New NoVA Prism Center Offers Resources, Space For LGBTQ+ Community

MCLEAN, VA — Members of Fairfax County's LGBTQ+ community now have a space to call their own, where they can hang out and access resources such as a community fridge, food pantry, crafting space and a library.

“We are a space for everyone,” said Leon van der Goetz, executive director of NoVA Prism Center in McLean, on Saturday. “We are a space for community. We are a space for allies who are learning how to support their friends and family, and we are a space for folks who just want to learn. We also view ourselves as a third space for the community. We are a space where people can come hang out, be in connection with each other, access vital resources such as our community fridge and food pantry in the kitchen.”

Located at 1340 Old Chain Bridge Road #300-1, the new facility includes a library with more than 1,000 books featuring LGBTQ+ perspectives, lives, history, and stories. The center also offers a community resource directory of local affirming businesses and organizations that visitors can access.

“We have a clothing closet for the community completely free, including a pay what you can chest-binder exchange for trans masculine folks who prefer to wear dresses,” van der Goetz said. “We have an art supply and crafting room and a mini-maker space, so that we can empower people to express their creativity and express themselves through art."

Founded in May 2022, NoVA Prism Center has served as a resource for the LGBTQ+ community. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the center is funded through community grants and donations. It previously operated out of a small office in Oakton.

On Thursday, the Fairfax County School Board unanimously approved a proclamation declaring March 31 as a Transgender Day of Visibility.

Related: 'Despite Great Attacks' Fairfax Schools Supports Trans Students, Staff

“Our board is majority transgender and nonbinary identifying, so we are holding this event this weekend, both to celebrate the opening of our space and the future of our community, and to recognize those who have come before us, and those who are able to be out as their true selves, and those who don't feel safe to be out as their true selves," van der Goetz said.

On Saturday, school board members Robyn Lady (Dranesville) and Kyle McDaniel (at-large), as well as board chair Karl Frisch (Providence), attended the ribbon-cutting to show support for the center. Aside from representing 25 percent of the 12-member board, the three are also members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Any time that the community can come together and have a place where young people feel safe to be who they are and to have community,I think that's something that we should embrace,” Frisch said. “I’m grateful they're here. They've been a presence in our community for quite some time, and it's nice to see them setting down some bigger roots.”