Welcoming Schools October Book of the Month

Reading is one of the most powerful ways to model inclusion and nurture empathy. Welcoming Schools created the Book of the Month series to foster compassionate dialogue and elevate joyful stories of authentic LGBTQ+ lives, building monthly engagement and momentum leading up to our National Day of Reading each February. This month, we’re reading “Edie…

South Carolina is driving queer students away

South Carolina is an increasingly hostile place for queer people to live, especially trans youth and their parents. According to OutLeadership, the Palmetto State is one of the five worst states in the nation for LGBTQ+ people. In the fall of 2024, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of a youth identified as…

Parental rights at risk

If you are not the biological parent of the child you and your same sex spouse had together and you haven’t done an adoption, you are at risk, even if you are on the birth certificate.  Although not a North Carolina case, look up Oklahoma Wilson and Williams v Vaughn. It is heartbreaking. A similar…

LGBTQ+ youth organizations and support in the Carolinas

Every LGBTQ+ young person deserves access to affirming spaces where they can find support, build community and be themselves. This guide highlights some of the organizations, community centers and PFLAG chapters serving LGBTQ+ youth and families in North and South Carolina. Whether you’re looking for a support group, mental health resources or family support, these…

Trans families sue SC over law blocking gender-affirming care

House Bill 4624 was signed into law by SC Governor Henry McMaster on May 21. Credit: Facebook In opposition of a recent ruling that bans gender-affirming healthcare in South Carolina, transgender residents are suing the state to stop the new law. Signed into law by Governor Henry McMaster on May 21, House Bill 4624 prevents…

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The search for an LGBTQ-friendly college remains difficult

For nearly two decades, LGBTQ+ students looking for a college could turn to the Campus Pride Index for something most college rankings didn’t provide: a way to evaluate how welcoming and safe a campus might actually be for them.  Launched in 2007, the free database evaluated participating colleges on more than 50 measures across eight…

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When we talk about LGBTQ+ history, it’s easy to think about the names, protests, court cases and political victories that made it into history books. But what about everything else? The photographs somebody kept for decades. The flyer from a queer bar that no longer exists. An old Pride program. A newspaper. A box of…

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