The Lower Columbia Q Center is a dream come true and the result of many years of queer activism and organizing. I am proud to have been part of that team that includes so many of you unsung heroes.

Our Q Center was born of the need, that most all of humanity shares, to feel part of a family and have a sense of belonging in community. This feels especially critical for so many of us in the queer and trans community that may have felt invisible, threatened and marginalized along our personal journeys.

Small town, rural living for people who happen to be 2SLGBTQIA+ can be an exercise in isolation. Wrong as it is, telling our truth about who we love and who we are can mean we risk losing our homes, jobs, family and community support. Fear of rejection and risks of loss plague us. Role models and in person experiences may only seem to exist in the big cities. We know place matters and in Astoria there have been people who never stayed in the proverbial queer closet. In Astoria that one out, gay man or lesbian women everyone knew were the human beacons for someone like me. We made friends and hung out at home. From survival came empowerment and with growing confidence we moved to activism and community outreach. We Came Out!

Our organizing has too often been a response to threats, fear and pain. Decades ago when a conservative Christian group, the OCA, attempted ballot measures to legalize statewide discrimination, locals stood up with increased visibility and organizing and we prevailed. In 1993 we started the North Coast Pride Network with a board of directors and office. We gathered for monthly mixers at a local watering hole until that old waterfront building, along with our office, burned down. Time after time hateful legislative attempts to deny and erase us failed. And yet here we are today with transgender children that simply need to use the bathroom or wish to play in sports being the obsession of multiple state legislatures. We respond with education, organizing and even greater visibility. Dragalution, an outrageously popular drag variety show, set the stage in 2013 as local community color erupted in song and dance.

The lower Columbia Q Center is dedicated to being a safe and welcoming resource for the 2SLGBTQIA+ people, our families, friends and allies of this coastal region. The Q has grown to encompass a number of programs and social events that foster personal growth, support, visibility, education and connections as we build community together. We are fortunate that Oregon is has some of the best legal protections for diverse people.

The Lower Columbia Q Center has received substantial support from foundations, local businesses and individuals and we are grateful for a community that has become better educated, feels more welcoming and diverse and is generously supportive. Travelers note the lovely colors of Pride proudly on display throughout town.

The Lower Columbia Q Center began in July of 2015 after months of community discussions at Clatsop Community College and private homes. A college board member and a former county manger helped to facilitate planning. We had key members of the community involved because we are, as you know, everywhere! People came together to share their hopes and ideas for a community based LGBTQ resources and support space.

Our first offices were within the cavernous Astoria Armory and one of our first events was a “Big Gay Skate Night.” We later marched as a group in the Astoria Regatta Parade and served as volunteers for the youth centric roller skating at the Armory.

Becoming a full fledged non profit organization in 2016 with an active board of directors was, in part, the result of previous organizational efforts that included our history of having a North Coast Pride Network, a PFLAG type group and finally the Lower Columbia Transgender Alliance support group that worked with the Harbor to create safe meeting space for all. Today, that trans support group has a decade of history while new programs like the Trans Philosophy Book Club group are blossoming at the Q.

2016 was also our first Astoria Pride celebration that featured a delightful waterfront Pride Parade and multiple days of events. Astoria Pride became our largest public event and fundraiser.

LCQC has partnered with multiple groups. One example was creation of a Red Dress Party and fundraising event for the HIV Alliance. LCQC board members and staff have been part of the local college DEI Council and local hospital committees.

LCQC hosts a group, specific for teens, that is co facilitated by the Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare and other local organizations. Another thriving group is the “Keeping It Queer” group for young adults. The Q also had a peer support group for “Late Bloomers” and others that focus on the Queer Edge for Sobriety. We have had hiking and outdoor recreation groups, book clubs, a bowling team, “The Oscar Steins”, and a championship softball team. The Q creates safe space for socializing and that can mean game nights, a bonfire on the beach, a dinner or discussion group or our multiple community Celebrations of Pride.

2021 marked a milestone for the Q Center as we gained the capacity to hire our first staff, a Program Coordinator. Our continued and growing engagement with area schools and educators has been hugely important as we recognize how early in childhood our understanding of self begins. The LCQC focus with schools and social agencies began with acute concerns about hateful discrimination and ended up with Gender and Sexualities Groups at most of our area middle and high schools. Unfortunately we know of recent surveys indicating that most 2SLGBTQIA+ students still experience discrimination.

We are grateful for having had so many opportunities to conduct Trans or Queer 101 educational sessions with local schools and social service agencies. This North Coast Community reached out to learn more about her 2SLGBTQIA+ children, families and culture. Outreach and education continue to be part of the LCQC mission.

The Q Center also has scholarship funds for education and we have a created a needed financial assistance program for basic needs like food and shelter. Those programs were possible because of a grant from Clatsop County and generous local donors. It seems we always have donated clothing to share.

The Lower Columbia Q Center now has facilities, that we remodeled, that allow for office space, computer access and a large meeting and living room type area for our meetings and in person gatherings. We moved in to the Bond St location in February of 2020 with a grand opening and then the covid pandemic hit. Considered an “essential service,” LCQC remained open and available to our community.

Like so many people we long for in person social contact and meaningful community engagement. Some of the most heartfelt benefits of the Q Center include the expressions of safety and connection we frequently hear about. “This is a safe place where I feel I can be myself and meet people.”

We have always had a fabulous bunch of dedicated and diverse volunteers and we continue to work through challenges as our mission has proven vital to our community. Going strong, LCQC has an active board of Directors, and a dedicated, well educated and connected Executive Director on staff. Please come meet us!

LCQC has multiple access points including Open Hours, a phone tree system, a webpage and an active presence on line. The Lower Columbia Q Center, a shared dream come true.

THANK YOU!

Tessa James Scheller CRNA (retired)

Cofounder of the Lower Columbia Q Center