The stigma and discrimination often experienced by LGBTQ+ youth increase their risk for substance use and addiction. You can protect and support your child by affirming their identity. The following organizations are a great place to begin connecting with the LGBTQ+ community and discovering how to become a stronger ally for your child.
Advocates for Youth
Advocates for Youth partners with youth leaders, adult allies, and youth-serving organizations to advocate for policies and champion programs that recognize young people’s rights to honest sexual health information; accessible, confidential, and affordable sexual health services; and the resources and opportunities necessary to create sexual health equity for all youth. They offer resources and tools for parents of LGBTQ+ youth.
Asian and Pacific Islander Family Pride
The mission of Asian and Pacific Islander family pride is to end the isolation of Asian and Pacific Islander families with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members though support, education, and dialog. They provide one-to-one sessions with parents; connect parents with others who speak their language; conduct workshops at high schools, colleges and adult gatherings; and set-up information booths at street fairs; and interact with other organizations health and diversity programs, as well as other resources.
Bisexual Resource Center
The Bisexual Resource Center works to connect the bi+ community and help its members thrive through resources, support, and celebration. They envision an empowered, visible, and inclusive global community for bi+ people. They provide information for youth, families, allies, those just coming out, and more on their website. They also have peer support volunteers available on email, text, and phone, as well as in-person support groups in the greater Boston area.
COLAGE
COLAGE is a national organization operated by and supporting children of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents. COLAGE provides support, social events, education, and advocacy for families of all kinds. Their powerful peer network has been helping parents for more than 30 years and is the only national organization expressly dedicated to supporting people with one or more LGBTQ+ caregivers.
DeQH
DeQH is the first and only national Desi lgbtQ+ Helpline in the United States. We offer free, confidential, culturally sensitive peer support, information and resources for LGBTQ+ South Asian individuals, families and friends around the globe. They want to offer a safe and supportive ear for callers to share their concerns, questions, struggles or hopes through conversations with our trained South Asian peer support volunteers. We are a volunteer collective of South Asian queer and trans individuals across the United States.
Family Equality
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. They provide various resources for LGBTQ+ families and parents of LGBTQ+ youth.
Gay Parent Magazine
Since 1998, Gay Parent Magazine has been a home for LGBTQ parents and families. They offer an exhaustive list of resources, archives, and social media links for parents from diverse backgrounds. Their site focuses on parenting, mental health issues and the unique social and emotional needs of the LGBTQ parenting community.
Gender Odyssey
Gender Odyssey’s Parent & Ally programming is for families who are working to navigate the day-to-day realities of raising a gender diverse child. As one of the few opportunities in the country to find valuable resources, information, and networking opportunities for parents, Gender Odyssey provides much needed guidance and connections for families as they seek optimal ways to support their child’s gender exploration.
Gender Spectrum
Gender Spectrum provides a wealth of online programs, resources and information that young people, parents and families can use to further their understanding of gender and learn the value of parental and adult support. They also work with professionals, including educators, social service workers, faith leaders, medical and mental health professionals, government and business leaders and others who need support in navigating rapidly changing gender understandings. Their professional development and training services helps them achieve their objectives and discover an appreciation of the place gender has in everyone’s life.
Human Rights Campaign
HRC provides current resources that address the many potential paths to parenthood as well as tools for issues facing LGBTQ-headed families or LGBTQ youth.
Institute for Welcoming Resources
Denominational representatives of the Welcoming Church Movement created IWR in November 2002. The purpose of this ecumenical group is to provide the resources to facilitate a paradigm shift in multiple denominations whereby churches become welcoming and affirming of all congregants regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. IWR wants to help build church homes that are truly welcoming and nurturing, where everyone knows “they’re okay, just like they are.” In early 2006, IWR became a program of the National LGBTQ Task Force, through a formal merger. The task assigned to IWR is to provide or assist in the production of resources to make possible this paradigm shift in Christianity.
JQ International
The JQ Helpline is the only resource and referral line designed to serve LGBTQ+ Jews, their families, and allies. They also offer other resources and support groups for parents of LGBTQ+ youth, transgender and nonbinary adults, and Iranian LGBTQ+ young adults.
Kink Aware Professionals (KAP)
This directory includes counselors, therapists, coaches, and facilitators who work with nontraditional families and partnerships. Not all parents are married (or want to be) and not all families fall into traditional roles. Parents who are raising children in a polycule, belong to alternative communities, or have diverse family structures can find support from understanding providers here.
LGBT National Help Center
Don’t live in a major urban area, or have limited transportation? LGBT National Help Center operates three helplines: 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. The group runs weekly moderated chat rooms for LGBTQ youth and teens to find support, acceptance and community. They also have a massive library of materials, with 15,000 local resources for cities and towns across the country.
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Since 1969 the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBT individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today the Center’s nearly 800 employees provide services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, Leadership and Advocacy. They offer resources and support groups for families.
My Kid is Gay
My Kid Is Gay is a digital presence, inclusive of videos, advice, and resources, dedicated exclusively toward helping parents understand their Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual children. My Kid Is Gay sources voices from across the world to help answer the many questions that parents (and family members and teachers) have about the LGBTQIA young people in their life, including advice from parents, youth, and experts on a variety of topics related to sexuality and gender identity.
National Black Justice Coalition
NBJC’s mission is to end racism, homophobia, and LGBTQ/SGL bias and stigma. They have resources available for Black LGBTQ+ individuals and allies.
National Center for Transgender Equality
The National Center for Transgender Equality advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice. They have resources available for families and parents of transgender youth.
PFLAG Local Chapter Directory
Formerly known as Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, PFLAG was founded in 1973 after the simple act of a mother publicly supporting her gay son. PFLAG is the nation’s largest family and ally organization. With more than 400 chapters and 200,000 members and supporters in major urban centers, small cities, and rural areas across America, this state-by-state directory will help you connect to folks in your area.
The Center (The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center)
The LGBT Center’s programs are designed to help LGBT families establish healthy relationships and community connections, and to provide information and support to help them reach your social, emotional and financial goals.
The Family Acceptance Project
The Family Acceptance Project is a research, intervention, education and policy initiative to prevent health and mental health risks for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-identified (LGBTQ) children and youth, including suicide, homelessness, drug use and HIV — in the context of their families, cultures and faith communities. We use a research-based, culturally grounded approach to help ethnically, racially and religiously diverse families learn to support their LGBTQ children.
The Trevor Project
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. They offer educational resources for parents through the Trevor Support Center, where individuals can find answers to frequently asked questions and explore resources related to sexual orientation, gender identity and more.
TransYouth Family Allies
TransYouth Family Allies have a wide range of resources for parents, young people, for educators, and for healthcare professionals. Many of their materials are available as PDFs that you may print, distribute or link back to our website.