Marin Nonprofit Launches to Fill LGBTQ+IA Void
Published: June 1st, 2025
More than a year after the closure of the Spahr Center, Marin County once again has an organization devoted to serving the LGBTQ+ community.
The new Marin LGBTQ+ Center opened its doors recently in a space leased from the Multicultural Center of Marin at 709 Fifth Ave. in San Rafael. The Spahr Center ceased operations in February 2024 because of financial problems.
Jane Spahr, the Spahr center’s namesake, played a prominent role in creating the new organization. The Spahr Center was formed in 2015 by a merger of the Spectrum LGBT Center and the Marin AIDS Project, both of which were started by Spahr.
“We want Marin to know we’re here, we’re queer and we’re not going to go away,” said Spahr, who is in her 80s.
Mila Eliaschev, co-leader of the Marin LGBTQ+ Center youth program QNest arranges books on shelves at the Marin LGBTQ+ Center at the Multi-Cultural Center of Marin in San Rafael, Calif. on Friday, May 30, 2025. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)
Spahr said the organization has secured its 501(c)(3) tax status as a nonprofit organization and raised about $50,000, but it still has no director or paid staff. Its work is being done by its 14-member volunteer board of directors.
“We’re just doing the work, trying to meet the needs where they are right now,” Spahr said. “We’re listening first to our transgender youth and their families, who need support right away.”
The organization’s website states, “The board of the Marin LGBTQ+ Center denounces President Trump’s recent executive actions targeting LGBTQ+ community members, especially transgender and non-binary individuals.” The center’s board held its first meeting on Jan. 21, the day after Trump’s inauguration.
