Once a month, LGBTQ+ young adults gather at Tacoma’s REACH Center for a few hours shaped around the people who show up. True Color Collective meets on the last Thursday of each month from 5 to 7 p.m. Its gatherings offer a chance to share food, make friends and spend time together.
The group is based at the REACH Center, a Tacoma Community House partnership that serves youth and young adults. Although True Color Collective focuses on ages 18 to 24, its organizers told Weekly Volcano that they do not check ages at the door. Their aim is to make the space welcoming to people who might otherwise feel excluded by a program’s rules.
There is no fixed formula for the evenings. Participants help shape what happens, whether that means talking about their experiences or making room for something more playful, like a dance party. That flexibility lets the group start with a basic need: a place to meet other people and feel comfortable being there.
Connection can also make it easier to ask for help. Young adults looking for housing, food, health care or other resources may face a maze of eligibility requirements and unfamiliar programs. True Color Collective offers a starting point where someone can build trust and learn what support is available through REACH and its partners.
The gathering is one part of a wider network of LGBTQ+ support in Tacoma. What distinguishes it is the invitation to come together socially, whether or not someone arrives with a specific problem to solve. For a person who has struggled to find that kind of space, a regular Thursday gathering could matter well beyond those two hours.
The REACH Center is at 1314 South L Street. Anyone seeking details about the group can contact REACH. For the personal experiences and conversations with the people behind True Color Collective, read Weekly Volcano’s full profile.
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