Pride Month is often conceived of as a 30 day-long celebration of queer excellence and camaraderie, which it, in part, certainly is. Centering queer joy and resilience by means of parties and parades is an essential mode of catharsis, an expression of solidarity, and a form of political resistance.
What makes Pride Month so valuable, though, is its dual-function, which is to say its ability to serve as both a marker of queer excellence as well as a reminder that obstacles to LGBTQ+ flourishing still very much impede the queer community: a 2021 UCLA Williams Institute Press Release verified that transgender folk are over 4 times more likely to be the victim of violent crime than cisgender folk.
Fortunately, the Bay Area is home to a robust network of organizations whose mission it is to uplift queer folk and help overcome those obstacles. Below is an assortment of LGBTQ+ nonprofits to which you can donate this Pride Month or whose many vital resources you can take advantage of.
See also: 10 Bay Area AAPI Organizations To Support And Show Solidarity With
Oakland LGBTQ+ Community Center
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3207 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland, CA / Website
The Oakland LBGTQ+ Community Center offers the East Bay queer community a comprehensive range of resources, including free therapy services, sexual heath testing, a food pantry, and job training for queer youth.
Openhouse SF
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65 Laguna St, San Francisco, CA / Website
Openhouse performs the vital work of helping San Francisco queer seniors find affordable housing. Workshops are offered both in-person and online, after which attendees can speak with a volunteer one-on-one to create a personalized housing search plan.
San Francisco Aids Foundation
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1035 Market St, San Francisco, CA / Website
The San Francisco Aids Foundation offers essential resources for those in the queer community impacted by HIV. The organization provides accessible testing, support groups, treatment plans, pathways to insurance, counseling, and safe syringe distribution.
SF LGBT Center
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1800 Market St, San Francisco, CA / Website
Much like the Oakland LGBTQ+ Community Center, the SF LGBT Center hosts a holistic array of programs for many intersectional identities in the queer community. Their work includes a small business development and consultation program for queer entrepeneurs, financial coaching, a unique Trans Employment Program, and a Gallery space which hosts slam poetry, exhibitions, and film screenings.
The LGBTQ Youth Center of Santa Clara
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452 S First St, San Jose, CA / Website
The LGBTQ Youth Space of Santa Clara County is the South Bay’s resource center for queer young people, providing a safe hang-out space as well as mental health services (individual counseling, case management, and even psychiatry).
Gender Health Center
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751 S Bascom Ave, San Jose, CA / Website
The first healthcare clinic in the South Bay to specialize in trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming needs, the Gender Health Center is home to extensive resources for genderqueer people of all ages. The clinic offers mental/emotional counseling, gender-affirming hormone treatment therapy, gender-affirming surgery, and even letters of support for hormone treatment therapy for all gender-affirming care.
Transgender Law Center
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PO Box 70976, Oakland, CA / Website
The Transgender Law Center engaged in genderqueer advocacy in the legal system for almost 20 years. The organization produces educational legal guides for trans and nonbinary people, support groups for Black trans folk, a pro bono Legal Help Desk, and a hotline/counseling for detained people.
Queer Lifespace
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2275 Market St #7, San Francisco, CA / Website
Queer LifeSpace prioritizes affordable mental health services (with a sliding-scale price program) to San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ network, offering individual therapy, group therapy, and even couple’s counseling.
The Trevor Project
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PO Box 69232, West Hollywood, CA / Website
The Trevor Project, active now for over 2 decades, connects in-need queer youth with trained crisis counselors who provide free, confidential support over calls or texts. The organization’s counselors are available 24/7 every day of the year.
Planned Parenthood
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1522 Bush St, San Francisco, CA / Website
Multiple Northern California Planned Parenthood clinics provide either free or low-cost gender affirming care, including hormone therapy and puberty blockers. Importantly, no letter of counselor recommendation is required for any gender-affirming care at Planned Parenthood.
See also: Drag Legends Violet Chachki And Gottmik On What Pride Means To Them, Their LGBTQ+ Identity, And More
Photography by: Denin Lawley/Unsplash
