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| Wyoming LGBTQ+ Center | |
|---|---|
| Name | Wyoming LGBTQ+ Center |
| Formation | 2003 |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Headquarters | Cheyenne, Wyoming |
| Region served | Wyoming |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Wyoming LGBTQ+ Center is a nonprofit community organization based in Cheyenne, Wyoming, providing services and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and allied individuals across the state. Founded in the early 2000s, the Center operates programs addressing health, legal support, cultural programming, and youth services while engaging in statewide policy advocacy and community partnerships. The Center has collaborated with regional nonprofits, universities, and national advocacy groups to expand access to resources in urban and rural communities.
The Center was established amid broader movements involving organizations such as Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, GLAAD, The Trevor Project, and local groups responding to events like the Matthew Shepard case and the subsequent activism around hate crime legislation. Early supporters included activists connected to University of Wyoming, Wyoming Equality, ACLU, and local chapters of PFLAG USA. Throughout the 2000s the Center navigated state debates influenced by lawmakers in the Wyoming Legislature and by national shifts highlighted during elections involving figures like Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and litigated matters before the United States Supreme Court. The Center’s history intersects with cultural institutions such as Wyoming State Museum and events like Cheyenne Frontier Days, and it drew on expertise from legal scholars associated with Yale Law School and Harvard Law School on civil rights strategy.
The Center’s mission aligns with principles advanced by Stonewall riots, Mattachine Society, and community health frameworks used by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization for LGBTQ+ health outreach. Core services include crisis intervention in partnership with The Trevor Project and counseling referrals linked to clinicians at Wyoming Medical Center and university programs at University of Colorado School of Medicine. Legal clinics have collaborated with Lambda Legal and local practitioners admitted to the Wyoming State Bar, while family support draws on curricula from PFLAG USA and juvenile services modeled on work by Children's Defense Fund. The Center also provides sexual health education referencing guidelines from American Academy of Pediatrics and harm reduction practices discussed by Harm Reduction Coalition.
Headquartered in downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Center maintains satellite outreach in communities including Casper, Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, Jackson, Wyoming, Cody, Wyoming, and Rock Springs, Wyoming. Facilities include a drop-in center, counseling suites, a legal clinic room coordinated with Wyoming County Courthouses and mobile outreach vans inspired by programs used by Planned Parenthood and Doctors Without Borders for remote delivery. Office operations interact with municipal agencies in Laramie County and rely on infrastructure tied to providers such as AT&T and CenturyLink for telehealth services. The Center’s archives collaborate with Wyoming State Archives and cultural partners like Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum for oral history projects.
Programming includes youth groups patterned after The Trevor Project models, senior outreach informed by AARP initiatives, and transgender healthcare navigation reflecting guidelines from World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Annual events include a statewide Pride calendar coordinated with municipal celebrations in Casper and Jackson and education series featuring speakers from GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, and academics from institutions like University of Wyoming and University of Colorado Boulder. The Center hosts workshops on voter engagement tied to League of Women Voters efforts and legal clinics coinciding with pro bono campaigns organized with American Bar Association and local firms. Cultural events have included film screenings referencing works promoted by Sundance Film Festival and partnerships with performing arts groups such as Terry Bison Ranch community events.
The Center has influenced state policy debates involving statutes and court cases comparable to national efforts around the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, Defense of Marriage Act, and post-Obergefell litigation before the United States Supreme Court. Advocacy campaigns have mobilized coalitions with Wyoming Equality, ACLU, National Center for Transgender Equality, and local faith leaders connected to congregations such as St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Cheyenne) to address nondiscrimination ordinances in municipal governments. Impact assessments reference public health outcomes tracked by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and demographic studies from the United States Census Bureau and research by scholars affiliated with Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.
Funding sources have included grants from foundations like W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and local philanthropic support through Wyoming Community Foundation and donor events attended by patrons connected to Cheyenne Frontier Days. Partnerships extend to health systems including Wyoming Department of Health, academic collaborations with University of Wyoming, and national networks such as CenterLink and Movement Advancement Project. The Center pursues federal and state grants administered through agencies like the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and has received capacity-building support through programs at AmeriCorps and Corporation for National and Community Service.
Governance is overseen by a volunteer board of directors comprised of professionals from law, medicine, academia, and business with affiliations to organizations such as Wyoming State Bar, University of Wyoming, Intermountain Healthcare, and Wyoming Medical Center. Executive leadership has drawn from alumni networks including University of Wyoming and national nonprofits like Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal. The board maintains bylaws informed by nonprofit standards promoted by BoardSource and files organizational compliance with the Internal Revenue Service and state nonprofit statutes administered in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Category:LGBT organizations in the United States Category:Non-profit organizations based in Wyoming