The Carolinas, as well as the U.S., are filled with scores of LGBTQ-focused support and family groups to provide a shoulder or welcoming arms for those in the community who seek the solace of safety.
With the current political climate, the need for supportive groups for youth has never been more crucial. And, LGBTQ youth have specific needs both at home and at school, in addition to the world at large.
For students, gay-straight alliances have been a key component to make an uncomfortable situation more palatable. Not only are they front and center for them while they are engaged in their academic endeavors, but they provide a social outlet as well.
• • • • •
Gay-Straight Alliance Network contacts for both North and South Carolina are:
Time Out Youth GSA Network
Charlotte, N.C.
timeoutyouth.org.
South Carolina GSA Network
Columbia, S.C.
scequality.org.
These two organizations will also have other youth-related resources available for those who seek other options.
• • • • •
Other organizations that help to support youth, both regionally and nationally are:
ASPYRE Youth Leadership Camp
The mission of the A Safer Place for Youth to Reach for Excellence (ASPYRE) Leadership Camp is to empower young members of the LGBTQ community and their allies to achieve personal growth through advocacy and activism while making a positive impact in their communities. A program of the LGBT Community Center of Raleigh.
bit.ly/2gv1cNn.
Campus Pride
National organization supporting secondary and post-secondary students.
campuspride.org.
Gay Straight Advocates for Education Greensboro
Organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA youth with an emphasis on creating safe educational environments for ALL youth.
gsafe.org.
GLSEN
Leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students.
glsen.org.
iNSIDEoUT & Upsidedown
A youth-led and youth-founded organization located in the Triangle. Supports two difference age groups.
insideout180.org.
insideout180.org/upsidedown.
It Gets Better Project
The It Gets Better Project’s mission is to communicate to LGBTQ youth around the world that it gets better, and to create and inspire the changes needed to make it better for them.
itgetsbetter.org.
LGBT Youth Allies
An online resource that provides information on LGBTQ youth organizations nationwide.
youthallies.com.
Matthew Shepard Foundation
Matthew’s Place
An online community designed to provide support to teens and young adults within sexual orientation and gender identity minorities as well as their allies.
matthewsplace.com.
National Safe Place Program
An outreach program designed to provide access to immediate help and safety for all youth in crisis.
nationalsafeplace.org.
North Star LGBTQ Community Center
Youth Programs
The center provides a safe space for LGBTQ youth 24 and younger to get connected and empowered. Its purpose is to build a strong queer, youth community through education, creative and performing arts, and community events.
bit.ly/2mWZQOo.
OUTright Youth of Catawba Valley
Provides a safe environment for LGBTQ youth and their allies.
outrightyouthcv.org.
PRISM Charlotte
Provides a safe social space for LGBTQ young adults in the Charlotte area.
prismclt.tumblr.com.
QORDS
Queer Oriented Radical Days of Summer (QORDS) empowers Southern queer and transgender youth to build community through music. It is a vehicle for expressing gender and sexuality, and harbors an environment of self-discovery and social change. It hosts a summer camp program.
qords.org.
Queer Lab
Elsewhere Museum provides a youth-led media program exploring LGBTQ experience in North Carolina. It publishes I Don’t Do Boxes, a youth-focused zine dedicated to presenting stories of LGBTQ experience in the South.
goelsewhere.org/queerlab.
Queer NC
Connects youth in rural and urban areas of N.C. by providing a safe space both online and in person for teens to talk about their ideas, find resources and get help with problems that they face. A program of the LGBT Community Center of Raleigh.
bit.ly/2nFMxz3.
Safe Schools NC
A statewide group focused on training school professionals to work effectively with LGBTQ students.
safeschoolsnc.org.
Time Out Youth Center
The Queen City’s resource and support center for youth education, empowerment and more.
timeoutyouth.org.
The Trevor Project
Leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBT) young people.
thetrevorproject.org.
Youth OUTLOUD
A safe space for LGBTQ youth and their allies in the Midlands, S.C. area.
harriethancockcenter.org/yol.
Youth OUTright
Youth advocacy and leadership organization located in Western North Carolina.
youthoutright.org.
YouthSAFE
A Greensboro-based organization provides an environment for LGBTQIA youth to find community, share resources and build skills for responding creatively to the world around them.
youthsafegso.org.
• • • • •
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) groups are also an asset in helping the community to provide much-needed support and education for those who would otherwise lack the guidance and camaraderie so necessary when raising an LGBT child. They also serve as organizations that advocate for equal rights.
PFLAG chapters in North Carolina are:
PFLAG Alamance
Elon, N.C.
pflagalamance.org.
PFLAG Charlotte
Charlotte, N.C.
pflagcharlotte.org.
PFLAG Concord/Kannapolis
Kannapolis, NC
ckpflag@gmail.com.
PFLAG Flat Rock/Hendersonville
Flat Rock, N.C.
community.pflag.org/flatrockhendersonville.
PFLAG Gaston
Gastonia, N.C.
pflaggaston.org.
PFLAG Greensboro
Greensboro, N.C.
pflaggreensboro.org.
PFLAG Greenville
Greenville, N.C.
pflag@outgreenville.com.
PFLAG Hickory
Hickory, N.C.
pflaghickory@gmail.com.
PFLAG High Point
High Point, N.C
facebook.com/pflag.highpoint.
PFLAG Lenoir
Lenoir, N.C.
pflagcaldwellcounty@gmail.com.
PFLAG Raleigh-Durham/Triangle
Durham, N.C.
pflagtriangle.org.
PFLAG Rocky Mount
Rocky Mount, N.C.
pflagrm@aol.com.
PFLAG Salisbury/ Rowan
Salisbury, N.C.
facebook.com/salisburyrowan.pflag.
PFLAG Wilmington/Cape Fear
Wilmington, N.C.
pflagwilmingtonnc.org.
PFLAG Winston-Salem
Winston Salem, N.C.
pflagws.org.
PFLAG chapter in South Carolina are:
PFLAG Aiken
Aiken, S.C.
pflagaiken.org.
PFLAG Columbia
Columbia, S.C.
cola.pflag@gmail.com.
PFLAG Greenville
Greer, S.C.
pflagupstatesc.org.
PFLAG Spartanburg
Spartanburg, S.C.
pflagupstatesc.org.
• • • • •
University LGBTQ support and resource center programs and organizations offered across the Carolinas for their LGBTQ sudents, allies and staff are:
Alliance
University of North Carolina at Asheville
facebook.com/groups/AllianceUNCA.
CPCC Spectrum Club
facebook.com/groups/CPCCSpectrum.
LGBT Legal Society
Charlotte School of Law
bnicholson@charlottelaw.edu.
Duke LGBT Network
Duke University
studentaffairs.duke.edu/csgd.
LGBTQA Community Resources
Davidson College
bit.ly/2nx22rX.
Gender & LGBTQIA Center
Elon University
elon.edu/e-web/students/lgbtq/.
Gender Equity Center
Johnson & Wales University
jwu.edu/content.aspx?id=62480.
GLoBAL
Winthrop University
winthrop.edu/studentorgs/default.aspx?id=6197.
GLBT Center
North Carolina State University
ncsu.edu/glbt.
GLBTQA Resource Center
Guilford College
guilford.edu/academics/multicultural-ed/bayard-rustin-center/index.aspx.
Henderson Springs LGBT Center
Appalachian State University
lgbt.appstate.edu.
Sexuality and Gender Alliance
Western Carolina University
orgsync.com/97391/chapter.
LGBT Center
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
lgbtq.unc.edu.
LGBT Resource Center
East Carolina University
ecu.edu/cs-cas/lgbt/.
LGBTQ Resource Center
North Carolina Central University
nccu.edu/lgbta/.
LGBTQ Center
Wake Forest University
lgbtq.wfu.edu.
Multicultural Resource Center
UNC Charlotte
mrc.uncc.edu.
Pride
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
bit.ly/2oqbOjP.
Safe
Queens University
safequeensgsa.wordpress.com.
This list is not fully comprehensive and qnotes welcomes input so that the list provides accurate information and current resources to remain its integrity. Email editor@qnotescarolinas.com to make changes or additions.