‘Offensive on an Emotional Level’: LGBTQ+ Groups Dissolved Amid Resource Center Cuts

Last month, Resource Center, a community support organization for LGBTQ+ North Texans, announced that several clubs catering to specific identity groups would be dissolved and served instead under one broader umbrella. Among the cuts were groups offering support for gay Black men, queer Spanish speakers and individuals going through a gender transition. 

The Resource Center’s website states that “many” of those groups will continue to be served through a new Community Wellness Program initiative. Still, some former employees and program attendees have told the Observer that the changes give them pause. 

“The messaging has been very, very opaque,” said Rango Weiss, a former program coordinator with Resource Center who was fired last month as a result of the programming changes. Three other coordinators were also let go, Weiss said. 

According to Weiss, who identifies as non-binary and uses gender neutral pronouns, the program coordinators were told their positions were being eliminated during a “confusing” meeting. Weiss said the group was first assured that their support groups, which existed as part of the Family and Community Empowerment Services (FaCES) program, would continue to be offered by the organization. But communications posted by Resource Center to social media canceled the meetings with little notice, promising that those groups could instead join the Community Wellness Program for support.

For many FaCES participants, that social media notice was the first they heard that their support groups had been shuttered. The Community Wellness Program’s launch event was scheduled for Tuesday night. 

“People show up to these programs to build community when there’s no other place for them to be,” Weiss said. “It is a complete disregard for both the material and emotional concerns of the people they claim to serve. I struggle to find adequate language to describe how devastating a decision this is.”

Resource Center’s website states that the move to a larger initiative promotes inclusivity, but Weiss worries that it could alienate queer North Texans who rely on a niche group to feel safe. They are also concerned that the changes come at a time when some groups, such as the transgender community, are facing increased political attacks and isolation. 

Many of the groups, including several Weiss helped run, also have a legacy of supporting HIV education and prevention efforts. Throughout this year, advocates have worried that several executive orders issued by President Donald Trump could cripple funding for HIV and AIDS research, after a January directive resulted in the Centers for Disease Control’s webpage on HIV being scrubbed. Weiss believes that the mental-health emphasis of the new Community Wellness Program will be incompatible with the “intentionally informal” approach that the FaCES programs took to the stigmatized topic.

“This decision occurs when there are attacks on Black folks, Black queer people, transgender people,” Weiss said. “[Resource Center’s] major public response is to cut these programs. I say it’s deeply offensive on an emotional level.”

Resource Center officials did not respond to the Observer’s request for an interview. Aloe Johnson, director of strategic initiatives, told The Dallas Voice that the programming changes were not caused by federal attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which have threatened funding for some organizations. 

While the organization has not lost any funding, Johnson told the outlet that compartmentalizing the programs will make it easier to apply for future grants.

“An important thing to recognize is this was done in support of our strategic plan,” Johnson said. “Resource Center may be changing branding, but we continue to provide support for groups with high-quality events within the walls of the community center.”

Programming listed on Resource Center’s website does show some age-related distinctions between support groups, with meetings of LGBTQ+ people ages 50 and older and queer youth groups being offered. Johnson told the Voice that the programming changes have not resulted in “pushback from the staff,” despite the elimination of the program coordinator roles. That stands contrary to the response that Weiss described. 

Frustration Bubbles Over 

Rynn Myles, a transgender woman who worked for Resource Center in 2024 as an intern through the Americorps program, told the Observer that she was “disheartened” to learn through a social media post that “every program” she’d participated in and worked for was eliminated. 

Myles said the FaCES support groups offered by Resource Center were “pivotal” for her gender exploration journey. Had that community not existed, she doesn’t know where she’d be in her “transition journey,” or if she “would have even started it.” 

“​​I found a community. A community that I was looking for, people who were going through similar things that I was, who understand a lot of things on the level that I do because they’re living similar lives,” Myles said. “It’s sad, because it provided me a lot. And I had a lot of hope for that organization.”

She also worries that the programming changes will negatively impact people who relied on the meetings for more than just emotional support. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, LGBTQ+ community members are significantly overrepresented in the homeless population. Studies have shown that as much as 17% of the LGBTQ+ community will experience homelessness, and it can be difficult for some communities, such as those who do not identify with the gender they were born as, to find accommodating shelters. 

Myles and Weiss said participants often joined multiple support groups, which met multiple times throughout the month. The Resource Center’s website states that the Community Wellness Program’s schedule is still being finalized, but they already worry that the centralized group will offer fewer opportunities for people to gather. 

“We have food, there’s a snack pantry that’s always stocked. For some folks, this was a resource,” Myles said. “They show up, they get to fellowship with people, but that also means they get to eat tonight.” 

For some group attendees, the firing of program coordinators has caused pain. In a letter that was shared with Resource Center officials and the Observer, a participant named Aurora says she “swore by” the community group Gender Brave because of leaders like Weiss. 

Without them, she says, the group cannot be replicated or replaced.  

“For a time, [Gender Brave] was the only place I had where I could safely try on new clothes and makeup without feeling stared at or exposed,” Aurora wrote. “Firing Rango and their fellow coordinators did nothing but subtract infinite value [from] Resource Center’s mission. Our community is represented by them. Our wellness depends on theirs. Our programs were perfect, and for a lot of us, they were home.”