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Kyle O’Donnell, chair of the Delmarva Pride Center, said the center was founded three years ago and hosts events year-round. It also has drop-in hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

“We have all types of activities from socials to support groups to game nights,� O’Donnell said. “And we just want to have positive, family-friendly activities for people to come out and meet other queer people in the community and know that there is a home for them on Delmarva.�

Events for the center include arts and crafts evenings, parents and allies groups on Saturdays, tabletop games, monthly social events at different locations, movie days, weekend coffee chats, and Dungeons and Dragons nights.

O’Donnell said the Dungeons and Dragons game nights were a great example of listening to community members. The game was a great way for people to engage in good fellowship together, to engage imagination and creativity and to think of who their ideal hero or champion would look like.

For members of Delmarva Pride Center like Rebecca Hutchinson, the center has given her a community of people who know what it’s like to be LGBTQ+ while living in a conservative community.

“I can go to their events and know that I am safe, and I can be myself,� Hutchinson said. “I know that I have emotional support if needed.�

Hutchinson said she grew up on the Eastern Shore and now works as a mental health clinician. She has informed her clients, who are LGBTQ+ and seeking community, about the events and support groups that Delmarva Pride has.

This includes a Gender Expression Movement meeting every month hosted at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Easton. This support group is for those who are exploring or identifying anywhere along the gender spectrum.

O’Donnell said the Elder and Intergenerational Social has been included on their calendar, an event to gather LGBTQ+ members from all generations to share their stories, experiences and wisdom.

According to O’Donnell, this event allows people to talk and learn how society has grown over time and what still needs to be resolved.

Hutchinson said that throughout her life as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it has meant so much to her to have a center that provides the kind of support she sought as a native of the area.

“I grew up here, and I know what it was like to not see anyone that I thought was like me,� Hutchinson said. “I didn’t have any person or place to help me understand what I was struggling to figure out.�

“Because of the Pride centers, there is representation, visibility, fun events and support available to anyone trying to figure out who they are or wanting to be around people who understand some of their experiences,� she said.