LGBTQIA+ Resources

 

The Collingswood Public Library aims to be a space where individuals of all identities are respected and welcomed. We are committed to creating a supportive space for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, their families, and their allies. We strive to offer a wide range of materials, resources, and programs that support the informational and educational needs of LGBTQIA+ patrons and our community.  To learn more, check out this glossary of LGBTQIA+ terms and best practices.

Resources accessible via Collingswood Library:

Booklists on various themes related to gender and sexuality can be accessed directly through our catalog.  We also have a list of LGBTQIA+ movies.

Many relevant titles are also available online as eBooks and audiobooks.  These lists also include notes on the specific type of LGBTQIA+ representation in books.

Crisis Support

Legal Resources

Health & Wellness

Community Connection

Youth

Seniors

Advocacy

Learning

 

Crisis Support

For All Ages:

  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline:  The 988 Lifeline is available 24/7/365. Your conversations are free and confidential.  If you need to talk, the 988 Lifeline is there to help.  At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, they understand that life’s challenges can sometimes be difficult. Whether you’re facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, their caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone.  You can call, text, or chat.  Service is available in Spanish and for those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. 

  • Trans Lifeline:  This hotline is staffed by transgender people for transgender people. Trans Lifeline volunteers are ready to respond to whatever support needs members of the trans community might have. Trans Lifeline is accredited by Contact USA. For help, call (877) 565-8860

For Youth:

  • 2nd Floor: A confidential and anonymous helpline for New Jersey’s youth and young adults. Counselors offer support and solutions and are available 24/7 365 days a year. For help, call or text 1-888-222-2228 or visit the website to post on the message board.
  • The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services LGBTQIA+ young people under 25. For help call, 1-866-488-7386, text START to 678-678, or visit the website for online chat.

For Seniors:

  • Sage National LGBT Elder Hotline: Sage is a national organization for LGBT seniors. The hotline connects people who want to talk with friendly certified responders who are ready to listen. The hotline is managed by United Way Worldwide and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in English and Spanish, with translation in 180 languages. For support, call 877-360-LGBT (5428).

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Legal Resources

  • GLAD Resources (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders): This organization provides legal, health, and mental-emotional support resources along with ways allies can support through action and funding.
  • State of New Jersey Trangender Hub  Learn about name changes, legal protections and civil rights, and support resources.

 

 

Health & Wellness

New Jersey:

  • AHEC: Camden Area Health Education Center, Inc.: Camden AHEC is committed to improving the health of the medically underserved including low-income households, elders, youth, people experiencing houselessness, and people who are unemployed or without insurance. Services include AHEC Neighborhood Health Van, Camden Community Farmers’ Market, HIV Prevention Program, Community Health Worker Institute, Senior Wellness Program, and Syringe Access Program (SAP), and referrals.

  • Haddonfield Primary & Specialty Care: This brand new health center focuses on affirming LGBTQIA+ care. They accept many insurance providers including Medicare and Medicaid.

  • Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic: With locations in Voorhees and Philadelphia, the clinic offers psycho-social and medical support for gender variant, gender-expansive, and transgender children and youth up to age 21 and their families.

Philadelphia:

  • Penn Medicine LGBT Health Program: Penn LGBT Health takes a multidisciplinary approach to providing quality care to the LGBT community and partners patients with compassionate and skilled providers across the health system that offer culturally competent care in a judgment-free setting.

  • Mazzoni Center: Dedicated to meeting the health and wellness of the LGBTQIA+ communities, the center offers comprehensive medical and counseling services as well as legal aid, food banks, case management, housing support, and peer support groups.

National:

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Community Connection

Local Groups

  • Eshel: Eshel’s mission is to create community and acceptance for Jewish LGBTQIA+ people and their families in Orthodox communities.
  • NJ Gay Life: A NJ-centric online community resource. Features an events calendar, business directory, organization directory, and community blogs.
  • PFLAG Collingswood: The nation’s largest family and ally organization. Uniting people who are LGBTQIA+ with families, friends, and allies, PFLAG is committed to advancing equality through its mission of support, education, and advocacy. PFLAG Collingswood is the chapter serving the South Jersey region.
  • Pride Center of New Jersey: Located in Highland Park, Pride Center seeks to provide a welcoming space for folks to find support, educational tools, health and education resources, and social opportunities. Its mission is to build community by offering a safer space to socialize and connect in an accepting and affirming environment.
  • Stonewall Sports: Philadelphia-based non-profit organization focused on enhancing the quality of life in the community by providing a fun, welcoming, and social atmosphere for athletic competition.
  • William Way LGBT Community Center: From social groups, networking events, and counseling and support services to art exhibitions and cultural experiences, the William Way LGBT Community Center strives to provide new and innovative programs for the LGBTQIA+ communities of Philadelphia.

News

  • Out In Jersey: New Jersey’s source for LGBTQIA+ news, events, features, commentary, and media reviews. Visit their Facebook page! Check here for a print distribution site near you.

  • Philadelphia Gay News: The area’s largest LGBTQIA+ news publication. Stories focus on local, state, and national issues. Columns feature arts and culture, finance, healthcare, and more. Visit their Facebook page! Check here for a print distribution site near you.

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Youth

  • Together Emergency Shelter: Together is an LGBTQIA+ affirming 24 hour walk in shelter for youth 9-18. If you need, help call the Emergency Housing Hotline at 1-800-255-4213.
  • Kaleidoscope: A community-based Gay-Straight Alliance that offers monthly student-led gatherings in a safer, supportive environment. The group aims to empower queer youth through social connection and mutual support. Currently, meetings are virtual through Discord.
  • Project Rainbow: A safe, affirming, and fun social gathering for LGBTQIA+ tweens (grades 6-8), teens (grades 9-12) and their allies offered by the Jewish Family and Children’s Service. To learn about upcoming dates, Contact Emily Witmier at 856-424-1333 ext. 1415 or ewitmier@jfedsnj.org.

  • Attic Youth Center: The Attic creates opportunities for youth to develop into healthy, independent, civic-minded adults within a safer and supportive community. Services include life skills classes, HIV prevention, counseling, support groups, case management, and social gatherings.

  • It Gets Better: This nonprofit’s mission is to uplift, empower, and connect youth around the globe through the sharing of video stories. They also offer education and resources to support your journey. Get involved by sharing your own story!

Advocacy

  • Garden State Equality:  Established in 2004, Garden State Equality (GSE) is the largest LGBTQIA+ advocacy organization in New Jersey and one of the most successful statewide civil rights organizations in the nation. Their services include advocacy, policy work, and trainings.
  • Gender Spectrum: This organization provides youth support including online groups and identity affirming resources. They also provide information and training for allies. Check out their Youtube Channel!
  • GLAAD:  GLAAD amplifies voices in the LGBTQIA+ community by providing a platform for personal stories, holding the media accountable, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively.

  • GLSEN:  GLSEN believes that every student has the right to a safe, supportive, and inclusive K-12 education.  The organization works to ensure that students are able to learn and grow in a school environment free from bullying and harassment. 

      *GLSEN for educators:  Curriculum resources, safer space training, and more.

      *GLSEN for students:  Resources on starting a GSA, leadership opportunities, and more. 

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Podcasts

  • Just Breathe: Parenting Your LGBTQ Teen: Heather Hester from Chrysalis Mama seeks to transform the conversation around loving and raising an LGBTQIA+ teenager. She shares her own experience raising her gay son and offers support to parents who feel overwhelmed or unsure how to best care for their children.

  • LGBTQ&A: This podcast was created to document modern LGBTQIA+ history. Each episode interviews a member of the community and seeks to move beyond transition and coming out stories and focus on whole-person representation including accomplishments and struggles

  • Outspoken Voices: Outspoken Voices provides a platform for all members of LGBTQIA+ families to share their stories, start discussions, and dig deeper into the issues affecting our families today. 

Book Lists

Videos

  • Now You Know: The History of LGBTQ+:  “Have you ever wondered about the beginnings of homosexuality? Get to know a little bit about the fight for equality as Wanda Sykes takes us on a journey all the way back to the Middle Ages.”

  • State of Pride: “Fifty years after the Stonewall uprising, Oscar®-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman and host Raymond Braun travel to three diverse communities – Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama – for an unflinching look at LGBTQ Pride, from the perspective of a younger generation for whom it still has personal urgency.”

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