The Shanghai Gender / Sexuality Cultural Center recently opened its doors to Shanghai’s LGBT community. Also known as the Rainbow Center (696 Weihai Lu, Building 11, Room 412), it’s a comprehensive activity space that is open to the public (gay or gay-friendly), where different communities can communicate, hold activities and share resources.

Beijing and other big cities around the world already have such centers, which serve as bridges, connecting LGTB organizations, and as platforms to showcase the community. The center is open Thursday to Sunday, and at other times by appointment, but they’re still finalizing opening times and the exact schedule of events, so call first before heading down.

“Before the center was established, it took us a lot of time to find an appropriate place to organize activities,” says Sophia Slayer, one of the core members of the Rainbow Center who’s responsible for organizing projects and foreign affairs. “Now the center provides a fixed place to hold events and a stable group of volunteers who can organize the activities with us.”

Upcoming free events include an English Salon for Chinese speakers to improve their communication skills and a Chinese Salon for expats to learn Mandarin. Both are 1.5 hours long and will probably be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A drag king workshop will be held this month to teach you how to be the sassiest diva in town, including how to dress to like a prince and roar like a lion.

Ongoing events include Feminism Salons (every other Saturday afternoon, from 2:30pm) which offer participants a stage to discuss lala issues and participate in or watch various performances, the most recent of which was based on the Vagina Monologues. For aspiring actors, the center also has a Theater Salon (alternate Saturdays, 2:30pm). A volunteer who majored in theater performance guides this thespian adventure.

A collection of books and videos on gender and sexuality in English and Mandarin are also available to browse for free.

The center is mainly funded by public donations and run by volunteers from locally based organizations. Volunteers and project directors are desperately needed, so get in touch if you have some time on your hands and want to help out. They are particularly interested if you have a skills such as web development, marketing or events coordination. Email: rainbowcenter.sh@gmail.com.