LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) – As Jason DeShazo walks around the Rose Dynasty Center, it’s clear that to him it’s more than just a building.
It’s a dream come true.
“I don’t think a day went by where I wasn’t walking down the hallway and literally panicking and getting emotional that this is something I’ve dreamed of my whole life,” he said.
DeShazo has tried to find a safe place her whole life.
Since 2000, he has been performing cross-dressed as “Mama Ashley Rose” and in recent years has become one of Polk County’s most vocal supporters of the LGBTQ+ movement.
“I believe it’s important for everyone to know that they are loved, accepted and needed, no matter who they are,” he said.
“Loved, Accepted, Wanted” is the motto of the Rose Dynasty Center, the first physical location in partnership with DeShazo’s nonprofit organization, the Rose Dynasty Foundation.
“Not only is this our first official building in our seven years as an organization, but it’s also Lakeland’s first LGBTQ+ center,” DeShazo said.
He said many members of Polk County’s LGBTQ+ community travel to Orlando or Tampa for medical care and therapy, and the Rose Dynasty Center will have LGBTQ+-focused therapists on-site and a primary care provider on-site one day a week.
The services will be provided through a partnership with Orlando-based Pineapple Healthcare. Copays for primary care visits will be up to $40, and patients can be seen with or without insurance.
It also offers free HIV and STD testing Tuesday through Friday and provides a community space for performances, events, classes and meetings.
“We’re starting queer support groups for people over 55, recovery groups, trans groups,” DeShazo said.
The center’s book section is stacked with books that have been removed from library shelves in recent years.
“Books about LGBTQ+ history, books about trans and non-binary people, like ‘I Am Jazz,'” DeShazo said.
In December 2022, neo-Nazi protesters disrupted a Rose Dynasty Foundation event in Lakeland, and DeShazo said the group spent $10,000 on security for the event last year.
“We need to do that. We need to protect ourselves and our people, but that $10,000 could have been donated to other charities years ago,” he said.
The new center’s safety plan includes both security guards and undercover officers. DeShazo said he has been in communication with Lakeland police about the new center and that off-duty officers are also part of his safety plan.
“We have a good relationship with the Rose Dynasty Center and have worked with them in the past,” a Lakeland police spokesman said. “At this time, there are no indications of concern.”
DeShazo said he is determined to continue on his path and continue serving Polk County.
“We’re not going anywhere and it’s not just about me. Polk County and the surrounding communities have demonstrated admirably over the last two years since the Nazis showed up that, number one, they know we need this and, number two, they support what we’re doing,” he said.
The grand opening will be held Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. at 1253 Memorial Blvd.
