The Pride Center of Vermont, formerly the RU12? Community Center, was founded by two students at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

and

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

in 1999. The organization was run by volunteers until the first Executive Director was hired in 2002. RU12? (a play on the phrase, "Are you one too?") is the only

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization mission-driven to serve

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

, gay,

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

, and

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

( LGBTQ) Vermonters of all ages. The mission of the organization is to celebrate, educate, and advocate with and for LGBTQ Vermonters. The center coordinates several programs, including the anti-violence program, SafeSpace, an

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

-prevention Mpowerment Project, GLAM, family programming, elders programming, the Trans* Community Wellness Project, and the "6 Degrees" social networks model

HIV testing HIV tests are used to detect the presence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), in serum, saliva, or urine. Such tests may detect antibodies, antigens, or RNA. AIDS diagn ...

program. The Pride Center of Vermont is home to several peer-led social and support groups. The center also offers a free

cyber center Cyber may refer to: Computing and the Internet * ''Cyber-'', from cybernetics, a transdisciplinary approach for exploring regulatory and purposive systems Crime and security * Cyber crime, crime that involves computers and networks ** Conventio ...

community meeting A community ( cy, cymuned) is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England. There are 878 communities in Wales. History Until 1974 Wales was d ...

space, lending library, drop-in resource center, free and anonymous HIV testing, and also houses the Vermont Queer Archives. The Pride Center of Vermont also created, manages, and maintains the Vermont Diversity Health Project, a free listing of LGBTQ-affirming and -knowledgeable medical and

mental health provider A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

s around the state. The Pride Center of Vermont is located at 255 S. Champlain Street in Burlington, Vermont.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.pridecentervt.org/
Vermont Diversity Health Project

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LGBT in Vermont LGBT organizations in the United States Organizations based in Burlington, Vermont 1999 establishments in Vermont