The City of Minneapolis, on Saturday, sent a message that it is a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community as nonprofit Twin Cities Pride opened its new Pride Cultural Arts Center.

The Pride Cultural Arts Center wasn’t opened in response to recent executive orders by President Donald Trump targeting transgender people, but Mayor Jacob Frey made a clear stand against those federal policies on opening day.

The center, located in the former Aveda Salon in downtown Minneapolis, has been months in the making after nonprofit Twin Cities Pride got a grant from the city to make it possible, said Board of Directors President Jimmy Luckey.

“This space represents a haven for individuals, for the queer community,” Luckey said.

Inside the 6,000 square-foot space, art radiated off of nearly every wall, featuring local artists like Mikha Dominguez and 15-year-old Ollie Caldwell, who shared a painting of their personal empowerment icon.

“It was really hard as a kid to be queer, I didn’t even know the word until about age 10. And she really helped me get through it,” Caldwell said.

“My art is a love letter to the queer community,” Dominguez shared.

Describing the rest of the center and its services, Luckey said, “We have a large community space which currently is being utilized for many different purposes, one of which is our ASL class, which is offered by the Queer Deaf Society on Thursday nights. We also have our artist in residency program with a cohort of five individuals who have their own studios in this space, along with our gender-affirming wardrobe.”

Luckey said the previous iteration of the ‘Rainbow Wardrobe’ was in the basement, making it less accessible. The new one takes on “more of a storefront aesthetic,” he said.

“A lot of our customers don’t feel safe in the mainstream, whether it’s a perceived or an actual physical threat. So we have a space here where all are welcome. There’s no judgment. We provide styling resources,” Luckey shared.

Around 1,500 people took home clothes last year, he said, adding the hope is the new space is used even more.

The Minneapolis moment was also a clear stand against recent executive orders targeting transgender people. President Donald Trump, on day one, began with an order declaring that there are only two sexes, rejecting that people can transition or have gender identities that are not strictly male or female. President Trump’s stated purpose is to protect women.

“Regardless of what’s happening at the federal level, in Minneapolis, no matter who you are or who you love, you are loved in return,” Mayor Jacob Frey said during his remarks.

“We’re not an abomination,” Dominguez said. “We are not different… We still have debt, we still have college, things to pay for, we still deal with a lot of things, plus the attack from the government.”

“But we’re here, we’re queer, we’re not going nowhere… We do belong and we won’t be erased,” they continued.

Opening day also came after Twin Cities Pride dropped Minneapolis-based Target as a sponsor over the company’s decision to roll back its DEI initiatives.

Other corporations like Aveda Salon and Ikea supported the center, Luckey said, adding that Ikea donated most of the furniture.