LGBTQ Resources

The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is determined to end suicide among LGBTQ youth by providing life-saving and life-affirming resources including our nationwide, 24/7 crisis intervention lifeline, digital community and advocacy/educational programs that create a safe, supportive and positive environment for everyone.

It Gets Better Project
Growing up isn’t easy. Many young people face daily tormenting and bullying, leading them to feel like they have nowhere to turn. This is especially true for LGBT kids and teens, who often hide their sexuality for fear of bullying. Without other openly gay adults and mentors in their lives, they can't imagine what their future may hold. In many instances, gay and lesbian adolescents are taunted — even tortured — simply for being themselves.

Justin Aaberg. Billy Lucas. Cody Barker. Asher Brown. Seth Walsh. Raymond Chase. Tyler Clementi. They were tragic examples of youth who could not believe that it does actually get better.

While many of these teens couldn’t see a positive future for themselves, we can. The It Gets Better Project was created to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach – if they can just get through their teen years. The It Gets Better Project wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone — and it WILL get better.

PFLAG
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is a national non-profit organization with over 200,000 members and supporters and over 350 affiliates in the United States. This vast grassroots network is cultivated, resourced and serviced by the PFLAG National Office, located in Washington, D.C., the national Board of Directors and 13 Regional Directors.

Center on Halsted
Chicago has long been the center of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the greater Midwest, and in 2001 a dedicated group of community leaders came together and shared a vision to create a united front and a focal point for this burgeoning community.

Through their vision and dedication, Center on Halsted became a reality in 2007, bringing a wide array of LGBT organizations and resources in the city together to collaborate, share resources and extend their reach. As the most comprehensive LGBT community center in the Midwest, our mission is simple: In a safe and nurturing environment, the Center on Halsted serves as a catalyst for the LGBT community that links and provides community resources and enriches life experiences.

Center on Halsted has become an exciting and highly visible symbol for the LGBT community of Chicago, serving diverse social, recreational, cultural, and social service needs of youth and adults in a safe, inviting and nurturing environment. It has office and meeting space for community organizations, drop-in space for youth and for older adults, gallery space, cultural programming and recreational space including basketball and volleyball courts along with parking, ground level retail and a rooftop memorial garden.

The Center offers support networks and programming to meet the cultural, emotional, social, educational and recreational needs of the LGBT community and friends. Current services include support groups for youth and seniors, mental health services, an info line for LGBT individuals and a hotline for HIV and STD concerns, prevention, treatment, and advocacy related to domestic violence, community technology center providing internet access and technology training and a range of life-enrichment programs.

The Center on Halsted also houses a number of organizations serving Chicago's LGBT community. Currently, numerous cultural, recreational and advocacy organizations that serve the LGBT community are Resident Community Partners at the Center, which acts as an incubator providing operational support and room for collaboration to the diverse community of nonprofit organizations that may otherwise find it difficult to interact.

The Center’s vision is to reflect “An LGBT journey…celebrating, affirming and discovering possibilities.” Join us on this journey.