need answers. Folks need us right now," Alvarez said. "This is not the best time to make these moves."
What we don't know:
FOX6 News called the center's executive director and emailed the interim president but did not hear back.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.