June is Pride Month, a time when those who don’t happen to be heterosexual take pride in being who they are. I caught up with Julian Schock, board president of South Bend’s LGBTQ-plus Center, for an update on the organization and its celebration plans.
First, the center.
”The health of the organization could be better," Schock says.
Schock says after a big infusion of cash from a few donors spurred organizational growth in 2023 and 2024, there was no plan for sustainability once those gifts were spent. They now need more active board members and donors. They’ve recently had to stop providing services and they’ve left their space in the Vested Interest building on Sample Street.
But Schock says they aren’t giving up and plan to move into the HealthPlus building on William Street, where they hope to open in August.
As for Pride Month, Schock says they’re excited about three events: A Social Mixer June 16 at Sidebar, a downtown bar that is queer-friendly; their big event, Pride in the Park, June 20 at Potawatomi Park, and a Dance Party June 27 at Cloud Walking. Schock says their website volunteer moved away, so check their Facebook page for the latest on events.
Schock says they stopped doing an all-ages drag show a couple years ago because of clashes with protesters. Security became too costly and stressful for the cash-strapped nonprofit.
But they will have drag performances at Pride in the Park.
“If we have drag performances throughout the day at Pride in the Park, people in the community tend to be pretty happy, and I think that right now we have maybe six or seven drag performers throughout the day, so I feel good about that,” he says.
Schock says despite their challenges, he also feels good about the center’s future.
“Do I want to get back to the point where we are having more routine programming and being really out there in the community again? Yeah. Once everything is all settled and we have a moment to kind of catch our breath, I do think there is opportunity for getting back to a place where we feel more comfortable.”
