Utah Pride Center furloughs “majority of remaining employees”
This is the second round of layoffs at the LGBTQ+ organization in less than two months.
(Alex Gallivan | Special to the Tribune) The Utah Pride Center celebrated its grand opening at its new location at 1380 S. Main St. on Saturday, May 19, 2018. In 2023, the center laid off nearly all of its employees in less than one year than two months.
Just over a month after laying off more than a third of staff at the Utah Pride Center, the LGBTQ+ nonprofit has been hit by furloughs again.
A former employee at the center confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday that they were furloughed last Friday along with “the majority of remaining staff.”
It’s unclear how many employees were laid off in this second round of job cuts and how many remain employed. In August, seven of the center’s 19 employees were laid off.
The center did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Michael Aaron, editor of QSaltLake magazine, first reported on the first round of layoffs in mid-August. Afterwards, the center released a statement – which it later deleted – in which it acknowledged “massive financial turmoil” and suggested the center could close.
Days later, those comments were retracted in a new statement. That statement also said that due to loss of revenue and “uncertainty,” center leaders “had to rethink our staffing and program models.” The statement also asked for donations to help the center “regain a more solid financial footing.”
In the Instagram comments accompanying this statement, community members and former employees expressed frustration with the center.
Meanwhile, a job advertisement for a new managing director with an annual salary of between $77,000 and $150,000 was published on the job search platform Indeed. On Tuesday, the listing on Indeed “expired.”
The center has suspended all services for the month of September, but it is unclear whether services will resume after the end of the month. Several local LGBTQ businesses, including bookstores Under the Umbrella and The Legendarium, have opened their doors for community use.
According to its most recently filed Form 990, the Utah Pride Center reported $2,116,293 in revenue and $1,845,793 in expenses for the 12 months ended September 30, 2021 – a net income of $270,500 .
Nearly 87% of that revenue, $1,839,120, came from contributions and grants. Most of the rest came from program services — including tickets to the Utah Pride Festival and fees for mental health counseling.
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