Man convicted in murder of gay man in Fairfax sentenced to 28 years

The NoVA Prism Center in Oakton has emerged as a hub of LGBTQ community activism in Northern Virginia.

Leon van der Goetz, a transgender man, was an English teacher in Japan before returning to the U.S. and founding the NoVA Prism Center in 2022. The organization has been growing steadily since then.

This year, the NoVA Prism Center hosted five Pride events, including one at the end of May.

Fairfax County has helped the NoVA Prism Center put on several smaller events, and the NoVA Prism Center also hosts workshops, monthly club meetings and other events.

The NoVA Prism Center has worked with about 20,000 people despite only having an annual budget of $12,000 that comes through online and in-person donations.

“As far as I know and have researched, Nova Prism Center is the only physical space in suburban Washington (i.e. outside of Washington City) and specifically in Northern Virginia that is by the LGBTQ community, for the LGBTQ community, open 365 days a year, and does not require drinking alcohol or spending money,” van der Getz told the Washington Blade in an email. “While other public community spaces are home to bars, restaurants, support groups, and meetup groups, we are the only physical LGBT+ center within approximately a 90-minute drive.”

“Right before I came back (from Japan), I heard that Fairfax and Loudoun counties were having protests at school board meetings about books about people like me,” he said, explaining how the idea for the NoVA Prism Center was born.

The Loudoun County School Board voted to uphold then-Superintendent Scott A. Ziegler’s decision to remove two LGBTQ-themed books, “Gender Queer” and “Lawn Boy,” from school libraries following parent protests in January 2022. The school board fired Ziegler later that year following criticism over his handling of a student sexual assault.

“And it was at that moment that I decided to become a public school teacher and not be a novice teacher so early in my transition, but to establish the NoVA Prism Center as a library and community center that would specifically preserve these books and provide access to information about queer lives, stories and history,” van der Getz said.

More than a third of the community center’s library features LGBTQ-themed books that are often challenged or banned in schools. NOVA Prism Center also has a closet available to community members who don’t feel comfortable buying clothing that matches their gender identity or expression at thrift stores or retail outlets.

“It started as a binder exchange program where I started collecting chest binders for the trans male community,” van der Getz said. “When I first started my gender transition, I realized I needed more men’s clothing, and I had a mountain of women’s clothing that I wanted to get rid of.”

The NoVA Prism Center also publishes an online magazine, “The Lantern,” featuring art, poetry, and short stories by community members. Issue 1 of “The Lantern” is available on the NoVA Prism Center website, and issue 2 is available for purchase. Issue 3 of the e-magazine is currently in production.

While the NOVA Prism Center is searching for a more permanent location, the office building they are currently in will continue to be a safe place for all who attend their events.

The group hopes to raise funds for the new space during its annual fundraising event, Coming Out Gay-la, an LGBTQ prom for 18-and-overs, in October. The funds will help expand the NOVA Prism Center itself, its community programs and events.

The NoVA Prism Center will begin promoting the prom on its social media pages next month. https://www.instagram.com/novaprismcenter/ or https://www.facebook.com/NoVAPrismCenter/

Van der Getz described the NoVA Prism Center as an “oasis in the storm” for LGBTQ people who continue to face harassment and attempts to restrict their rights.

“I see people making connections, building friendships, building support systems,” he said. “I think by staying together and protecting each other, we’ll get through this.”