NEWS
Safe space DISCOVERING A NEED FOR SERVICES FOR TRANS AND GENDER-DIVERSE PEOPLE, ONE OKLAHOMA CITY COUNSELOR HAS SPENT THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS CREATING A COMMUNITY-BASED SOLUTION. By KM Bramlett
Early in their clinical work, licensed professional counselor Kelley Blair (they/them) realized that many medical and mental health clinicians are not adequately trained to provide appropriate care to the LGBTQ+ community. As a result, LGBTQ+ people often end up paying for sessions to educate their counselors and doctors about general LGBTQ+ issues before any real work can be done. Blair — a Native American, TwoSpirit, transgender person — set about to correct this by founding the Diversity Center of Oklahoma, 2242 NW 39th St. The center connects gender-diverse and LGBTQ+ people to an array of mental health services and medical care. The clinicians and organizers who provide the services also belong to the LGBTQ+ community. With the apparent need for better access to care in the LGBTQ+ community, Blair started going to OKC Pride meetings and reaching out to Native groups to look for clinicians who specialize in caring for these populations and couldn’t find anyone who did. They ultimately joined the OKC Pride board and proposed giving a workshop to train heterosexual and cisgender therapists on how to work with gender-diverse/ LGBTQ+ people. OKC Pride agreed to sponsor the event as a fundraiser for the Pride organization, and Blair began presenting this workshop once a year. It was through these workshops that the idea for the Diversity Center developed. After the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, attendance at the workshop grew exponentially as the community began to realize the trauma that comes with being LGBTQ+. Over time, Blair was often asked if they had a counseling center that supports LGBTQ+ people, and they realized the dire need for one. They applied for non-profit status that year and the center became its own entity. Over the years since they opened, they’ve offered counseling, art programs, alternative spiritual devel-
opment, support group meetings, of the Diversity Center of Oklahoma, Kelley Blair (second from left), celebrates with fellow community members at the a youth program, Founder OKC Pride festival. Photo provided. and housing assistance for unhoused people in the Diversity Center. Someday, they “disenfranchised, marginalized, LGBTQ+ community. They’ve also would like to open a shelter for POC, LGBTQ+ folks and their famhosted midwifery, insemination, trans people. Trans people are not ilies are welcome.” and surrogacy services, which have usually permitted to use showers For the wider community, any since out-grown the space and esor other gender-specific areas in local organizations or businesses tablished their own facilities. typical shelters. They also somewho want gender-diverse/LGBTQ+ The Diversity Center also has a times get turned away when their sensitivity training or need help partnership with Guiding Right, names don’t match their identificaupdating their documents/forms, Inc., which offers support to HIVtion after transitioning. websites, or surveys with more inpositive people, performs HIV and “I worry about our geriatric genclusive language are welcome to STI testing, and other medical serder-diverse folks,” Blair said. reach out to the Diversity Center for vices. They also provide food assisThey would also like to establish guidance and consultation. tance for people who are HIVan assisted living center for trans They also continue to host their positive and food-insecure, provide and gender-diverse people who need annual symposium where clinicians access to PrEP (a medication for a safe place to be themselves as they can earn continuing education HIV prevention) and coordinate age, a place where they’ll be respectcredit while learning how to serve programs for tobacco use prevened for who they are, and where trans clients. tion and cessation. they’ll be addressed with proper The Diversity Center’s contribuBlair’s success with the center names and pronouns. tions have been recognized and would not have been possible Anyone considering taking adawarded with a grant to provide without some generous friends and vantage of the current services at support for those who have suffered neighbors along the way. In the early the Diversity Center is promised the intimate partner violence. days of the center, Pastor Neill highest level of respect and privacy. “We just got a grant with the DA’s Coffman donated space to the “People like getting services from office and certification with the Diversity Center in the Expressions people who are like them, but someAG’s office to be the first Church (formerly on NW 39th times there are concerns about Transgender/Gender Diverse & 2SStreet). They remained in the privacy. They worry that everyone LGBTQ+ organization in the state donated space for about a year and will know their business or assume to offer [an] intimate partner vioa half, but once the center was fithings based on seeing their car in lence program to our community. nancially viable, Blair decided it was the parking lot. Because of these We are super excited about it and it the right time to start looking for a concerns, everyone at the Diversity is so needed too,” Blair said. larger facility. Center is called a ‘community To find more information about They found a space across the member,’ whether they’re there to the Diversity Center of Oklahoma, street from Expressions and formed accept services, provide services, or to donate, or get involved, visit dia friendship with the owners of the to volunteer,” Blair said. versitycenterofoklahoma.org. 5,400 square-foot building. Once They don’t use the labels the owners learned that the space “patient,” “client,” “volunteer,” was going to be used for mental etc., The goal is to normalize peohealth services, they generously ple’s presence at the center so that paid for all the remodeling (paint, no one is judged based on why they flooring, moving walls, etc.) and in are there. late 2017, more than 100 commu“The Diversity Center of nity members from as far as 100 Oklahoma is a full social justice miles away came to help do the work program,” Blair said. of remodeling. Services are provided on a slidFive years later, they have hopes ing-scale fee system, and many of future expansion for the people are eligible. Anyone who is NEWS OKGA Z ET TE .COM | J U N E 1 , 2 0 2 2
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