Introduction to this Resource Guide :

Hello readers! Welcome to this Resource Guide! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Archive and the people I’ve introduced you to (perhaps for the first time?) Since my Archive focuses on activism and young people, I wanted to continue that theme and provide some resources for the community of people involved in activism, those who are still students, and those who are seeking, still on their way to “coming out”, and finding their community with the rest of the LGBTQA+ family.

The GSA Network and GLSEN are specifically aimed at youth and youth leaders, and providing safe environments for young people. Because LGBTQ+ teens attempt and commit suicide at an alarmingly high rate, I’ve also highlighted The Trevor Project. As the nation’s leading organization for crisis intervention and suicide prevention, TP is uniquely situated to provide LGBTQ+ young people with the support they need in their darkest moments.

Since I’m an advocate for every person seeking to be their most healthy and best selves – I’ve included This Free Life’s Campaign which advocates a tobacco free life. Additionally, CenterLink @ LGBTcenters.org is provided below. This network of LGBT Centers allows seekers to find their local center for a multitude of resources and community events. Finally and most interestingly to me – the ACLU. I work in the legal field and chose to include advocates for the LGBTQ+ community.

I hope you choose to continue reading below about these organizations. Head over to their websites and find out more!

1. The Trevor Project
WHAT: The Trevor Project was birthed from the idea of providing assistance and community to groups of people in crisis. The name “Trevor” came from a film about a 13 year old boy who is a stereotypical lover of musical theater and Diana Ross and people around him put him in a “box” of identity (read: gay.) The short film chronicles Trevor’s story. 

The Trevor Project is the ONLY organization of its kind to offer 24-hour assistance specifically to the LGBTQ community with volunteers who are trained to help them. Their mission is to, “… end suicide among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people.” This comes in many forms, including training adults and allies and providing resources for schools.

Prizeo.com

WHY: This resource is crucially important for young people (Millennials) and specifically those within the LGBTQ+ community as they face mental health issues, crises about coming out in non-safe environments, and education environments where bullying is unchecked. Many of the content creators / activists featured on my archive have done great work with the Trevor Project.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “Founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award®-winning short film TREVOR, The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.”

2. This Free Life
WHAT: “The Free Life” is a campaign specifically focused on young people, reaching them where they are, with information about the effects of tobacco and the tools to quit. They provide apps and challenges, online forums, and so much more to help educate this generation about the dangers of smoking and help them make healthier choices.

WHY: Despite the fact that the dangers of tobacco use have been well-known for decades now, smoking is still a common bad habit and one that effects the LGBT community. Because addiction is something that is not often overcome without help or without continued assistance, resources like “The Free Life” are vital to those who struggle. Community is important, tracking achievement and the “wins,” and knowing you aren’t alone.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “This Free Life is a campaign that works to prevent and reduce tobacco use among young adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). We focus on tobacco because of the damage it is causing. Think about all the progress we’ve made. We’ve simply come too far to set ourselves back by using tobacco. This Free Life helps LGBT young adults achieve their best by encouraging them to live tobacco-free.”
The .gif below is ME! from Chicago Pride on Saturday, June 24 where I participated in ThisFreeLife’s tobacco knowledge challenge, won a cool wristband and met some new friends!

3. CenterLink @ LGBTcenters.org
WHAT: This website provides a lot of resources, but ultimately, they are listed here because they have a way to search your geographical area for a LGBT Center closest to you!

WHY: I have said this so many times on this Archive because I personally feel that it is a crucial piece of the puzzle here — but finding “community” is important when people feel “alone” in their lives. LGBT Centers are a place for people to gather, volunteer, congregate, socialize, seek therapy and health resources – for closeted people of any age, or any person who feels on the “outside” or the “other”, or even those who are just looking for their “tribe” (heeey Nico Tortorella! “And I think labels are really important for kids, especially, [who] can’t find their tribe where they are, and need to go find their people, their family. For that reason, I think labels are extremely important.”) These are important safe spaces for the LGTBQ+ community in a country where they are still not fully protected. They also provide great health screenings and mental health resources that are not always readily available to LGBTQ persons.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “CenterLink develops strong, sustainable LGBT community centers and builds a thriving center network that creates healthy, vibrant communities.”

4. GLSEN

from GLSEN.com

WHAT: GLSEN partners with schools to help provide curriculum to educators about creating safe spaces, LGBT-inclusive environments, and respectful language and labels. They specifically sponsor student-led programs to empower students and allow them to be positive impact-makers in their communities.

WHY: Some of the folks highlighted in my Archive have also worked with GLSEN. Organizations like this provide great information and tools that are tangible and useful for educators and students to effect change.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “GLSEN (pronounced “glisten”) was founded in 1990 by a small, but dedicated group of teachers in Massachusetts who came together to improve an education system that too frequently allows its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) students to be bullied, discriminated against, or fall through the cracks. Over 25 years later, that small group has grown into the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe and affirming schools for LGBTQ students.”

5. GSA Network
WHAT: While “GSA” has historically stood for “Gay-Straight” Alliance, the GSA Network has welcomed the expansion of terms such as “Genders & Sexualities Alliance, Queer Students Alliance, Pride Club, etc.” This network is exactly what is sounds like – a network of clubs and groups that bring together people of differing identities, genders, sexualities, and races to empower them to work toward a healthy environment for all.

From Indiana’s GSA Network Website

WHY: I think this is another great resource for students, educators, parents, potential volunteers and more.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “GSA Network is a next-generation LGBTQ racial and gender justice organization that empowers and trains queer, trans and allied youth leaders to advocate, organize, and mobilize an intersectional movement for safer schools and healthier communities.”

6. The ACLU

ACLU.org

WHAT: Because I work in the legal field, I wanted to include some legal resources for those in the LGBTQ+ community. The ACLU defends the Constitution and fights for equality for the rights and liberties of everyone in the United States.

WHY: In an increasingly hostile time in American society, I think it’s important for LGBTQ people to understand their rights and be ready to fight for them. Knowing that there are organizations out there dedicated to fighting with you — that means the world and that is why this piece of my Resource Guide is one my favorites.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “For nearly 100 years, the ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.

Whether it’s achieving full equality for LGBT people, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age of widespread government surveillance, ending mass incarceration, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach.

With more than 2 million members, activists, and supporters, the ACLU is a nationwide organization that fights tirelessly in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., to safeguard everyone’s rights.”