Editor's note: This article was originally published in the Racine County Eye
On the morning of Friday, May 16, staff at the LGBTQ Center of Southeastern Wisconsin arrived to find their accounts disabled and their programs canceled.
The center served LGBTQ+ youth and adults across Racine, Kenosha and Walworth counties and ceased operations without public notice or a final appeal for support.
Board President Kinzua Le Suer confirmed the closure, which comes amid mounting financial pressure, the expiration of federal grants, and growing political hostility toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
“Our past fundraising hasn’t been at a level to address the needs of unrestricted spending,” Le Suer said. “It’s been increasingly difficult for us to navigate the issues and concerns.”
ARPA funds supported youth violence prevention
Founded in 2009, the center offered youth drop-ins, support groups, referrals to affirming mental health care, and community events such as the annual Equality Prom.
In 2023, the center received a $42,164 grant through the City of Racine’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support a youth violence prevention initiative. The grant was part of the City’s effort to distribute more than $40 million to community-based organizations addressing public health, safety, and economic recovery.
The ARPA funds were time-limited and did not cover operations or events like Equality Prom. Instead, the funding supported a targeted project that built a network of supportive adults, trained community partners on LGBTQ+ cultural competence, and offered peer-led emotional skill-building for youth. That program ended later that year and was not renewed.
“ARPA gave us that opportunity,” Le Suer said. “But that money doesn’t last forever. And when it’s gone, we’re left to figure out what’s next.”
Restricted Grants couldn't cover core costs
Le Suer emphasized that grant partners and program-specific funders remained committed.
United Way of Racine County Executive Director Alexa Brach-Haigh confirmed this.
“We found out they were dissolving today and we are saddened. Our funding has not decreased,” she said. “We have always been a strong supporter of their work and are here to help during the transition.”
The Center also received grants from the Forest County Potawatomi Foundation, the Racine Community Foundation, New Harvest Foundation, Aurora Health Care, the Kohler Foundation, and the Kenosha Community Foundation. But those were designated for programming—not salaries, operations or rent.
“Paying for programming is great, but it’s not just programming that ends up happening … whether that’s for staff, events, or the needs that happen in schools or elsewhere,” Le Suer said.
Staff say they were excluded from decision-making
Staff said they were not included in discussions about the Center’s financial condition or closure. Some learned about the decision less than 24 hours before they were dismissed.
Operations Manager Jasmine Alvarez, who uses she/they pronouns, said there was no emergency fundraising appeal or final request for community input.
“We were still running programs that night,” Alvarez said. “Our accounts were disabled while we were working. They shut the door without a conversation.”
Youth Coordinator Patricia Castillo Venegas, who uses she/they pronouns, said they asked the board for documentation, a financial plan, or a timeline.
“They said there was no saving it,” Castillo Venegas said. “They gave us nothing. No thank you. No goodbye.”
“I just picked up my six-year sobriety chip from self-harming,” said Zak Butler, a longtime volunteer. “If it wasn’t for this center, I would probably be dead. Now the one place that kept me safe is gone.”
LGBTQ+ youth now face increased risk
Nationally, LGBTQ+ youth face growing mental health risks. A 2023 report from The Trevor Project found that 41% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered suicide in the previous year. Youth with access to affirming spaces were significantly less likely to attempt suicide.
“A lot of the kids got tools and support to stop self-harming,” said former intern Haven Slater. “We were providing the support we never got growing up. That’s gone now.”
Le Suer said that cultural and political pressures have further strained the landscape.
“I’m not talking nationally—I’m talking about pushback coming from within our own community,” he said. “It’s a scary time. Kids today have a hard enough time.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s 2026 proposed federal budget includes the elimination of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and other programs frequently used to support local nonprofit services.
“As those CDBGs come down… that’s what then helps us to obtain money,” Le Suer said. “And when they’re getting cut—20% at least—we know what comes down after that. Talk about trickle-down theory.”
Next steps remain unclear
The center’s board issued a public statement through a recorded briefing, but has not released a formal written communication or transition plan. Its website was taken offline shortly after the closure.
Le Suer confirmed that the organization is formally dissolved and that the Center owns its building. He said the board will determine what happens to the Center’s assets as part of that process, though no transition plan or public update has yet been released.
“We’re not going to let this be the end,” Slater said. “We’re already talking with other organizations, and we want to rebuild something stronger—with youth voices leading it from the ground up.”
Some former staff and local advocates have expressed hope that the City of Racine might convene a public forum to assess remaining gaps in LGBTQ+ youth services and explore how those needs might be addressed in the future.
Editor's note: the update below is from a conversation between Denise Lockwood of the Racine County Eye and Lake Effect's Audrey Nowakowski
A newly formed nonprofit steps in
With the abrupt closure of the LGBTQ Center of Southeastern Wisconsin Lockwood says a new nonprofit, The People's Center, has formed to step in. It was created by former staff, board members, community members and volunteers of the now-defunct LGBT center. "Basically they really wanted to make sure that they focused on the needs of BIPOC community members and they didn't really want to simply revive the broken system that existed," she explains. "Instead they wanted to start envisioning a new organization that would prioritize the needs of those who have been left behind."
The People's Center is working to secure new spaces with community partners, and will be publishing a calendar that outlines reestablishing groups and services for the highest at risk youth populations, according to Lockwood. "They're looking for feedback they're looking for collaboration," she adds.
As far as the physical assets like the building of the LGBTQ Center of Southeastern Wisconsin, Lockwood says that this is one of the things she is focusing on the most to understand what is going to happen next. "I do know that Alexa [Brach-Haigh] from the United Way has said that they are definitely going to be reaching out to the LGBTQ Center of Southeastern Wisconsin to offer any help as far as the process of dissolving and what happens with those assets, because they have to be legally transferred to another nonprofit. So there's definitely big questions that are still remaining and Racine County Eye remains dedicated to covering this," she says.
