SHELBY PRIDE
Uplifting Queer Folks in the Foothills
CLEVELAND COUNTY & NC LGBTQIA+ RESOURCES
Here's some great resources to help you connect and, hopefully, thrive!
"Equality North Carolina builds LGBTQ+ power through advocacy, education, and uplifting the stories of queer and trans North Carolinians in pursuit of racial and social justice."
"We are parents, families, friends, and allies. We are straight, lesbian, gay and bisexual. We are cisgender, transgender, and nonbinary. We are strengthening families, empowering allies, and elevating LGBTQ+ communities."
ACLU OF NORTH CAROLINA
"Since 1965, the ACLU of North Carolina has been our state’s guardian of liberty – working in courts, the General Assembly, and communities to protect and advance civil rights and civil liberties for all North Carolinians. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with more than 30,000 members and supporters across the state, the ACLU of North Carolina is a state affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union.
Whether it’s achieving full equality for LGBTQ people, reforming our broken and racially biased criminal legal system, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, defending freedom of speech and religion, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach."
"Our mission is to promote equality, safety, and quality of life for western North Carolina’s LGBTQ and allied communities, working as a united community through advocacy, celebration, education and service. We envision an inclusive community, where people are embraced for who they are and feel welcomed to engage and contribute.
Service Area: We seek to support communities in the following 26 counties: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey."
TIME OUT YOUTH
"Time Out Youth Center is a place where you can experience a sense of belonging and community. Whether you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, a straight ally – or just don’t want to be labeled, you will be welcomed here. Some of our youth are out, some are partially out, and some are not out at all. Time Out Youth Center offers a safe space for all and fully respects the journey of each individual. While at Time Out Youth, you are not expected to be anyone or anything except who you are."
"SONG envisions a sustainable South that embodies the best of its freedom traditions and works towards the transformation of our economic, social, spiritual, and political relationships. We envision a multi-issue southern justice movement that unites us across class, age, race, ability, gender, immigration status, and sexuality; a movement in which LGBTQ people – poor and working class, immigrant, people of color, rural – take our rightful place as leaders shaping our region’s legacy and future. We are committed to restoring a way of being that recognizes our collective humanity and dependence on the Earth."
"An anthology about home by Bible Belt queers."
FEMINIST FOUNDED. ADVOCATES FOR ALL.
With a commitment to racial and economic justice and our community’s most vulnerable, NCLR is a leader at the forefront of advancing civil and human rights for LGBTQ individuals and their families through impact litigation, public policy, and public education.
GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love.
Family Equality is fighting for a world where everyone can experience the unconditional love and belonging of family.
For thirty years, COLAGE has been the only national organization expressly dedicated to supporting people with one or more LGBTQ+ caregivers, uniting them with a network of peers and supporting them as they nurture and empower each other to be skilled, self-confident, and just leaders in their communities.
OUTright Youth is the ONLY PLACE in the Catawba Valley that provides a unique, youth-centered, safe environment for LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Questioning) youth ages 12-21, and their allies, to come together, receive unconditional support, and make friends who understand who they are as they struggle with sexual orientation, gender identity and other issues.
OUTright Youth’s goal is to reduce the isolation felt by LGBTQ youth by providing a sense of community and developing programs and services to counteract the prejudice and oppression that LGBTQ youth often face.
OUTright Youth strongly believes that it is essential to create a safe space for young people who are, who believe that they might be, or who have friends or family members who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. We offer educational programs, social activities, peer support groups and community outreach and FUN!
Trailhead, as an organization, attempts to provide individuals with “gear” for their backpack wherever their path might take them. As a starting point, Trailhead assists individuals with basic needs such as food and shelter. Once basic essential needs are met, Trailhead begins to focus on the next vital components of wellbeing. This may include medical health, behavioral health, and physical health.
Volunteer Opportunities. Compeer matches screened/trained volunteers with youth (6 - 17) with a mental health diagnosis, adults (18 - 61) in mental health recovery programs, and isolated seniors (62+) at risk of worsening mental health concerns. Volunteers provide one-to-one supportive friendship and mentoring to offset the loneliness and social isolation that often accompanies mental illness and/or aging.
GLSEN works to ensure that LGBTQ students are able to learn and grow in a school environment free from bullying and harassment. Together we can transform our nation's schools into the safe and affirming environment all youth deserve.
The Association of LGBTQ Journalists is the premier network of LGBTQ media professionals and all dedicated to the highest journalistic standards in the coverage of LGBTQ issues.