ODESSA, Texas — Pride Center West Texas is a nonprofit that was founded by Bryan and Clint Wilson in the summer of 2020, and since then the center hasn't stopped growing.
The center is a place where members of the LBGTQN+ community can meet, get resources, attend events and receive support.
"We knew it was important to find a space where people knew where to find each other and create friendship and create a found family opposed to a given one," said Bryan.
Bryan was born and raised in Odessa and says it wasn't always easy to be an LGBTQN+ person in the area, "It was tough and it also gave me a skewed perspective of the world. So I think because there were not people who were an example in the media or at my school who were out and who were living authentic gay or trans or nonbinary lives I just didn't have a model for how to be who I was."
The goal of Pride Center West Texas is "to improve the lives of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) minorities through the provision of safe gathering spaces, educational offerings, and social services that prioritize those who identify as LGBTQN+," according to their mission statement.
The center has already had to upgrade to a bigger space to keep up with the demand.
"Before we even hit our one year mark we had to leave our first space because it just wasn't big enough for the community that's stepping out," said Clint.
The center is located in Odessa but holds events throughout the region.
On August 7 they are having Basin Pride, which will be happening at Noel Heritage Plaza in Odessa, and they are expecting over 1,000 in attendance. They encourage anyone who wants to help them celebrate to attend.
The founders hope the center will continue to grow so they can continue to support the LGBTQ+ community of West Texas.
"It was just really fantastic to see the community that has always been here to find their courage and to find a space where they can be their authentic selves," said Clint.
For a list of events that will be happening this week, you can visit pridecenterwt.org/events.