​The UP Center — Uniting Pride of Champaign County

Our History

Uniting Pride of Champaign County (Uniting Pride) was founded in 2009 as an organization that would serve to advocate for the equality, wellness, and visibility of the LGBTQIA2S+ communities in Champaign County. Since its inception, Uniting Pride has been consistently active in the community by providing support and social groups, community-building events, educational workshops, local advocacy, resource provision and referrals, and much more. 

​Our Mission

​Uniting Pride of Champaign County leads in the creation of a community where all who hold historically and actively marginalized gender and sexual identities can live fulfilling, joyful, healthy, and vibrant lives.

​Our Vision

​Uniting Pride of Champaign County (Uniting Pride) envisions a world where everyone, regardless of gender and sexual identities among other identities, can live healthy, vibrant lives. To contribute to that vision coming to fruition, Uniting Pride will work to promote the well-being of the LGBTQIA2S+ community through advocacy, education, civic engagement, and outreach efforts. Uniting Pride strives to meet the unmet social and physical needs of traditionally marginalized diverse gender and sexual peoples by:

• strengthening our community through positive visibility and celebration,
  
• connecting our community members to each other by facilitating safe and affirming social interactions,
  
• serving as a community hub for various information and affirming resources,
  
• facilitating civic engagement amongst community members,
  
• and advocating for our community through education of community members, organizations, and allies.
  

We do this work presently while also purposefully building a strong and sustainable Uniting Pride that will serve our community for decades to come.

Our Values

• ​Responsibility. We are mindful that our actions have an impact on people’s lives and wellbeing, and our duty is to those we serve. As such, accountability is core to our mission. We are accountable by those we serve to observe the highest standards and ethics at all times. 
• Equity and Intersectionality. We believe that the diversity of LGBTQIA2S+ people is one of people’s greatest strengths. However, we acknowledge that deep disparities exist — especially for those of us who sit at the intersection of traditionally marginalized identities. Oppression in all forms is inextricably linked, which means our mission for LGBTQIA2S+ equality will only be actualized when we collaborate with our partners to break down every barrier and ensure that all people have the same ability to thrive.
• Respect. We root ourselves in our shared humanity and treat each other with kindness, empathy, and compassion — even in the face of conflict.
• Youth. We believe in the limitless potential of our young people and intentionally invest in them as the key to a brighter future for our communities and our world. 
• Wellbeing. We foster safe spaces that enhance the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of LGBTQIA2S+ people and their families, while also making our community a safer place to live. 
• Learning and Openness. We build spaces for engagement, reflection and growth, all which are central to our work. As part of that growth process, we will acknowledge our missteps with humility and lean into our responsibility to learn and respond appropriately.
• Passion. We do our best work when we do it with a strong sense of purpose and a passion for a better world. Even when we’re doing hard things, we find love and joy in various places and understand the essential role hope plays in our work.

Our Commitment to Anti-Racism

​The board and staff at Uniting Pride choose to adopt an anti-racist framework by:   

• Acknowledging the ways racism, oppression, and privilege perpetuate homophobia and transphobia; 
• Ensuring that the strategies, actions, and policies that we support and employ do not undermine efforts to combat racism; 
• Organizing a movement that is mindful of how the issues of racism affect safety for all of the LGBTQ+ community; 
• Developing and implementing anti-racist strategies that are specific to the including, without limitation: 
  • practicing and modeling respectful behavior,
  • employing anti-racist language and group dynamics,
  • examining every situation to understand how the dynamics of racism and white privilege work in that situation;
• Challenging all aspects of white privilege—individual, cultural, political, and organizational, and;
• Engaging in ongoing self-assessment and recognizing that doing work with an anti-racist lens is an ongoing process.