HELPFUL WEBSITES
SOUTH DAKOTA ORGANIZATIONS
Safe Space SD
The mission of the Helpline Center is making lives better by giving support, offering hope and creating connections all day, every day. We’re here to help you get through the barriers you encounter in daily life and are committed to ensuring we exist in a Safe Space, ready to support all our LGBTQIA+ callers.
Lost & Found
Lost&Found is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit social enterprise, headquartered in Sioux Falls, SD, that connects students with the tools and community for lifelong resilience. Each year, our team of students, advisers, on- and off-campus partners, staff, volunteers and board members collaborate to set goals for meeting our mission. These goals help us convert purpose into reality as we seek our ultimate vision: eliminating suicide for young adults ages 15-34 in the United States. When we work together, we can do more to help students take control of their mental health and live well.
Black Hills Center for Equality
The Black Hills Center for Equality’s mission is to equitably serve and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and their families, through support, outreach, and connections to inclusive community resources.
Sioux Falls Pride
http://www.siouxfallspride.org
Sioux Falls Pride serves the LGBTQIA2S+ community in Sioux Falls and the surrounding areas by fostering growth, inclusivity and equality to our proud members and allies. We have a passion for creating a community which empowers youth, provide support for all and welcome diversity. Through ongoing efforts, Sioux Falls Pride continues to be a thriving organization proudly providing support to our beloved LGBTQ2s+ community.
ACLU of SD
The ACLU of South Dakota works in communities, legislatures and courts to preserve the rights and liberties enshrined by the Constitution of the United States of America. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, protecting free speech, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ community, securing the rights of immigrants, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right 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.
Equality SD
Equality South Dakota is a statewide advocacy organization developed by men and women across South Dakota who are dedicated to achieving equality for all people with respect to their sexual orientation and gender identity. Our membership includes thousands of supporters from not only this state but across the nation.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
GLAAD
https://www.glaad.org/transgender/resources
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.
It Gets Better
The It Gets Better Project is a nonprofit organization with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth around the globe. Growing up isn’t easy, especially when you are trying to affirm and assert your sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It can be a challenging and isolating process – but, the good news is, no one has to do it alone.
PFLAG National
Founded in 1972 with the simple act of a mother publicly supporting her gay son, PFLAG is the nation’s largest family and ally organization. Made up of parents, families, friends, and straight allies united with people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), PFLAG is committed to advancing equality and societal acceptance of LGBT people through its threefold mission of support, education and advocacy. PFLAG now has over 350 chapters and 200,000 members and supporters crossing multiple generations of American families in major urban centers, small cities and rural areas in all 50 states. This vast grassroots network is cultivated, resourced, and serviced by PFLAG National, located in Washington, D.C., the National Board of Directors and 13 Regional Directors.
Human Rights Campaign
As the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, the Human Rights Campaign represents a force of more than 1.5 million members and supporters nationwide — all committed to making HRC’s vision a reality. Founded in 1980, HRC advocates on behalf of LGBT Americans, mobilizes grassroots actions in diverse communities, invests strategically to elect fair-minded individuals to office and educates the public about LGBT issues.
National Center for Transgender Equality
https://transequality.org/additional-help
The National Center for Transgender Equality advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice.
Trans Youth Equality Foundation
http://www.transyouthequality.org/our-mission
The Trans Youth Equality Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) non profit foundation that advocates for transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex youth ages 2–18. Our organization was founded by the mother of a transgender child; with support from some good friends and a few transgender and youth providers she began to build a board and programs. Through her own struggle to find resources for her child between 2002 and 2007, she realized the great need for high quality resources and support services for youth and their families. TYEF seeks to address this need through our yearly youth retreats, including a popular summer and fall camp; TransWaves, an educational podcast program; trainings for educational and medical professionals; youth workshops; and our social media presence. TYEF was founded upon the principal that no family and no child has to be alone on this journey.