The Resource Center, located in Dallas, Texas, is an organization that provides services for the LGBTQ community. With about 30 years of experience, the members working for the organization create a safe place for families and a sense of community. We talked to JP Cano, the ‘Prevention Services Manager’ and a veteran to this organization to learn more about their empowering work.
Tell me a bit more about the Resource Center.
“Well, we offer an array of services here in Dallas. We have 2 main departments. One deals with STD testing and treatment, and we have a condom distribution program tied to this. We hand out condoms for things like events and bars. The other big program is our dental program for HIV positive clients. On top of that, we have a transgender clinic where doctors are able to write prescriptions for individuals in transition. At another location, we also offer clinical services and a food pantry for our HIV positive clients and a youth behavioral program and empowerment program.”
What did you all do to celebrate Pride month?
“In all honesty, all of us at the Resource Center are celebrating LGBT pride throughout the year. We believe that it is extremely important to always stay engaged when it comes to advocating for this community but we do have a few local celebrations happening in the month of June for pride month. However, due to the extreme temperatures during Dallas summers, we have our annual pride parade in September. LGBT organizations from all around this area join, and our center always participates. This is probably our biggest event within the community, and there’s always a great turnout.”
How did you become involved in this line of work?
“This is something that has interested me for a very long time. I knew I had the ability to make a difference within this community, so about 10 years ago, I started working for the Latino Empowerment Program that the Resource Center offered back in the day. I fell in love with this place and the work I was able to do, and now i’m extremely proud to be the manager of the clinic here.”
What are you looking forward to next in terms of the Resource Center?
“Our PrEP program just started in April, and it’s basically my baby. I was there every step of the way in seeing the program start up, and I can’t wait to see what we can do with it. We’re already advocating for Dallas County to provide information surrounding PrEP at the Dallas County department of health so the information is more accessible to our community. I can’t wait to see what campaigns we are able to create and implement within the next few months. Other than that, I’m excited to continue working towards educating Texans on the LGBT community. The metropolitan areas are accepting, but all of us at the Resource Center want to use social media to reach new communities and audiences both in Texas and nationwide.”
We’re thrilled to see all of the efforts being made by the Resource Center, and all of us at Say It With A Condom cannot wait to work on some new PrEP campaigns to better help LGBT organizations effectively execute their messages.