When Ana Zorrilla’s teenage son came out as transgender in 2022, she immediately started looking for resources in the greater New Orleans area to support him.
But her online searches produced few results. The city’s longstanding LGBT Community Center, located on South Broad Street, closed its doors that same year due to financial woes.
“It was a little disappointing because I thought of New Orleans as a queer-friendly city,” Zorrilla, a longtime Mid-City resident, said. “We felt really alone.”
Fast-forward two years, and she’s now a board member of the newly formed New Orleans Pride Center. The community center, located inside the headquarters of 102.3 WHIV-FM radio in Mid-City, is set to open its doors to the public on April 6.
Organizers hope to create a hub of events and resources that cater to the needs of LGBTQ+ Louisianans and their families. The 750-square-foot space will have a library with free Wi-Fi, a free-to-reserve conference room and kitchen.
Various organizations will inhabit the space for weekly meetings. The center will also host periodic public talks, health care clinics, community meetings and entertainment events. At least one full-time staffer will manage the facility during drop-in hours. All ages are welcome, said Zorrilla.
“I think having this space will help make people like me feel less alone,” she said.
New Orleans has seen multiple LGBT-focused community centers come and go throughout its history. They’ve served as gathering places for celebrations and provided support to queer residents through times of crisis, such as the AIDS epidemic.
Shortly after the city’s previous LGBT community center announced its closure in 2022, Zorrilla and a small group of organizers started meeting to discuss opening a new space.
Zorrilla, the CEO of the Louisiana SPCA, brought decades of nonprofit management experience to the all-volunteer group. Other board members brought experience in grassroots organizing, health care and other professions.
The new Pride Center board met with the previous LGBT Community Center leaders to discuss a revamp. But due to financial issues, the board decided to form a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit , Zorrilla said. Board members of the old center did not respond to a request for comment.
Funding for the new center came from the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, as well as individual private donors.
Before locating a new space, the board launched a yearlong listening tour to better understand the community’s needs. One takeaway was that trans youth needed a place to seek legal and health care advice, said Kyle DeVries, NOLA Pride Center board president.
A surge in anti-LGBTQ legislation in recent years, including limits on gender-affirming health care for minors, has contributed to “mounting anti-LGBTQ violence in Louisiana,” DeVries said.
“We have a new governor who is openly attacking our communities,” he said. “Youth who are more vulnerable in other parts of the state are coming to New Orleans to seek refuge and having a thriving community center is an essential part of providing that for them.”
During the board’s listening tour, Zorrilla connected with MarkAlain Dery, founder and executive director of 102.3 WHIV, a social-justice-focused community radio station. Over dinner one night, Dery offered a portion of the station’s building at 2762 Orleans Ave. to Zorrilla rent free to host the Pride Center. The location choice was a no-brainer, Zorrilla said.
“The station is so aligned with who we are and what we do and the voices we want to elevate,” she said.
Several months later, board members began organizing community events to tease the center’s opening. DeVries worked with local student groups to host a vigil and bullying-awareness event in February following the death of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager from Oklahoma.
On a recent weekend, board members and volunteers gathered at the new space to decorate and load in computers, furniture and books. Andre Monte, a longtime New Orleans resident and volunteer, cut open a box full of rainbow-colored fans to stash in the center for hot days.
“There’s definitely a renewed sense of energy,” Monte said. “I think it's overdue.”
The center’s regular operating hours are yet to be announced, according to the center’s board. A website and social media channels will advertise programming and major events.
The conference room already has multiple bookings, Zorrilla said. A support group for Black men living with HIV will meet weekly, as will the Real Name Campaign, a social justice organization working to lower the cost of legal name changes for Louisianans.
WHIV is also planning to start a radio and storytelling workshop for trans youth. Other programming ideas include a gender-neutral clothing drive and swap, job training seminars and a Q&A session with a lawyer about Louisiana’s recently introduced “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Any community member can suggest an event by emailing the board directly, said Zorrilla.
“We would love to have folks reach out and let us know what they're able to do and what they're interested in doing,” she said. “This is meant to be an inclusive center.”
Board members have planned an opening day party on April 6 to welcome the public.
The event will start at 2 p.m. and feature food and drag performances at The Broadside in Mid-City. A second line at 5 p.m. will wind through the neighborhood and end at the new center’s location.