Source LGBT Center Inc. (SLCI) is a nonprofit in Visalia, California which offers an onsite campus for LGBT youth. 1 It hosts the “Source” programs that includes support groups for LGBT individuals with HIV, gender-affirming groups for parents and families of transgender people, and recovery meetings for LGBT individuals struggling with addiction. 2
As of 2022, SLCI is the largest LGBT center between Los Angeles and San Francisco and provides services to more than 6,000 LGBT people annually. 3
Founding and History
Source LGBT Center was established in 2016 by co-founders Brian Poth and Nick Vargas, who both came from Tulare County, California. 4 SLCI originally operated out of a basement on Main Street before founding its center in Visalia. As of 2022, the campus includes over 44 programs. 5
In 2017, Vargas reported that after moving back to Visalia, he had trouble finding a LGBT-friendly doctor and “had to educate his new physician about how to treat a gay man.” 6 Vargas sought to expand prescriptions for PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) used to prevent HIV and to find more doctors who are LGBT “educated.” .” 7
In 2019, Vargas took Source LGBT Center’s Youth Leadership Academy on a trip to Ecuador, where participants were given education modules on “LGBT+ history, public speaking, advocacy, personal finance, and slam poetry.” 8
In 2024, Brian Poth and Nick Vargas received the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award, along with a $350,000 grant from the foundation to further provide LGBT resources in rural California. 9
Funding
Source LGBT Center has received its largest grants from left-of-center groups the Arcus Foundation, the California Endowment, and the Sierra Health Foundation. 10
The Arcus Foundation contributed a $129,000 grant in 2021, followed by another $165,000 grant in 2022. Similarly, the California Endowment has provided $245,000 in grants since 2018, and the Sierra Health Foundation has contributed $556,400 since 2017. 11
Leadership
As of 2023, Brian Poth works as the executive director of Source LGBT Center. In 2021, Nicholas Vargas was last listed as the director of development. 12
Prior to working as executive director for SLCI, Poth had a career working as a child actor and would eventually land roles in TV series including “CSI: Miami,” “Six Feet Under,” and “True Blood.” He later returned to Central Valley to assist his sister who had been sick with cancer. 13
References
- “Home.” The Source LGBT+ Center. Accessed May 8, 2024. https://www.thesourcelgbt.org/
- “Peer Support.” The Source LGBT+ Center. Accessed May 8, 2024. https://www.thesourcelgbt.org/peer-support.
- Yeager, Joshua. “The Source LGBT+ Center Expands to New Visalia Campus. Welcomes Public for Saturday Grand Opening.” Delta, January 5, 2022. https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2022/01/05/source-lgbt-center-expands-new-visalia-campus/9092560002/.
- “The Source LGBT+ Center: The First of Its Kind for LGBT+ People in Tulare County.” Kings River Life Magazine, September 30, 2017. https://kingsriverlife.com/09/30/the-source-lgbt-center/.
- “The Source LGBT+ Center Visalia Providing Resources for LGBT+ Community Members of All Ages.” ABC30 Fresno, April 13, 2022. https://abc30.com/the-source-visalia/11742672/.
- Romero, Ezra David. “‘Here It Goes’: Coming out to Your Doctor in Rural America.” NPR, November 21, 2017. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/11/21/563876740/here-it-goes-coming-out-to-your-doctor-in-rural-america.
- Romero, Ezra David. “‘Here It Goes’: Coming out to Your Doctor in Rural America.” NPR, November 21, 2017. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/11/21/563876740/here-it-goes-coming-out-to-your-doctor-in-rural-america.
- Contributor, Valley Voice. “The Source LGBT+ Center Youth Leadership Academy Begins Service Trip to Ecuador.” Valley Voice, July 17, 2019. https://www.ourvalleyvoice.com/2019/07/17/the-source-lgbt-center-youth-leadership-academy-begins-service-trip-to-ecuador/.
- Dorman, Brian. “Major Recognition for Founders of LGBTQ+ Center in Visalia.” YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47, March 16, 2024. https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/local-news/major-recognition-for-founders-of-lgbtq-center-in-visalia/.
- “The Source LGBT Center Inc: Visalia, CA.” Instrumentl. Accessed May 8, 2024. https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/source-lgbt-center-inc.
- “The Source LGBT Center Inc: Visalia, CA.” Instrumentl. Accessed May 8, 2024. https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/source-lgbt-center-inc.
- “The Source LGBT+ Center.” The SOURCE LGBT+ Center – GuideStar Profile. Accessed May 9, 2024. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/81-1907707.
- “Brian Poth Profile.” California LGBTQ Health & Human Services Network. Accessed May 9, 2024. https://californialgbtqhealth.org/brian-poth-profile/.