A number of nonprofit organizations are working to provide mental health services to the LGBTQ+ community as well as other emotional, educational, and practical support.
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
The nonprofit Human Rights Campaign is committed to ensuring every LGBTQ+ person can live openly, with equal rights and support.
“We’re helping people to stay engaged, stay educated, and speak out. At HRC, our top priority is making sure our community is informed. Knowledge is power — and it’s often our first line of defense,” says Hanneman.
HRC offers tools to help people find inclusive workplaces, healthcare facilities, and information on local LGBTQ+ organizations and businesses. For people who want to get involved in group action, the website provides links for volunteering, local events, and ways to contact state representatives.
It Gets Better
For young people facing challenges related to coming out, the nonprofit It Gets Better provides education, stories, and referrals to mental health professionals.
The organization holds events and also offers materials for educators available through its website.
“We are immersed in the queer youth experience, and there is plenty of evidence pointing to a continued degradation of mental health among youth, particularly within the transgender community, directly linked to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation,” says Brian Wenke, the executive director of It Gets Better.
While the organization recognizes the need to remain “vigilant and at-the-ready to fight back when needed,” Wenke says, it’s also remaining focused on its mission. “The coming out experience, and the silent tidal wave of adolescence, transcends who is in office,” says Wenke.
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is a mental health organization for LGBTQ+ youth founded in 1998 to provide crisis intervention for those younger than 25. Since then, the project has funded research, driven advocacy, and been a major force for suicide prevention.
For nearly three years, the Trevor Project has provided trained counselors to specifically assist LGBTQ+ people up to age 25 who call the lifeline.
“Regardless of federal funding shifts, the Trevor Project remains available 24/7 for anyone who needs us, just as we always have,” Black said.
The project’s trained crisis counselors are reachable by phone 365 days a year at 866-488-7386, via chat, or by texting START to 678678.
GLAAD
Founded 40 years ago, GLAAD is a nonprofit focused on LGBTQ advocacy and culture change. The organization works to increase media accountability and community engagement to ensure that LGBTQ stories are heard.
“GLAAD is encouraging community members not to panic when faced with what seems like bad news, and instead to focus on surrounding ourselves with community and to take commonsense measures to keep ourselves safe and informed,” says Angela Darlara, the director of rapid response and campaigns at GLAAD.
Those measures include recommendations for digital safety practices for LGBTQ people to protect themselves online and to avoid harassment or doxxing by anti-LGBTQ activists.
“GLAAD has also shared simple things LGBTQ families can do to keep themselves safe and ensure their bond will be recognized no matter what the future holds,” says Darlara.
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)
The mission of the ACLU is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people by the Constitution and the laws of the United States. That includes protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ people to live openly without discrimination and with the same rights as straight people.
The ACLU also provides legal help, know-your-rights guides, and support for lawsuits challenging anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
The ACLU can help provide legal assistance through local branches; find your nearest office here.
Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE)
The mission is in the name: Advocates for Trans Equality fights for the legal and political rights of transgender people in America. The group was founded in 2024 as a merger of two national trans civil rights groups, National Center for Transgender Equality and Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund.
In addition to lobbying on a national level, the Trans Legal Services Network offers a directory dedicated to helping provide name- and gender-change services or other legal services for trans people.
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
The National Center for Lesbian Rights works toward full equality for LGBTQ people and their families through litigation, legislation, policy, and education.
NCLR offers legal help on custody disputes, separation or divorce, immigration or asylum, transgender rights, and other issues impacting LGBTQ+ people. They also provide vital information about legal protections — including what to do if laws change — through online resources and publications.
SAGE: Services and Advocacy for LBGTQ+ Elders
The motto of SAGE is “We refuse to be invisible.” The organization offers support and resources on many issues that are important to the aging LGBTQ+ community such as HIV and aging, long-term care, housing, and sexual wellness.
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