Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan which happened in June of 1969. Although the LGBTQ+ community has made strides since the Stonewall Riots, there’s still a ton to be done to help support the community and ensure their rights and lives stay safe and protected. Here are 10 NYC-based LGBTQ+ orgs to support this Pride Month and every month after.
1. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
New York City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center empowers people to lead healthy, successful lives. The Center celebrates diversity and advocates for justice while upholding a welcoming environment where everyone is celebrated for who they are. They offer the LGBTQ+ communities advocacy, health and wellness programs, arts, entertainment, and cultural events, and recovery, parenthood, and family support services.
2. Services & Advocacy for LGBTQ+ Elders (SAGE)
This nonprofit organization makes aging better for LGBTQ+ people nationwide. They speak out for the issues that matter, teach, connect—generations, each other, and allies—and celebrate. They’ve created a long-term HIV survivor driven group, addressing housing issues for LGBTQ+ elders, connecting LGBTQ+ older people who want to talk to friendly responders, and more.
3. The Audre Lorde Project
The Audre Lorde Project is a Brooklyn-based Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans, and Gender nonconforming People of Color center for community organizing. Through mobilization, education, and capacity-building, they work for community wellness and progressive social and economic justice.
4. The Ali Forney Center
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, The Ali Forney Center’s mission is to protect them from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently.
5. Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
Callen-Lorde is the global leader in LGBTQ health care. They have been transforming lives in LGBTQ+ communities since the days of Stonewall through excellent comprehensive care which they offer free of judgment and regardless of ability to pay. In addition, they continue to research, advocate, and educate to drive positive change around the world.
6. GMHC
As the world’s first HIV/AIDS service organization, GMHC is working to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected. They serve approximately 10,000 people each year living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in all five boroughs. Over 60% of their clients are people of color, nearly 75% identify as LGBTQ+, and over 80% are people living at or below the Federal Poverty Line.
7. Hetrick-Martin Institute
The Hetrick-Martin Institute is a non-profit organization serving the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth along with their families. They host programs regarding health and wellness, counseling, and education, serve hot meals, provide mental health screenings, advocate for LGBTQIA+ youth, and more.
8. 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, they advocate for immigrants and families facing discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status. Through their impact litigation, they seek to change discriminatory policies affecting LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive people.
9. Sylvia Rivera Law Project
The Sylvia Rivera Law Project is a legal aid organization based in NYC that serves low-income and people of color who are transgender, intersex, and/or gender non-conforming. SRLP works to improve access to respectful and affirming social, health, and legal services for our communities. They believe that in order to create meaningful political participation and leadership, we all must have access to basic means of survival and safety from violence.
10. ACT UP
The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is a diverse, nonpartisan group of individuals committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis. ACT UP was formed in response to social neglect, government negligence, and the complacency of the medical establishment during the 1980s. They fight for sustained investment in research for new medicines and treatments for HIV/AIDS and related co-infections, equitable access to prevention and care for HIV/AIDS and healthcare, and more.