Stonewall Alliance Center of Chico

The Stonewall Alliance Center of Chico is the LGBTQIA2S+ community center for Butte County and the Northern Sacramento Valley, and the only LGBTQ+ center open to the public in Butte County and many surrounding counties. Its mission is to support and celebrate the health, empowerment and joy of the North State LGBTQ+ community at every intersection of identity. The center works from four values: collaboration, dedication, intersectionality and respect, and it treats labels as something a person applies to themselves. For young people with questions, it holds that understanding should come before labels.

The center at 358 E 6th Street in Chico is open Monday through Friday afternoons, and it is a place to simply walk in. Staff and volunteers answer the phone and the door, connect people to resources, and keep a lending library of queer books. Most of what happens inside is peer support. Groups are free, confidential and, for the most part, drop-in with no registration. LGBTQ+ Teens for ages 13 to 17 meets every other Wednesday, and LGBTQ+ Adults meets on the first and third Mondays. Trans Adults meets every Thursday evening in person and on Zoom, Parents of LGBTQ+ People meets on the first Thursday morning, and Queer Autters gathers twice a month for LGBTQ+ people on the autism spectrum. The Rainbow Readers Book Club reads queer literature on the second Monday, Daring Dinos brings LGBTQ+ kids 12 and under and their families together for monthly activities, and adult and teen Dungeons & Dragons campaigns keep the tables full on Saturdays.

Practical help sits alongside the social side. Anyone who needs a therapist can tell Stonewall their location, insurance and needs and receive a list of LGBTQ+ affirming counselors that fits. The center runs workshops on changing a legal name and gender marker, including how to apply for the fee waiver that most people qualify for, so the process can be free. Butte County Public Health returns to the center for free, confidential testing for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis C, with help navigating PrEP. A crisis resources page lists 24/7 lines for anyone who needs to talk right away.

The calendar is full of events that are free, donation based or sliding scale, with ADA accessible seating and restrooms, free childcare at many larger events, a scent-free request for people with chemical sensitivities, and no legal ID required unless alcohol is served. February brings Black History Month programming. Trans Month in March builds around Trans Day of Visibility with Know Your Rights training from Legal Services of Northern California, a name and gender marker workshop, an educators' panel and a clothing swap. Chico Pride fills June, from a teen dance and drag family story time to the Downtown Plaza Festival, garden party and after party. October's Coming Out For Art show puts queer artists on the gallery walls for the month, with a grand reception and vendor fair, and the Transgender Day of Remembrance closes the year in November.

Stonewall is built on volunteers. People can staff the information table at Thursday Night Market, help set up and clean up at events, answer phones, or spend 8 to 16 hours a week as an intern learning advocacy, public relations and grant writing. The board welcomes members from across the North State and meets at 6:15 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. Gifts to the center, the QTPOC Direct Aid fund and event sponsorships all keep the doors open.