About Face Theatre: About Face Theatre advances LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. [Website] [IG]
Affinity Community Services: Affinity Community Services is a Black led, queer led organization on Chicago’s Southside dedicated to social justice in Black LGBTQ+ communities. For 25 years, we have centered Black queer women through community organizing, intergenerational programming, education, and healing justice. [Website] [IG]
ALMA Chicago: The Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action (ALMA) is the oldest Latinx LGBTQ organization in the Midwest and one of the oldest in the country. Rooted in providing culturally and linguistically responsive services for gay and bisexual Latino men impacted by the AIDS epidemic, they now focus on building power through community engagement, policy change, and continue providing safe spaces for all members of the LGBTQ+ community. [Website] [IG]
Bolingbrook Pride: Bolingbrook Pride is a community-driven organization dedicated to fostering inclusion, unity, and love, especially during challenging times. They are committed to supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies, spanning all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. [Website] [IG]
Brave Space Alliance: Brave Space Alliance is the first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ Center located on the South Side of Chicago, and designed to create and provide affirming and culturally competent services for the entire LGBTQ+ community of Chicago. [Website] [IG]
Casa al-Fatiha: Casa Al-Fatiha is an autonomous, Chicago-based, sanctuary house for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, people released from detention and peer supporters. [IG]
Chicago Therapy Collective: Chicago Therapy Collective (CTC) promotes citywide action to alleviate LGBTQIA2S health disparities and advance queer liberation through therapy, education, and the arts. [Website] [IG]
Elmhurst Pride Collective: The Elmhurst Pride Collective strives to build a more inclusive, welcoming community for all, including LGBTQ+ families, friends, and allies, and people of all races, ethnicities, and religions. [Website] [IG]
Equality Downers Grove: EQDG (EQuality Downers Grove) is creating an accepting and equitable environment for LGBTQ+ people through education, support, social action and advocacy. They partner with allies to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community and envision a village where everyone is treated with dignity and respect regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. [Website] [IG]
FLUX Chicago: FLUX aims to raise the profile of the trans* and gender-nonconforming community by leveraging social events, creating safe spaces, and innovative advocacy initiatives. [IG]
Gay Liberation Network: An anti-imperialist, direct action-focused LGBTQ+ organization. [Website]
Illinois Safe Schools Alliance: The Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (the Alliance) aims to promote safety, support, and healthy development for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) youth, in Illinois schools and communities, through advocacy, education, youth organizing, and research. [Website] [IG]
Invisible to Invincible (i2i): Invisible to Invincible (i2i) is a community-based organization that celebrates and affirms Asians & Pacific Islanders (APIs) who identify as LGBTQ+ in the Chicago area. i2i’s work since 2005 has included working toward making Asian spaces more affirming of LGBTQ+ folks, immigrant and refugee justice, reproductive justice, racial justice solidarity work, family acceptance of LGBTQ+ Asians, visibility, and wellness. [Website] [IG]
Kenneth Young Center: Kenneth Young LGBTQ+ Center provides programming for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults in Schaumburg, IL and the surrounding suburbs. [Website] [IG]
LGBTQ+ Center of Lake County: The LGBTQ+ Center Lake County is an open and affirming environment for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. They provide support, education, resources, and advocacy to achieve a stronger and healthier world for LGBTQIA+ people and allies. [Website] [IG]
Life Is Work Resource Center: Life Is Work is a trans-led organization that educates, empowers, and organizes TLGBQ+ people from diverse backgrounds to secure safety, wellness, and justice for all. [Website] [IG]
Lighthouse Foundation Chicago: Lighthouse Foundation of Chicagoland is a Black LGBTQ+-led, multiracial social justice organization that advances justice for Black LGBTQ+ people across Chicagoland through empowerment, education, and entertainment. [Website] [IG]
National LGBTQ Workers Center: The National LGBTQ Workers Center (NLWC) is a collective made by and for Black and Brown, trans, gender-expansive, queer, sick and disabled workers. They use political education, community support spaces, and organizing, to cultivate worker power, organizational capacity, and collective resilience amongst all LGBTQIA2S workers. They commit to including non unionized workers, sexworkers, informal sector workers, and those who are unemployed or underemployed at all levels of our membership and leadership. [Website] [IG]
Northwest Indiana Anti-Sexist Action: A coalition of groups and individuals in Northwest Indiana that advocates for healthcare access and reproductive justice for all genders, including abortion rights. [Website] [IG]
PFLAG Evanston: To create a caring, just, and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. [Website]
Project VIDA: Project VIDA is non-profit organization located in the Little Village neighborhood on Chicago’s southwest side. Initially, the organization started by providing HIV Education through street outreach services to area youth. Now, they have grown to offer free and affordable programs and services for prevention, care, health education, and wellness to ensure that everyone has access to quality programs and services, regardless of their income or insurance status. [Website] [IG]
Pushing Envelopes: Grounded in prison abolition, Pushing Envelopes Chicago builds LGBTQ+ community across bars through penpal relationships, legal aid, and re-entry support. Pushing Envelopes Chicago is a collectively-run volunteer organization consisting of currently incarcerated, formerly-incarcerated, system-impacted, and allied individuals with a shared commitment to building community at the intersection of incarceration and LGBTQ+ identities. [Website] [IG]
Ramshackle Farm: Queer punk rock farmers in Harvard, IL. [IG]
QueerCare, Inc.: QueerCare Inc. is an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit that was founded by trans activists. The organization is currently led entirely by unpaid transgender volunteers and offers no-strings-attached financial support as well as free in-person post-op care to LGBTQ+ folks undergoing surgeries. [Website] [IG]
Queering the Binary Foundation: Queering The Binary Foundation collects donations of clothing, accessories, and beauty products for individuals from ages 8-80+. They host donation boxes and pop-up closets throughout Illinois for transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming individuals to shop for free. They host private parties, craft & community nights, webinars about gender & sexuality, provide end of life services, make deliveries, and help businesses or organizations host their own trans closets. [Website] [IG]
Stop Trans Genocide: STG is a grassroots collective working to uphold trans joy, and spread awareness and encourage direct action in the fight against transphobia, violent reactivity, and genocide. [Website] [IG]
Trans Chicago Empowerment Center: A BIPOC trans-led initiative of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, the Trans Chicago Empowerment Center provides free HIV and STI testing, wellness clinics and other affirming programs and services. [IG]
Trans Up Front IL: Trans Up Front was founded with a powerful commitment to educate, advocate, and support the LGBTQIA+ community, with a particular emphasis on centering transgender and gender-expansive voices. With a mission to promote understanding, safety, and equality, we aim to break down barriers and challenge societal norms that have historically marginalized trans and gender-nonconforming people. Our focus is not just on awareness, but on creating tangible, lasting change across all areas of society.
[Website]
Transformative Justice Law Project: Rooted in beliefs of abolition and gender self-determination, TJLP provides free, zealous, life & gender affirming legal services. They are known particularly for their name change mobilizations—free, in-person support for those seeking to change their name or gender marker on legal documents. [Website] [IG]
Transgender Action Self-Defense Collective: TASC are trans revolutionaries working in Chicago to cultivate practical knowledge, skills, resources, consciousness, & dual power, offering workshops and resources on self-defense, cybersecurity and more. [IG]
Will County Pride Coalition: Will County Pride Coalition combines the efforts of many LGBTQ and ally groups to support and empower the LGBTQ citizens of Will County and educate allies. [Facebook]
Woodstock Pride: Woodstock Pride is a community organization dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ communities of McHenry County, Il. Their mission is to promote Diversity, Cultural Integration, and Self-Celebration of LGBTQIA+ persons, families, and businesses. [Website] [IG]
Youth Empowerment Performance Project (YEPP): YEPP strives to create a brave environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI+) youth experiencing homelessness to explore their history, investigate new ways to address their struggles and to celebrate their strengths through personal, leadership and community development programming that incorporate different art-expression forms. [Website] [IG]
Youth Outlook: Established in 1998, Youth Outlook is the first and longest-running social service agency in Illinois solely dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ youth. They work in seven counties in northern Illinois, offering drop-in centers for youth, caregiver, and parent support, plus community education and professional development. [Website] [IG]
beyond november 