Near the corner of 18th Street and Castro, there is a community hub with full-length glass windows containing sleek mod furnishings, vibrant artwork and is often packed with dozens of men of all ages discussing social topics, reading poetry, or even salsa dancing.

This vibrant Castro locale, Magnet, can be more easily referred to as a free clinic for gay males, but this center has dedicated itself to be more -- a community group dedicated to the total health of gay males.

In the hopes of reducing the stigma related to gay health clinics, Magnet creator Steve Gibson set out to create an asset to the community that would bring more people in and make this more of an inviting place to be.

"I knew that to support the health of the people, you had to support the health of the community," Gibson said. "If we make this a community center, then it will be okay to walk in."

Gibson has aspired to create the "Cheers" of male health clinics.

Magnet is preparing for several events that revolve or comment on the theme of Valentine's Day for the month of February.

One art event includes Jeremy Chase Sanders' and Doyle Johnson's art show, "Cum-rags and Glory Holes", which will run from Feb 6 until the end of the month.

For this series, the creators mailed hand-made rags to men who in turn use them in a photo or video on X-Tube, an adult website modeled after YouTube, then mailed it back for use in the exhibit.

Another popular event at Magnet is Kirk Read and Larry-Bob Roberts' open mikes. During Smack Dab, everyone who signs up is able to do whatever they please for three to five minutes.

"Doing the event is kind of like a potluck meal ¬-- you never know what people will bring to it, but there's usually a few gourmet dishes," Roberts said.

Read and Roberts were inspired to start these opportunities for community members after other successful performance spaces in the Castro, such as Josie's Cabaret and the Juice Joint, closed and left a void.

Smack Dab wrangles in approximately 40 to 60 people each time it occurs at Magnet. Read has also started the all non-profit, queer artist group Army of Lovers, which will be exhibiting artwork at Magnet later this year.

Many of the Smack Dab participants have noticed the great breadth of the content covered during the open mikes.

"There's not much in the world that isn't touched on by someone's five-minute turn at the mic," said longtime participant,Sean O'Driscoll. "Smack Dab is primarily gay-oriented, but it is a great evening for anyone with an open mind."

"Our events have just about the broadest age representation of any queer event I've been to, from college age up to octogenarians," Read said.

The events at Magnet are not just an outlet for the community, but also a new way to get people in their doors to learn more about the free services and reduce the stigma often connected with gay health clinics.

"Men aren't socialized to go to the doctor and check on their health," Gibson said. "I can only hope that these efforts will allow men to gain the knowledge and get the help they need to be the healthiest members of our community that they can be."