This Pop-Up 'Closet' Helps LGBTQ+ People Get Gender-Affirming Clothes. It Needs Donations To Keep Going

Genderdoc-M (GDM) partners with a local lawyer to offer legal support to members of the LGBTQ+ community in an effort to promote human rights and continue to work toward a more inclusive society. Every year, about 40 people seek legal advice from GDM on matters ranging from workplace discrimination to physical abuse.

Groups like Portland: Neighbors Welcome and Black & Beyond the Binary Collective aims to provide safe, affordable housing to people in crisis — specifically members of the LGBTQ+ community. The group partners with other local organizations to raise funds through donations and events like drag shows to help address extreme rates of homelessness and housing discrimination within the LGBTQ+ community. These groups have helped more than 200 people access housing in the past four years and are continuing to acquire funds to expand their services.

The João W. Nery Outpatient Clinic provides medical and transition-related care for the area’s trans community. The Clinic provides patients access to social workers, psychologists, endocrinologists, nurses, and general practitioners who help patients get prescriptions for hormones, referrals for gender-affirming surgery, and advice on legally changing their names, all of which are offered for free.

The Lavender Courtyard is an income-restricted, three-story complex designed to serve LGBTQ seniors by providing safe, inclusive and affordable housing. It has 53 units and serves seniors ages 62 and up who pay affordable rents based on income as determined by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines, which caps rents at 30% of their monthly adjusted income.

The Hope and Healing Survivor Resource Center in Akron, Ohio offers LGBTQ+ intimate partner violence survivors the option to stay in local hotels instead of traditional emergency shelters. After implementing LGBTQ+ cultural competency training in 2023, the organization saw a 10% increase in LGBTQ+ survivors accessing their services.

The Everywhere Is Queer mobile app houses a directory of over 13,000 LGBTQ+-owned brick-and-mortar and online businesses, services and community groups around the world. The app features a map that highlights LGBTQ+-friendly businesses and safe spaces for members of the community and allies to frequent. The app also features a job board and access to therapists and has been downloaded over 80,0000 times since February.

Lake Park Society’s Camp Kin is a daytime summer camp for LGBTQIA+ youth ages seven to 12 and allies to participate in summer activities while fostering connections with youth and counselors they can relate to. The Camp is available at a sliding-scale rate — from free to full cost at $300 — and provides a safe space for youth to come out of their shells and feel supported.

The Fitness Trans Formed program provides a safe space for trans people and members of the LGBTQ+ community to exercise and participate in fitness training from trans professionals. Training is available in a tiered pricing structure, including an option to pay nothing, and about 50 individuals have completed a Fitness Trans Formed training program since its inception. The group is also working on plans to provide informed training to other fitness professionals to make their gyms and workout spaces more inclusive.

Insurance provider GreenShield, in collaboration with university insurance broker Studentcare, provides lifetime coverage of up to $10,000 for gender-affirming care procedures not covered by provincial health insurance. This insurance benefit provides care to more than 200,000 university students across 20 participating schools in the country.

Several community organizations and municipalities like the Office of Transgender Initiatives (OTI) have come together to decrease homelessness rates among the transgender population. OTI formed a Trans Advisory Committee which focused on budget and policy advocacy based on input from the transgender community to address homelessness and partnered with efforts like the Transgender District. All in all, these combined efforts have decreased transgender homelessness by 15% since 2019.