Some exciting news from Southwest Saskatchewan Pride this week as they have setup shop at a new location in Swift Current.

Although it has not opened just yet "The Closet" will be located in the Dickson Community Center and with ambitions that it will be up and running sometime this month with a grand opening planned in time for Pride later this summer. 

A spokesperson with Southwest Saskatchewan Pride reflects on what they hope to offer through the new location.

"We're hoping to utilize it for everything from coffee houses to gathering places to an information center and it is all pretty new so we are hoping that it will evolve over time."

Southwest Saskatchewan Pride says the new space is something they have been working on for a while and with it they are hoping to build a larger/better resource center so that when people are looking for resources the community can go to an actual physical space. They have received an outpouring of support from the community in terms of acquiring furniture for the new space and they are currently still accepting donations of everything from board games to kitchen supplies and furniture to add to the location. Anyone interested in making a donation can do so by contacting Southwest Saskatchewan Pride at swiftcurrentpride@gmail.com or on their Facebook page. 

In reference to the name of the new location, a spokesperson with the group says that being in the closet is a uniquely queer experience and is often a place of fear, confusion, and social stigma. By calling the new space "The Closet" the group says they are being a bit tongue in cheek and wanting to reclaim that experience and help those through the healing process. Having a queer space is like crossing a threshold and this can cause anxiety for people. However, having resources in the community like this make the community safer and shows how accepting the community is. 

"Having a physical space where people can gather and meet and find that human-to-human connection, I think is so crucial for people's mental well-being and for their physical well-being. So we're really excited that we can offer this back to the community."

Now that they have obtained a space of their own, Southwest Saskatchewan Pride says that they plan on doing some community outreach and are thrilled to be able to bring this space to the community.