Membership Responsibilities

Be an active participant in your own treatment with your case worker, therapist, and/or psychiatrist, including speaking openly and honestly about medications you may be prescribed.  If you do not have a therapist and want one, we can assist you.  We require that you sign a Release of Information form allowing us to speak with your mental health provider

Being an active participant in the running of  the club

Abide by the Code of Conduct; safety is the responsibility of every community member

Attend the club whenever you need to; there is no attendance requirement

Be patient and kind to everyone.  Be courteous and respectful to club members and staff

Membership Activities and Services
 As a member of Rainbow Heights Club, you are entitled to the following:

Support, friendship, and social interaction

Respect and acceptance from both members and staff

Participation in a range of support groups facilitated by skilled professional staff

One-on-one support from club staff

One-on-one computer assistance and benefits and entitlements referrals

Limited free access to the internet and other Computer Room services

Dinner daily at 4PM and afternoon & evening snacks

Transportation assistance of $2.00

Code of Conduct, Rainbow Heights Club, updated March 2011

Rainbow Heights Club is a mental health agency that provides advocacy and psychosocial support to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adults with mental illness.  Our goal is to help everyone here to be safe and accepted.

To ensure the safety and comfort of our community, please…

Be patient and kind to everyone.  Be courteous and respectful to staff and other club members.

Help to keep each other safe.  Please notify staff immediately if you feel unsafe, physically or emotionally.

Protect everyone’s confidentiality, inside and outside of the club.  Refrain from gossiping.

Act like you’re in a professional environment, because you are

Don’t take things personally and agree to disagree

Some members of our community have experienced sexual trauma, so we work to prevent sexual harassment or behavior of any kind while you are at the club.  “Hello” hugs and “hello” kisses are fine, but always ask permission first.  In discussion of sex and relationships, please be aware and considerate of the sensitivities of the members around you.  Any kind of intimate behavior is not appropriate behavior for the club and can lead to suspension or expulsion

Some members of our community have experienced physical abuse and/or violence, so we work to prevent actions that may be triggering by refraining from violent words or threats, and depictions of explicit violence (e.g. in media that we watch, music that we play, etc). 

Don’t direct profanities toward others and be aware that excessive use of profanity may be offensive to some members.   

Good hygiene is important in a community setting.  Maintain good personal hygiene by taking a shower and laudering your clothes regularly.

Don’t come to the club if you are ill to prevent the spread of illness.  Wash your hands regularly or use hand sanitizer available in the kitchen.

Always clean up after yourself in all areas of the club. 

ALL food in the kitchen is reserved for meals.  Please do not use any food without checking with staff first.

Use proper hygiene at all times when working in the kitchen (see guidelines posted in kitchen for details)

Wash your hands and take off your coat before handling food or entering the kitchen

Keep your valuables on you at all times, or lock them in a locker.  Rainbow Heights Club cannot be responsible for your personal belongings

If you use a locker, take your belongings and your lock home with you at the end of the day.  Any items left in a locker may be discarded.

Don’t come to the club if you have been drinking alcohol or are high.  Rainbow Heights Club maintains a drug and alcohol free environment to support our members who are maintaining non-use. 

You may bring a visitor as a guest to the club, but you should explain to them that this is a club for LGBTQ people who are mental health consumers, and they should be introduced to a staff member.  Your guest can come to the club only once a month and may not use the computers.

Members come from a variety of identities and experience and we support and respect these identities here.  This includes always respecting and using the chosen names, pronouns (e.g. he, she, something else), and identities (e.g. lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, same gender loving, etc) that people share with us. 

Keep a low profile as you enter and leave the building to maintain confidentiality and safety. Don’t stand in front of the building to smoke; walk down the block or to the curb. 

Staff members are not allowed to date or have relationships with club members, socialize with members outside the club, do business with members, lend money or give cigarettes to members or visit members at their homes.

The following items will lead to immediate suspension and/or termination from the club:

Don’t bring weapons, street drugs or alcohol to the club

Don’t engage in any criminal activity, including theft, or the use or sale of drugs

Don’t engage in any kind of violence or the threat of violence

Don’t engage in any kind of sexual or intimate behavior at the club

Don’t use the Internet to view sexually explicit images or content, including sexually explicit chat rooms

Don’t engage in any kind of racist, sexist, homophobic, heterophobic, biphobic, or transphobic behavior or speech.  The club has a zero tolerance policy for this behavior.