Utah Pride Center furloughs ‘majority of remaining staff’

Just over a month after more than a third of the employees at the Utah Pride Center were laid off, another round of furloughs have hit the LGBTQ+ nonprofit.

A former center employee on Tuesday confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune that they were furloughed last Friday, along with “the majority of the remaining staff.”

It’s unclear how many employees were let go 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 Tuesday to a request for comment.

QSaltLake magazine editor Michael Aaron initially reported on the first round of layoffs in mid-August. After that, the center posted a statement — which it later deleted — admitting “massive financial turmoil” and hinted that the center might close.

Days later, a new statement backtracked those comments. That statement also said that, because of revenue shortfall and “uncertainty,” center leaders “had to rethink our staffing and programming models.” The statement also asked for donations to help the center “regain a firmer financial footing.”

In the Instagram comments attached to that statement, community members and past employees voiced frustration with the center.

Meanwhile, a job listing for a new executive director was posted on the job-searching platform Indeed, with an annual salary of between $77,000 and $150,000. As of Tuesday, the listing had “expired” on Indeed.

The center paused all services for the month of September, but it is unclear if any services will resume once the month ends. Several local LGBTQ businesses, including the bookstores Under the Umbrella and The Legendarium, have opened their doors for community use.

According to the most recent 990 form filed, for the 12 months ending September 30, 2021, the Utah Pride Center reported revenues of $2,116,293 and expenses of $1,845,793 — a net gain of $270,500.

Nearly 87% of those revenues, $1,839,120, were from contributions and grants. Most of the rest came from program services — including Utah Pride Festival admissions and fees for mental health counseling.

Editor’s note • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.