Queer Cafe

About The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project Website
Trevor Project Help Link

Trevor Project

West Hollywood, California

The Trevor Project was founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award-winning short film Trevor. It 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.

Their focus is on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth, they offer a toll-free telephone number where confidential assistance is provided by trained counselors. They also offer guidance and resources to parents and educators in order to foster safe, accepting, and inclusive environments for all youth, at home, schools and colleges

Every day, The Trevor Project saves young lives through its accredited, free and confidential phone, instant message and text messaging crisis intervention services. A leader and innovator in suicide prevention, The Trevor Project offers the largest safe social networking community for LGBTQ youth, best practice suicide prevention educational trainings, resources for youth and adults, and advocacy initiatives.

Founders - Peggy Rajski, Randy Stone, Celeste Lecesne
CEO - Peggy Rajski

Trevor Project Lifeline: 866-488-7386

Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute

Meet the Saff
MCAC Magic City Acceptance Center

Magic City Acceptance

Birmingham, Alabama

Magic City Acceptance Center (MCAC) was established in the Spring of 2014 as a program of Birmingham AIDS Outreach. Our initial programs served as a direct response to HIV and STI rates impacting youth across the state. Nearly 10 years later, we've expanded to provide programs in 52 counties for LGBTQ individuals of all ages. Our vision is to create a radically inclusive brave space for the LGBTQ community in Alabama through outreach, training, consultation, and direct-services.

MCWC Magic City Wellness Center

MCAA Magic City Acceptance Academy

BAO Birmingham AIDS Outreach

Meet the Professional Team

Magic City Wellness Center (MCWC) is the first LGBTQ comprehensive healthcare facility in Alabama. The MCWC provides a safe, open and affirming space for LGBTQ individuals to have an open dialogue with a healthcare provider without fear of rejection, embarrassment or discrimination. Services include general healthcare, mental wellness and more. The MCWC addresses specific needs for each individual through culturally competent care. MCWC assists in reducing barriers to care while eradicating health disparities in the LGBTQ community, leading to longer, healthier, and more productive lives. The benefits of reducing health disparities through an LGBTQ center include: lower HIV/STD transmission rates and progression, reduced health care costs, and increased physical and mental well-being. Health disparities include: LGBTQ youth are 2-3 times more likely to commit suicide; lesbians and bisexual women are less likely to receive screening and preventative services for cancer and more likely to be overweight; transgender individuals have a higher prevalence of HIV/STDs, victimization, mental health issues, and suicide,; aging LGBTQ individuals are less likely to receive culturally competent care and face additional barriers social services; and LGBTQ populations have the highest rates of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use. The Mission of The Magic City Wellness Center is to provide wellness and medical care for the LGBTQ community and their allies in a safe, welcoming and affirming environment.

Meet the Saff
MCAC Magic City Acceptance Center

MCWC Magic City Wellness Center

MCAA Magic City Acceptance Academy

BAO Birmingham AIDS Outreach

Meet the Professional Team

Magic City Acceptance Academy (MCAA) facilitates a community school in which all learners are empowered to embrace education, achieve individual success, and take ownership of their future in a brave, LGBTQ-affirming learning environment. MCAA will motivate and prepare students in grades six through twelve by providing an exceptional, innovative, and quality-driven education. MCAA’s purpose is to engage students who have dropped out, are not thriving in traditional schools, or are enrolled in home-school programs. Mentors and teachers will be incorporated throughout the diverse MCAA curriculum to empower students in directing their own education. MCAA will provide a brave learning environment and LGBTQ affirming culture for all.

Birmingham AIDS Outreach (BAO) - The mission of BAO is to enhance the quality of life for people living with HIV / AIDS, at-risk, affected individuals, and the LGBTQ community through outreach, age-appropriate prevention education, and supportive services.

Magic City Research Institute (MCRI) - The mission of MCRI is to improve the physical and emotional health of and service delivery to people with HIV, the LGBTQ community, and other underserved populations through collaboration, research, and evaluation.

Magic City Legal Center (MCLC) - MCLC provides affirmation through legal advocacy for LGBTQ communities and community members impacted by HIV.

Karen Musgrove - Chief Executive Officer of Birmingham AIDS Outreach
Christa Mayfield - Director of Magic City Wellness Center
Amanda Keller - Director of Magic City Acceptance Center
Lauren Jacobs - Assistant Director of Magic City Acceptance Center

Charity Jackson - Chief Academic Officer for Magic City Acceptance Academy
Michael Wilson - Founding Principal for Magic City Acceptance Academy

Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)
Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)

AFFA Resource Hub: Crowdsourcing QR Code

Alliance For Full Acceptance

Charleston, South Carolina

The The Alliance For Full Acceptance (AFFA) is a social justice nonprofit organization working towards a South Carolina where LGBTQ people possess equal rights and thrive in an environment that fosters safety, freedom, and holistic well-being.

Our Mission: To achieve, nurture, and defend equality and full acceptance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. To dispel the myths and half-truths that trap us all – about economy, race, and origin; who we can and can’t be; who we can and can’t love; who’s entitled to freedom and expression, and who’s not; who’s valuable, and who’s expendable – and reveal our true essence and pride.

That’s why we root out ignorance, hatred, and inequity wherever they live – in courtrooms, in fine print, in emergency rooms and classrooms, in boardrooms and living rooms, in systems, institutions, and language, in private and public spaces – and replace them with knowledge, empathy, and justice.

Our History: In Charleston, our rich storytelling tradition is rooted in a culture of secrets, half-truths, and people hidden in shadow. We live, work, and raise families in a city of opposing forces, where gracious hospitality exists alongside systematic exclusion; where breathtaking beauty meets punishing heat.

To be lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender in Charleston in 1998 was to be hidden, closeted, excluded, and denied. That is, until a group of committed lesbian and gay citizens united around a belief – that the success of our shared future lies not just in our ability to make sense of culture’s opposing forces, but to create a new narrative of a healthy, strong, and prosperous community – with equality and acceptance for all.

A community that understands when we marginalize, attack, discriminate against, or define any part of our people as “other” or “less than,” we weaken, degrade, and devalue the community as a whole.

AFFA Email

AFFA Website

AFFA Facebook

AFFA Resource Hub: Crowdsourcing QR Code

Tari Holmbeck, They/Them, Administrative Assistant
3265 N Carolina Ave, Suite 202 North, Charleston SC 29405

843-883-0343

Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute

LGBTQ Victory Fund
Candidates Endorsed by LGBTQ Victory Fund
History of LGBTQ Victory Fund

LGBTQ Victory Fund

Washington DC

The LGBTQ Victory Fund was formally created in 1991 as a non-partisan political action committee. LGBTQ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of out LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve.

Among the many candidates they have endorsed, many won their campaigns and went on to serve. You may recognize some of the Victory Fund candidates: Tammy Baldwin (US Senator, WI), Sarah McBride (US House of Rep, DE), Angie Craig (US House of Rep, MN), Sharice Davids (US House of Rep, KS), Evan Low (US House of Reps, CA), Jamie McLeod-Skinner (US House of Reps, OR), Eddy Morales (US House of Reps, OR), Chris Pappas (US House of Reps, NH), Emily Randall (US House of Reps, WA), Will Rollins (US House of Reps, CA), Eric Sorensen (US House of Reps, IL), Ritchie Torres (US House of Reps, NY), Joseph Vogel (US House of Reps, MD).

In addition to candidates for the US Senate and House of representatives, the Victory Fund endorses many candidates for state senators and representatives, mayors, city councils, and school boards, and police chiefs. Noteworthy among state candidates are: Danica Roem (State Senator, VA), Jane Castor (Mayor, Tampa FL), Steve Hansen (Mayor, Sacramento CA), Satya Rhodes-Conway (Mayor of Madison).

Annise Parker - President & CEO

Sean Meloy - Vice President of Political programs

Marty Rouse - Vice President of Outreach & Engagement

Seth Schermer - Chief Operating Officer/Chief Development Officer

Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute

Josh Burford: Invisible Histories

Invisible Histories Project

Alabama | Mississippi | Georgia

The Invisible Histories Project (IHP) locates, preserves, researches, and creates for local communities an accessible collection of the rich and diverse history of LGBTQ life in the US South. Currently, IHP collects in Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. IHP acts as an intermediary between the Queer community and various institutions like universities, museums, archives, and libraries in order to preserve Southern LGBTQ histories.

The Invisible Histories Project is 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Co-founders, Joshua Burford (Director of Outreach & Lead Archivist) and Maigen Sullivan (Director of Research & Development), began working on the concept in late 2015. 501(c)3 status was obtained in October 2016 and the project officially launched and began collecting in February 2018. Both Burford and Sullivan were working on the project full time by September 2018.

In the first year of operations, IHP located 18 new LGBTQ collections in Alabama; identified 3 repository archive partners; helped develop 3 undergraduate courses at 2 state universities; organized and held the inaugural Queer History South Conference of 115 archivists, historians, students, faculty and staff; mentored 4 undergraduate and graduate interns/scholars; and received an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant to expand their work into Mississippi and Georgia.

In addition to preserving the rich history of LGBTQ Southerners, the project’s goals are to:

--Create opportunities for intergenerational connection with queer and trans people in the South
--Create research opportunities for students, faculty, and community members in archives, research and preservation
--Provide a network for LGBTQ historians and archivists through the South through the Queer History South network and conference
--Work with universities, libraries, museums, and archives to create collection and preservation partnerships throughout the South
--Establish a community based, centrally located space to display these histories and act as a space for community dialogue around Queer history.

IHP Website

IHP Facebook
IHP Instagram

IHP focuses on four key elements related to advancing LGBTQ Southern History:

--Community Engagement
--Archiving, Preservation, Research, Scholarship
--Education
--Professional Development, Best Practices

IHP acts as an intermediary between institutions, organizations, and everyday folks. We strive to break barriers between organizations and their local communities to ensure that preservation and research exist in a co-productive and relationship centered way. In addition to direct collection and preservation, IHP is invested in providing scholars with direct access to materials as well as creating a network of people conducting LGBTQ Southern archiving, preservation, education and research to make scholarship more accessible. We focus on providing education around the Queer South to those within and outside the region through speaking, exhibiting, online materials, and publications. Finally, IHP seeks to help develop a new generation of scholars working in the Queer South as well as work alongside other professionals in the field to develop best practices for this work.

Joshua Burford - Co-Founder & Director of Outreach & Lead Archivist
Maigen Sullivan - Co-Founder & Director of Research & Development

Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)
Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)

Southerners on New Ground

Atlanta, Georgia

Southerners on New Ground (SONG) is a home for LGBTQ liberation across all lines of race, class, abilities, age, culture, gender, and sexuality in the South. SONG builds, sustains, and connects a southern regional base of LBGTQ people in order to transform the region through strategic projects and campaigns developed in response to the current conditions in the communities. SONG builds this movement through leadership development, intersectional analysis, and organizing. Since 1993, SONG has been known, both regionally and nationally, for organizing and training work across issues of race, class, gender and sexuality with both LGBTQ people and allies. SONG works to build and maintain a southern LGBTQ infrastructure for organizers strong enough to combat the southern-specific strategy of the right to divide and conquer southern oppressed communities.

SONG Website
SONG Staff

Board Members - Roberto Tijerna, Paulina Helm, Salem Acuña, DJ Hudson, Selma Alamin, Hermalinda Cortes, Karen Mosely

CO-DIRECTOR - Carlin Rushing
CO-DIRECTOR - Jade Brooks
CAMPAIGNS DIRECTOR - Shahidah Jones
CO-CAMPAIGN LEAD - Angela Henderson
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR - Hunter King
OPERATIONS MANAGER - Hieu Tran
OPERATIONS MANAGER - Rojauna McPherson
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER - D Lilton
MEMBERSHIP CULTURAL ORGANIZER - Rebecca Keel

Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute

Website: Ali Forney Center for Homeless LGBTQ Youth

Ali Forney Center

New York City

The Ali Forney Center was founded in 2002 in memory of Ali Forney, a homeless gender-nonconforming youth who was forced to live on the streets, where they were tragically murdered. Committed to saving the lives of LGBTQ young people, our mission is to protect them from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently.

A 24-hour program, located in Midtown Manhattan, The Ali Forney Center never closes its doors. We provide more than just a bed and food for those in need — from initial intake at our drop-in center to transitional housing and job readiness training, we provide homeless LGBTQ youth a safe, warm, supportive environment to escape the streets.

Book by Carl Siciliano: Making Room: Three Decades of Fighting for Beds, Belonging, and a Safe Place for LGBTQ Youth
YouTube: Ali Forney Center

E-Mail: Ali Forney Center

We provide youth with quality services in an LGBTQ affirming environment. Given the discrimination and harassment that so many of these young adults face, they need comprehensive support to develop pride and security in their LGBTQ+ identities. At AFC, we approach each young person with respect and sensitivity— to develop trust first so we can help get their life back on track.

--Drop-In Center
--Housing
--Job Readiness and Education
--Health Services
--Programs for Trans Clients
--Legal Services
--Technical Assistance Program Resources

Shawnell, Intake Coordinator

Victoriah, Program Assistant

212-206-0574 Ext 100
307 West 38th Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10018

Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG)
Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)