How To Find Your Local LGBT Community Center

Across the world, countless queer youths rely on LGBTQ centers for services and community building. But even though we have seen incredible strides in the last few years toward acceptance, the numbers still show that LGBTQ people continue to be discriminated against.

Research from the Center for American Progress shows that 25 percent of queer people reported discrimination in 2016. Between 11 percent and 28 percent of LGB workers report losing a promotion simply because of their sexual orientation, and 27 percent of transgender workers report being fired, not hired, or denied a promotion in the past year.

A January 2017 survey showed that in 2016, discrimination remained a widespread threat to LGBTQ people’s well-being, health, and economic security. This is why LGBTQ community centers are crucial.

When the first LGBTQ community centers opened in 1971 in Los Angeles, Calif. and Albany, N.Y., they became a refuge for those who desperately needed a place to call home. Throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, gay men and lesbians had been one of the least-liked groups in the country, with 75 percent of people saying they disapproved of homosexuality. In 1998, only 58 percent of Americans claimed to have even known a “gay friend or acquaintance.”

In 2016, the Pew Research Center reported that number had grown to 87 percent.

LGBTQ centers were leading the fight during the AIDS crisis, when the disease wreaked havoc on millions of people’s lives. That fight continues today, and is immensely led by the incredible services offered at local centers.

Today, the community center movement has reached numerous small cities. According to LGBTCenters.org, by 2000 nearly half the 100 community centers were their area's only staffed non-profit LGBTQ presence — the first point of contact for people seeking information, coming out, accessing services or organizing for political change.

From resources, leadership development, and other avenues of support where LGBT people can come, be heard, be seen, and be valued, LGBTQ centers are not only a tool, they’re at the epicenter of the entire movement.

So, how can I find a local LGBT Center? 

Thankfully, CenterLink, the community of LGBTQ centers, has made it easy for any person across the world to find their local LGBTQ community center. More often than not, they appear where you least expect them.

All you have to do is go to CenterLink by clicking HERE.

From there, you enter your address and the system will locate its nearest LGBTQ community center. Once you’ve found your local center, all it takes is a simple phone call, email, or car ride to check out the latest events or seek out the closest resources you might need. 

Check out the resources provided by GLAAD. Below are organizations that continue to fight for equality and acceptance across all communities. Support them! 

Political:

Equality Federation
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
National LGBTQ Task Force
Victory Fund

Bisexual: 

BIENESTAR
BiNetUSA
Bisexual.org
Bisexual Resource Center

Youth:

Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
GSA Network
LGBTQ Student Resources & Support
Point Foundation
Safe Schools Coalition
The Trevor Project

Military:

The American Military Partner Association (AMDA)
American Veterans for Equal Rights
OutServe-Service Members Legal Defense Network
Palm Center
Transgender American Veterans Association
Veterans for Human Rights

Transgender:

National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE)
Sylvia Rivera Law Project
Transgender Law Center
Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund

Aging:

National Resource Center for LGBT Aging
Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders (SAGE)

Legal:

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Lambda Legal
The LGBT Bar
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)

General: 

Anti-Violence Project
CenterLink
COLAGE
GMHC
Matthew Shepard Foundation
Movement Advancement Project
Out & Equal
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
Straight for Equality
The Williams Institute