About Us

The Spahr Center’s office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

Many of our programs occur outside of these administrative hours.

By providing my phone number to 'The Spahr Center,' I agree and acknowledge that 'The Spahr Center' may send text messages to my wireless phone number for any purpose. Message and data rates may apply. We will only send one SMS as a reply to you, and you will be able to Opt-out by replying 'STOP'. For more information on how your data will be handled, please view or download our full Privacy Policy <here>.

The Spahr Center provides critical, life-saving services to some immunocompromised communities. Therefore, we require all program participants to be fully vaccinated, including a bivalent booster. Unvaccinated community members are required to wear a mask.

The Spahr Center acknowledges that we are located in present-day San Rafael, California on the original and unceded lands of the Coast Miwok people. We honor the land itself, and all of its ancestors: past, present, and emerging. We recognize our ethical responsibility as stewards of the land we are located on, and we pledge to take that responsibility seriously.

Access and inclusion for people with disabilities is central to our mission. Many of our community group meetings are hybrid, with closed captioning available. Our in-person programs occur in ADA accessible spaces. All of our restrooms are single-person, lockable, all-gender restrooms. Additionally, we utilize image descriptions to accompany social media and website content.

If you have access needs related to receiving services or participating in programs, please contact Fel at agrelius@thespahrcenter.org at least 48 hours prior.

The Spahr Center’s mission is to celebrate and support LGBTQ+ and HIV community members throughout Marin County. Audre Lorde once wrote, “we do not live single-issue lives,” and we are committed to applying disability justice, racial justice, and gender justice lenses to all of our programs and services.

The Spahr Center was created in 2016 from a merger between Marin AIDS Project and Spectrum LGBTQ+ Center. Spectrum began in 1982 as Ministry of Light, founded by Rev. Dr. Jane Spahr and Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns Pacific Region, which was sponsored by five Presbyterian churches in Marin.

In 1984, Ministry of Light launched the Marin AIDS Support Network to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Marin. Volunteers provided supportive counseling and HIV education for health care professionals and the general public and established a 24-hour hotline.

Over the years, The Spahr Center, in all its previous names, has provided important programs and services throughout Marin, including pride festivals and parades, youth services, HIV prevention and care, training, and senior programs. In 1994 this group grew into its own organization, Marin AIDS Project.

Today, The Spahr Center honors the trailblazing LGBTQ+ and HIV community activists whose vision and dedication over four decades have laid the groundwork upon which we stand.