CalPride Stanislaus - Modesto, California

Patrick Benavidez

Thank you to all the staff at the Rainbow Resource Center for all that you do. You provide a safe, kind, and family like atmosphere to my friends, family and so many others in the community. I love that you all welcome everyone, and you serve everyone, and that you provide so many resources to those in need, my friends and family included. I've been to two of your community events now and I particularly loved your bingo night. It was beautiful to see so many people of all types sit together, snack and enjoy the game and share laughs. It was all positive and just so much fun. I look forward to your future events and thank you again for being so great to my friends and family and the community.

Deb Allison

I've never met a more dedicated group of employees. They are wonderful people doing amazing things for the LGBTQ community. Through their commitment and focus on Fentanyl they have offered Narcan to people living on the street and saved lives. They have resources for food, clothing, housing, help with utilities, health and mental health support, transportation, education, and employment...and I've only scratched the surface. I believe everyone in Stanislaus County should drop in for a tour of this awesome place.

Huwatt Warren Wenn

A fantastic space with fantastic people! Whether you are looking for peer support., access to community services or just a safe place to hang out with other LGBTQ+ people, this place will soon feel like a home away from home. Jess, Katie and Ms. Patty are there as you come through the door to welcome you and begin steering you toward whatever you might need.

Kelly K Bryant

Walk in for an appointment, to get my Child's hair cut. I was greeted right away with a friendly face.
Cody was great, asked lots of questions, was super good with advice and did an excellent job!
This was a free haircut service. Looking forward to the next one! Sorry, I forgot to tip!

Sarah

Been going here for almost 4 months now for their support groups and help with LGBTQ legal stuff and they have the kindest and most supportive group of people I have ever met. Absolute 5/5 stars!✨⭐️✨

Maya Hechicera

I have been here a few times now and I absolutely love it. The atmosphere is so friendly welcoming and accepting of all. I’ve talked to some great people from every side of the rainbow and I highly recommend coming here for anyone who needs a safe space to be yourself.

Jess aka JM Benavidez

I came to the RCC so I could be a better parent, friend and ally. I wanted to support those who never had the support I was trying to give, I wanted to do better. What I didn't expect was to find myself or get support in the process. Thanks to the staff and peers, I am discovering who I am and finally becoming my most authentic self. After a lifetime of searching, I have found a place to belong, a safe place, with friends and a family. I learn something every time I step through the doors, whether it's about a resource, the community, or myself.

It's time that we stop judging people and places by what we see or others say, and judge them by their worth. I don't mean their monetary value because the RCC is a non-profit, I mean by the good they put out in the universe. The people they have helped, the mouths they've fed, the backs they've clothed, the tears they've dried, the hands they've held, the hugs they've given, the calls they've made, the hours they've spent researching and helping and working to make the center all that it is for each and every one of us.

Maximum Hue

TLDR- This is not a supportive environment for trans people. If you need a resource or service, please get in and get out. Try to go through Patty if you can. I would also highly recommend against working here.

Long version-
I want to start by saying that many great people work here and you may be able to find good and valuable resources. There are a lot of people at the RRC who sincerely want to help and care deeply about LGBTQ+ folks. However, if you are trans (especially if you are non-binary or not binary passing) then there are some things to keep in mind.

My trans support group was (until recently) associated with the rainbow resource center and were supported by them. They advertised for our group and bought us a few cafe drinks each week for our meetings. Some former members of our group were former employees/volunteers and some current members are current employees/volunteers. Many members are also part of other groups that meet regularly at the center. After being frequently misgendered at the center (especially for those who use they/them or aren't passing) and after feeling very uncomfortable around the owner's husband (who frequently gave unwanted massages and would touch people's backs without their consent), our group made a formal written complaint to the RRC. The goal of the complaint was to create a safer environment for trans people at the center and to possibly get training for the staff about pronoun usage. The owner was extremely defensive about these claims, deflected responsibility, became aggressive at one point, and then offered the compromise that he would remove his husband from any place our group would be (though notably not from the center or its employees). He also offered to hire a trans liason to go between our group and the RRC so we wouldn't have to directly interact with them. The idea was that the trans liason would also help the RRC staff become better at supporting trans people/offer a trans perspective to the decision making process.

This liason worked for a day and a half, and then quit after experiencing abusive working conditions. No one should have to be screamed at during meetings. No one should have their job threatened for bringing up the concerns of trans people- especially not when that was the entire job they were hired to do.

According to the owner, my group "chose" to be uncomfortable with being consistently misgendered and touched in uncomfortable ways without consent- issues that still happen regularly. According to the owner, it was wrong for us to take their coffee money and "still choose to be uncomfortable." This is not acceptable for an organization working with vulnerable people.

After the liason quit, the RRC completely cut ties with our support group. They were not interested in hearing us, but they were definitely interested in gathering attendence data to help get more funding. The idea of listening to crucial feedback was unacceptable to them even when they hired someone to specifically provide it.

Do you think this is what good faith support of the queer community looks like?

Why could you buy us drinks every week but could so rarely provide things we needed and asked for such as gender affirming clothes/binders/etc?

Do you think this is what caring about trans people looks like?

Please take note the response to some of these other negative reviews. There's nitpicking about word choice/small inaccuracies, shaming former employees about voicing their poor experiences, and never taking ownership for any wrongdoing. This is not how a compassionate organization acting in good faith operates.

Note: I don't know exact titles, so when I say "owner" in this review, it is a shorthand for the guy who writes grant requests for the funding and acts as the top authority of the organization. I've opted not to mention him or his husband by name in order to keep this review focused on the Rainbow Resource Center and my group's experience with it from both a beneficiary's and a worker's perspective.