On June 7, 2025, Trevor Preisel sought to support his local LGBTQ+ community in New Castle, PA, 26 miles outside Pittsburgh. Preisel hosted New Castle’s first-ever Pride event.
New Castle Pride was a grand slam. It featured sixteen performers, a wide range of vendors, and strong community support. Preisel said, “Central Outreach showed up to test people. We had help from the New Castle Public Library. Between 1,500 and 2,000 people showed up.”
Success pushed Preisel to do more for his community. He formed the New Castle Prism Initiative. “The organization is named Prism because prisms produce rainbows, and I wanted to shine a light on my community,” says Preisel.
The New Castle Prism Initiative is an LGBTQIA+ outreach program dedicated to uplifting and advocating for queer people in the Lawrence County area. Through mutual aid, education, community events, and direct community action, celebrating the whole spectrum.
The Initiative meets in the basement of the Third Independent Presbyterian Church. It offers a list of social events, including a book club for which the New Castle Public Library has procured books, movie nights, drag bingo, and more. Preisel said, “While we meet at the church, we’re not affiliated with any religious organization. We welcome everyone.”
The Initiative operates independently of the church. However, the church’s pastor, David Dean III, who identifies as a gay man, is committed to helping the LGBTQIA+ community. The New Castle Prism Initiative leverages the David Dean Foundation’s nonprofit status to solicit donations through its DBA, allowing the new nonprofit to operate under the Foundation’s umbrella.
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Preisel is now the executive director of the New Castle Prism Initiative, which has a five-person operating board, all volunteer positions. He said, “We [The New Castle Prism Initiative] have free support groups; a general LGBTQ+ one, a trans support group, one for elders in the community, and a support group for the parents of LGBTQ+ people. Jodi D’Andrea [the Director of Trans Gender Care at the New Castle Prism Initiative] also runs a trans coalition support group in the church basement.”
Director of Operations Chantz Fedrizzi sought a volunteer opportunity for New Castle’s first Pride event. They got involved through the Community Greeter Team, a Youngstown community organization started in 2023 in response to an instance of right-wing violence against a guest at a local Pride festival. The Greeters provide trained individuals in de-escalation, marshaling, and crowd management for local events. These individuals offer a friendly face to guests and are members of the safety team, interacting with hosts, guests, and community members in a supportive and affirming manner. Fedrizzi said, “If someone got hurt and needed a band-aid or additional first aid, we would help.”
Through the Greeters, Fedrizzi met Preisel, which led to greater involvement with the New Castle Prism Initiative.
Fedrizzi lamented the closure of the only operating gay nightclub in the area, Club Switch in Youngstown, Ohio, just over the Pennsylvania state line. When Youngstown’s Club Switch closed in May 2025 due to a lease agreement dispute, the local LGBTQ+ community had no place to go.
Fedrizzi said, “Since Club Switch was closed, we started ‘Doll’s Night’ to give our drag performers a safe and affirming place to go. A place where they can be who they are.”
Now, Fedrizzi helps oversee every part of the New Castle Prism Initiative’s food pantry and supports the Pauly Likens Memorial Sanctuary, named after a transgender teenager who was murdered in the area, which helps provide clothes, cosmetics, hygiene products, and assistance for transgender people to live as their authentic selves. Fedrizzi also supports groups and has numerous behind-the-scenes responsibilities.
The New Castle Prism Initiative has already begun planning its next Pride event. Preisel said, “We want to create safe spaces in New Castle. We are hosting a health fair and expanding educational services.”
Fedrizzi added, “In the last six or so months, we’ve become a close-knit group. The New Castle Prism Initiative has become our chosen family.”
Preisel said, “We are here. We are proud. You are not alone, and we’re not going anywhere.”
On December 20, the New Castle Prism Initiative will host “Doll’s Night, a night for trans women and the people who love them.” The event features performers Gawdess, Jodi, Anntagonist, and Bella DeBall at the Westside Bowl in Youngstown, Ohio.
You can find the New Castle Prism Initiative at the Third Independent Presbyterian Church in New Castle, Pennsylvania. For additional information, check their Facebook page or visit their website, newcastlepride.org.