Being part of the LGBTQ+ community can bring strength, pride, and deep connection—but it can also involve navigating unique mental health challenges, identity development, and experiences of marginalization. Whether you're seeking immediate support, ongoing care, or affirming tools for healing and growth, the resources below are curated to support your journey.
Emergency & Crisis Support
If you're in immediate crisis or need someone to talk to, these services offer confidential, affirming support:
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline – Call 988 Free and confidential emotional support for people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
Trans Lifeline – Call 877-565-8860 Peer support hotline run by and for trans people.
The Trevor Project Lifeline – Call 866-488-7386 Crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth.
NYC Well – Call 1-888-NYC-WELL or Text "WELL" to 65173 Free mental health, substance use, and crisis support for New Yorkers.
LGBTQ+ Community Resources
These organizations provide connection, medical and mental health support, affirming services, and advocacy:
The Trevor Project Resources Hub: Educational content, coming out guides, and mental health resources for LGBTQ+ youth and allies.
OutCare Health: A nationwide directory of LGBTQ+-affirming medical and mental health providers.
Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC): Comprehensive health and support services related to HIV prevention, LGBTQ+ mental health, and community wellness.
Callen-Lorde Community Health Center: Provides affirming primary care, sexual health services, mental health support, and trans health services in NYC.
The Center NYC: Offers community programs, individual and group therapy, support for youth and families, and LGBTQ+ advocacy services.
Gay & Sober: A nonprofit organization offering health and wellness programming, education, and events for LGBTQ+ individuals in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction. They provide a directory of LGBTQ+ affirming AA, CMA, NA, and Al-Anon meetings, as well as host an annual conference and Pride celebration .
JQY – Jewish Queer Youth: A non-profit supporting LGBTQ+ Jewish youth from Orthodox, Hasidic, and traditional backgrounds through drop-in centers, mental health services, and peer support.
Eshel: Provides support, education, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ individuals and families in Orthodox Jewish communities.
Recommended Reading
Mental Health, Identity & Resilience
The Velvet Rage: Alan Downs explores the impact of shame on gay men’s emotional lives, offering insight and a roadmap toward healing.
Straight Jacket: Matthew Todd’s powerful blend of memoir and research examines how societal homophobia affects the mental health of gay men.
Out of the Shadows: Reimagining Gay Men’s Lives: Psychologist Walt Odets offers a compassionate, trauma-informed framework for understanding and healing from rejection, shame, and invisibility.
The Queer and Transgender Resilience Workbook: Practical skills for building resilience, managing stress, and navigating identity in an often-challenging world.
Memoir & Narrative
Boy Erased: Garrard Conley’s memoir of surviving conversion therapy and reclaiming his voice offers hope, heartbreak, and healing.
How We Fight for Our Lives: Saeed Jones’s poetic, award-winning memoir about Black gay identity, grief, desire, and resilience.
Real Queer America: Trans journalist Samantha Allen travels through conservative America to uplift LGBTQ+ stories of strength, survival, and joy.