LGBTQ Organizations
Use the filters below to find organizations that support and serve the LGBTQ community.
Category: Community Support
Alliance For Full Acceptance (AFFA)
4900 O’Hear Ave, Ste 100 PMB 215
North Charleston, South Carolina 29405
(843) 883-0343
info@affa-sc.org
The Alliance For Full Acceptance (AFFA) is a Charleston-based nonprofit organization. Founded in 1998, AFFA is working to achieve, nurture, and defend equality and full acceptance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people throughout South Carolina. To achieve our mission, we work to build partnerships with municipal and civic leaders, legislators, medical and mental health care providers, policy makers and business leaders to advocate for awareness, protections and equality for the LGBTQ community. AFFA Action is the 501(c)(4) arm of the organization designated to promote social welfare through education, legislative advocacy and political action.
Bisexual Resource Center
brc@biresource.org
The Bisexual Resource Center envisions a world where love is celebrated, regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression. Because bisexuals today are still misunderstood, marginalized and discriminated against, the BRC is committed to providing support to the bisexual community and raising public awareness about bisexuality and bisexual people.
Harbor Camps
(781) 400-1617
Harbor Camps (formerly: Camp Aranu’tiq) was the first-ever summer camp established for transgender and non-binary/gender-nonconforming youth. Nick Teich, Ph.D., LCSW, founded Harbor Camps in 2009 as a nonprofit organization. It began as a weeklong program in 2010 at a rented site with 40 campers and has grown to serve over 900 campers each summer at its very own home in New Hampshire. Harbor Camps’ mission is to build confidence, resilience, and community for transgender & non-binary youth and their families through camp experiences. They have up to 140 campers per session, and have campers from 42 states and six countries! Their goal is never to turn away a camper or family who may not be able to attend for financial reasons.
Campaign for Southern Equality
(828) 242-1559
The Campaign for Southern Equality is working to build a South where LGBTQ people are equal in every part of life. Founded in 2011, they launched their work from a church basement in the mountains of North Carolina. Based in Asheville, NC, in the first chapter of their work, CSE was on the frontlines of efforts to win marriage equality in the South. They led the WE DO Campaign, which involved LGBTQ couples requesting – and being denied – marriage licenses in their Southern hometowns. More than 200 couples took action, with thousands of friends, family members and neighbors standing in support of them.
Today, CSE’s work includes the Legal Equality Project, focused on achieving legal equality by striking down anti-LGBTQ laws, passing pro-LGBTQ policies across the South; the Southern Equality Fund, which empowers local LGBTQ leaders across the South; and their Community Health Program, which responds to the acute and widespread need for direct services and resources for LGBTQ Southerners.
Campus Pride
(704) 277-6710
info@campuspride.org
Campus Pride serves LGBTQ and ally student leaders and campus organizations in the areas of leadership development, support programs and services to create safer, more inclusive LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities. It exists to develop, support and give “voice and action” in building future LGBTQ and ally student leaders.
CenterLink – The Community of LGBT Centers
(954) 765-6024
CenterLink, The Community of LGBT Centers – CenterLink develops strong, sustainable LGBT community centers and builds a thriving center network that creates healthy, vibrant communities. Serving over 250 LGBTQ community centers across the country in 45 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, as well as centers in Canada, China, and Australia, CenterLink assists newly forming community centers and helps strengthen existing LGBT centers, through networking opportunities for center leaders, peer-based technical assistance and training, and a variety of capacity building services. Their efforts are based on the belief that LGBT community centers are primary change agents in the national movement working toward the liberation and empowerment of LGBT people.
Charleston Black Pride
(718) 807-8599
blackpridecharleston@gmail.com
The mission of Charleston Black Pride is to create opportunities that educate, inspire, improve, and celebrate the experiences of LGBTQIA people of color. They support and provide an educational and social environment through events and forums that bring awareness, visibility and create safe spaces to expose the multifaceted lives of LGBTQIA people of color.
Charleston Pride
info@charlestonpride.org
Charleston Pride’s mission is to promote the visibility of the LGBTQ community by educating society, honoring our heritage, advocating for our culture, and celebrating our diverse society. Their purpose is to highlight the uniqueness and diversity of our community through distinct events throughout the year promoting our history and culture, including the annual Charleston Pride Parade and Festival
COLAGE
info@colage.org
COLAGE unites people with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and/or asexual parents and caregivers into a network of peers and supports them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, self-confident, and just leaders in our collective communities.
Family Equality Council
475 Park Avenue South, Suite 2100
New York, NY 10016
(646) 880.3005
Family Equality’s mission is to advance legal and lived equality for LGBTQ families, and for those who wish to form them, through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change.
Gamma Mu Foundation
info@gammamufoundation.org
The Gamma Mu Foundation was established to provide financial grants to organizations that serve clients and communities primarily in the rural and/or under-served United States. The Foundation makes available direct assistance through HIV/AIDS services, community services, or research and public education. The Foundation also awards financial support to members of the LGBT community who demonstrate financial need and the desire to pursue additional training through academic or vocational education. The Foundation’s mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of the LGBT community, primarily in rural and other under-served populations of the United States. The Foundation’s vision is the creation of an environment that promotes health, acceptance, and pride in the LGBT community and a more accepting and inclusive environment for people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Gender Benders
South Carolinainfo@genderbenders.org
Gender Benders is a grassroots organization for transgender and gender diverse folks in the Southeastern US. They are based in Upstate, SC and we have chapters and partner organizations in Hattiesburg, MS, Clemson, SC, and Hendersonville, NC. Gender Benders started as a group of 3 folks talking about what needs they had as trans and gender diverse people living in an area with no existing resources or support networks – and what they could realistically do to meet those needs with no money. Today, Gender Benders serves over 600 people from across the Southeast.
Grand Strand Pride
Myrtle Beach, SC
terry@grandstrandpride.com
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area Pride Festival, business guild and educational programming.
GSA Network
548 Market St. Suite 53568
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 552-4229
info@gsanetwork.org
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.
Harriet Hancock LGBTQ Center
1108 Woodrow Street
Columbia, SC 29205
(803) 771-7713
info@harriethancockcenter.org
The Harriet Hancock LGBT Center is a safe and inclusive home that supports, educates, and empowers the LGBT community, our allies, and our neighbors. They have a vision for South Carolina where all people are accepted and affirmed, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and LGBT people are able to live happy and healthy lives. The Harriet Hancock LGBT Center works to realize this vision in South Carolina, starting in the Greater Columbia community and Midlands region.
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
1640 Rhode Island Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 628-4160
feedback@hrc.org
The Human Rights Campaign and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation together serve as America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBTQ equality. By inspiring and engaging individuals and communities, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBTQ people and realize a world that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all. The Human Rights Campaign envisions a world where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people are ensured equality and embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
Immigration Equality
Immigration Equality is the nation’s leading LGBTQ and HIV-positive immigrant rights organization. Through direct legal services, policy advocacy, and impact litigation, we advocate for immigrants and families facing discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status.
If you are in detention, call: (917) 654-9696 | M-W 9:30 – 5:30pm & Th 1:00 – 5:30pm
Calls from people outside of detention will not be accepted.
Keshet
1860 Washington St
Newton, MA 02466
(617) 524-9227
Keshet works for the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and our families in Jewish life. They strengthen Jewish communities. Their organization equips Jewish organizations with the skills and knowledge to build LGBTQ-affirming communities, create spaces in which all queer Jewish youth feel seen and valued, and advance LGBTQ rights nationwide.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) National Help Center
(888) 843-4564
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) National Help Center, founded in 1996, is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that provides vital peer-support, community connections, and resource information to people with questions regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Utilizing a diverse group of LGBT volunteers, they operate three national hotlines, the LGBT National Hotline, the LGBT National Youth Talkline, and the LGBT National Senior Hotline as well as private, volunteer one-to-one online chat, that help both youth and adults with coming-out issues, safer-sex information, school bullying, family concerns, relationship problems and a lot more.
LGBT National Youth Talkline: (800) 246-7743 Free and Confidential peer support for the LGBTQ and questioning community ages 25 and younger.
LGBT National Senior Talkline: (888) 234-7243 Free and Confidential peer support for the LGBT and questioning community ages 50 and above.
TALKLINE HOURS:
Mondays to Fridays from 2pm – 11pm ET
Saturday from 12 pm – 5 pm ET
Lowcountry Pride
Lowcountry Pride is a 501(c)(3) serving the Lowcountry region of South Carolina. Our co-chair is a licensed therapist who runs support groups through Pride for parents of LGBTQ+ children and young adults in transition. We have a book club, monthly social events, and an annual Pride celebration. We also run educational panels within our community and offer various forms of support to members of the LGBTQ+ community in the Lowcountry.
Modern Military Association of America
(202) 328-3244
info@modernmilitary.org
The Modern Military Association of America (MMAA) is the nation’s largest organization of LGBTQ service members, military spouses, veterans, their families, and allies. Formed through the merger of the American Military Partner Association and OutServe-SLDN, they are a united voice for the LBGTQ military and veteran community.
As a non-partisan, non-profit organization, MMAA is working to make a real difference in the lives of our modern military families through education, advocacy, and support. They also provide free, direct legal services for the LGBTQ and HIV+ military and veteran community.
MUSC Student Alliance for Equality
45 Courtenay Drive, Suite 213
Charleston, SC 29425
(843) 792-2146
reasonee@musc.edu
The MUSC Student Alliance for Equality (formerly the MUSC Gay Straight Alliance) is an organization of students of all orientations and identities at MUSC designed to provide a sense of community, support, and advocacy for anyone whose real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or alliance may put them in an at risk minority group.
National LGBT Cancer Network
11 South Angell Street #377
Providence, RI 02906
(212) 675-2633
info@cancer-network.org
The National LGBT Cancer Network works to improve the lives of LGBT cancer survivors and those at risk by: EDUCATING the LGBT community about our increased cancer risks and the importance of screening and early detection; TRAINING health care providers to offer more culturally-competent, safe and welcoming care; and ADVOCATING for LGBT survivors in mainstream cancer organizations, the media, and research.
National LGBTQ Task Force
1050 Connecticut Ave NW Suite 65500
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 393-5177
The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice, and equality for LGBTQ people. They are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. These barriers must go. That’s why the Task Force is training and mobilizing millions of activists across our nation to deliver a world where you can be you.
NQAPIA – A Federation of LGBTQ Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander Organizations
info@nqapia.org
The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) is a federation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations. They seek to build the organizational capacity of local LGBT AAPI groups, develop leadership, promote visibility, educate our community, enhance grassroots organizing, expand collaborations, and challenge anti-LGBTQ bias and racism.
Palmetto Community Care
5064 Rivers Ave
North Charleston, SC 29406
(843) 747-2273
Palmetto Community Care takes a multi-faceted approach to help those affected with HIV/AIDS, while also working to prevent the spread of HIV through testing, awareness campaigns, educational initiatives, and advocacy.
Agency hours are Monday-Friday 8:30 am-4:30 pm.
Free, confidential HIV testing is available Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8:30am-3:00pm, Wednesday 10:00am-6:00pm, and Friday 7:30am-12:00pm. Testing is available at the Prevention Office located at 5064 Rivers Ave.
No appointment necessary. Free condoms available.
PFLAG: Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
PFLAG’s mission is to build on a foundation of loving families united with LGBTQ people and allies who support one another and to educate ourselves and our communities to speak up as advocates until all hearts and minds respect, value and affirm LGBTQ people.
Pride Link
25 Woods Lake Rd Suite 105
Greenville, SC 29607
(864) 248-4040
info@pridelink.org
Pride Link is here because many LGBTQ+ people in the Upstate are still not able to live the happy, safe, and successful lives they deserve. Pride Link provides health and wellness services, social support spaces, and connection to critical resources for the LGBTQ+ community.
Palmetto Prime
primetimerscharleston@yahoo.com
Palmetto Prime ( Formerly: The Prime Timers of Charleston SC) is a social organization of older gay or bisexual men. Their members are men who choose to have their lives enriched by the diverse activities in which our members engage. No single definition can describe Palmetto Prime members. They come from all walks of life. One thing is true of all Palmetto Prime members, we enjoy the opportunities and friendships that develop in our Chapter.
Palmetto Prime of Charleston, SC is a chapter of the Prime Timers Worldwide (PTWW) organization. They welcome members from other chapters to visit us.
PRISM – College of Charleston
prismcofc@gmail.com
PRISM (formerly Gay-Straight Alliance) is a student-led organization at the College of Charleston. Prism aims to provide a fun, welcoming, and educational environment each week. PRISM’s goal is to support and foster a close community among LGBTQ+ and ally students on campus.
The Roper St. Francis Health Services Center
1481 Tobias Gadson Blvd
Charleston, SC 29407
(843) 402-3093
The Roper St. Francis Health Services Center (formerly: The Ryan White Wellness Center) of Roper St. Francis Healthcare was founded in 2000 to care for the region’s uninsured patients living with HIV. The Wellness Center empowers patients and the community to take charge of their sexual health while championing overall wellness. They are the only one-stop-shop sexual health center in the tri-county offering more than 20 different onsite services.
SAGE – Advocacy Services for LGBT Elders
305 7th Avenue 15th Floor
New York, NY 10001
(212) 741-2247
SAGE is the country’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT older people. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in New York City, SAGE is a national organization that offers supportive services and consumer resources to LGBT older people and their caregivers. SAGE National LGBT Elder Hotline: 877-360-LGBT (5428)
SC Black Pride (SCBP)
The mission of the South Carolina Black Pride Inc. (SCBP), is to unify and celebrate the diversity, creativity, And beauty Of South Carolina’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, and non-gender conforming (LGBTQ) communities of color and their supporters, in order to empower and promote the human rights of all families and communities.
SC Pride
1108 Woodrow Street
Columbia, SC 29205
info@scpride.org
South Carolina Pride Movement, located in Columbia, SC, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and its partners through educational events, entertainment, community outreach, and celebrations of diversity throughout the year. SC Pride produces each year Famously Hot SC Pride Festival, Get Lit Nighttime Parade & Concert, OutFest Columbia, and more. The Pride Festival, held in October each year on Main Street, Columbia, SC is one of the largest outdoor festivals in the city and the largest LGBT event in the state.
The Trevor Project
(212) 695-8650
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, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
The Trevor Project has a 24/7 confidential crisis and suicide prevention line at (866) 488-7386 or Text START to 678678.
Trans Lifeline
Administrative Office: (510) 771-1417
Trans Lifeline is a trans-led organization that connects trans people to the community, support, and resources they need to survive and thrive. Their offerings include a peer support hotline, microgrants, and information specific to the Transgender/Gender non-conforming community.
Trans Lifeline Hotline: (877) 565-8860
Transgender Awareness Alliance (TAA)
1830 S Lake Drive, 84383
Lexington, SC 29073
info@taagg.org
TAA exists to supply emergency assistance to the transgender community of SC and partners with other organizations to create an affirming network of legal, health and consumer resources.
Transgender Community of the Lowcountry
The Transgender Community of the Lowcountry is a support group for Transgender people in the community and also their allies. This is a safe space that is moderated and will be used for general discussion and education to better the community. This group was created for two goals: first being the support of members and their allies, and second, being community outreach and education.
T-Time Myrtle Beach
(910) 377-5265
support@t-timemyrtlebeach.org
T-Time Myrtle Beach is an open Transgender support group and discussion forum in Myrtle Beach, SC. They also aim to promote a safe environment within which everyone can grow and realize their authentic self.
Uplift Outreach Center
(864) 381-7234
Uplift Outreach Center’s mission is to provide a much-needed safe space for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults/adults in Spartanburg, SC, and surrounding areas.
Uplift Outreach Center is located behind Fernwood Baptist Church off of Greengate Lane. We are within walking distance of the SPARTA Hillcrest bus route. Call for current open hours, as these adjust.
Upstate Pride SC
Upstate Pride SC empowers people of all gender expressions and sexual identities in the Upstate of South Carolina by promoting acceptance through education, advocacy, and networking.
We Are Family
1801 Reynolds Ave, Unit B
North Charleston, South Carolina 29405
(843) 637-9379
info@waf.org
We Are Family’s mission as a Southern grassroots non-profit organization is to provide affirming spaces for LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex) and ally youth up to the age of 24 through direct support, leadership development, and community engagement. Their vision is that LGBTQI+ and ally youth feel empowered to find their places in the world, in their families, and in their communities.