Missouri-born musical artist Chappell Roan has announced the launch of a new project supporting LGBTQ+ communities throughout the country — including two community centers in Missouri.
In her announcement, Roan wrote that The Midwest Princess Project will provide support and resources for transgender youth, as well as the LGBTQ+ community as a whole.
She added that she partnered with several LGBTQ+ groups during her latest tour and intends to donate additional money to at least six organizations, including several in New York City, Los Angeles and Missouri.
Mel Constantine Miseo is a board member at The Center Project, an LGBTQ+ community center based in Columbia, and one of the intended recipients. They said it’s important that Roan is bringing awareness to Midwest community centers.
“I think it's so awesome that she's highlighting centers in the Midwest,” Constantine Miseo said. “There's usually a lot of national attention towards centers on the coasts … but it's also so needed here in the Midwest where we're under political attack, where we don't have as many resources to do, like, big things.”
The Center Project provides community resources, such as a basic needs pantry and a gender affirming closet, as well as opportunities for community gathering. Constantine Miseo said they host a queer youth group, a regular “Coffee with Queers” event and a “Gender Blender” for trans and non-binary adults.
They said an influx of funding from organizations, such as The Midwest Princess Project, will allow the center to reach more people in mid-Missouri.
In 2023, Missouri passed a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors, and Constantine Miseo said this has led to families driving to neighboring states for care and has negatively impacted the mental health of trans youth.
“Finding community is life-saving,” Constantine Miseo said. “To know that you're not alone, to know that you don't have to be hidden, that there are people who love you and support you and want to see you thrive and grow. That saves lives.”
Constantine Miseo said the funding from the Midwest Princess Project hasn’t come yet, but could be used to hire an executive director and expand programming.
Aaron Schekorra is the executive director of the other Missouri organization Roan selected. The Glo Center is located in Springfield, Missouri — near Roan’s hometown of Willard.
He said they hope to use money from Roan’s Midwest Princess Project to start queer youth groups in the rural communities surrounding Springfield, such as West Plains, Miller, Branson, Joplin, Nevada and more.
“We feel that it's our mission and our job and our obligation to reach out to those grassroots organizations,” Schekorra said. “[We want to] get into those spaces with them, figure out what it is that they need, how best we can support them to create something sustainable for their community.”
Schekorra said the majority of the Glo Center’s funding comes from private donations and local grants, which is why donations and awareness of the organization are both beneficial.
He said The Midwest Princess Project is especially exciting for the center because it isn’t just a one-time check, but instead is creating the possibility of funding that is more “consistent and sustainable and long term.”
“Raising that awareness — like, it is hard to put into words the impact that her support has had, because it goes way beyond just that money,” Schekorra said. “It's raising that awareness, having that conversation about the Midwest and about the queer culture and communities here in the Midwest.”
Schekorra said this is not the first gift Roan has made to the center. She donated $27,484 following several stops of her Midwest Princess tour last year.
