A center created for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults is set to expand to Lower Bucks County.
The Doylestown Borough-based The Rainbow Room announced the planned expansion Friday, and they revealed the organization, which is supported by Planned Parenthood Keystone, has received $630,000 in state funding.
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“The expansion of the Rainbow Room means that more LGBTQ+ youth have access to the peer support, education, and resources they need to be their authentic selves,” stated Marlene Pray, founder and director of The Rainbow Room.
Pray said a location in Lower Bucks County will be announced, but final details are still being shored up.
“Now the Rainbow Room will have two locations in Bucks County to ensure that LGBTQ+ youth have a safe and supportive space all their own. In the face of attacks on and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, this grant empowers us to stand up in the face of bigotry and provide more educational programming and resources to youth,” said Melissa Reed, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Keystone
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Pray said there has been pressure for years to expand services to Lower Bucks County.
“This is truly a collaboration,” Pray said.
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“We are here for the youth,” she stated. “We know there has been an escalation in cruelty, attacks, and bigotry directed toward queer youth. Planned Parenthood will never stop standing with young people and will never stop fighting for their lives and rights.”
State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, a Democrat from Lower Makefield Township, announced that the $630,000 in state grant money is being presented to the organization to expand to Lower Bucks County and sustain operations for years to come.
“I have seen first-hand the immense benefit The Rainbow Room offers LBGTQ+ youth and their families in Bucks County. At a time in their lives with so much pressure and scrutiny, The Rainbow Room provides a safe and nurturing space for these young people to find community, education, and empowerment,” he said.
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The Rainbow Room has served LGBTQ+ youth from around Bucks County and beyond since 2002 and caters to people ages 14 to 21. In the past, the organization has hosted programs in the Levittown area.
Reed said LGBTQ+ youth often face bullying and other challenges and The Rainbow Room helps them navigate the world.
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SueAnn Devito, a parent of a daughter who was an early participant in The Rainbow Room, said the location has been a “safe space” that allowed her daughter and others to advocate for themselves and grow into adults.
“The Rainbow Room has had a long lasting and profound impact they have all carried into adulthood,” she said.
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Carson Delaney, a youth who takes part in programs offered by The Rainbow Room, celebrated the organization and noted the support she has had through the group as a non-binary person.
“The Rainbow Room has helped me to come out of my shell and love myself and not let anybody tell me no because of who I am,” Delaney said.
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Rev. Michael Ruk, of St. Phillip’s Episcopal Church in Solebury Township and a former preacher at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Falls Township, celebrated the expansion of The Rainbow Room.
“I just want to say as a faith leader how important it is to respect the dignity of each human being and realizing they’re beloved by God,” he said.
Ruk said he has seen The Rainbow Room let LGBTQ+ youth feel safe and allow them to be themselves.
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