Q Community

GIVE

a little

Local LGBTQ causes need the gift actually keeps giving all year

By Mike Fleming

WHILE YOU’RE BUSY MAKING

a list and checking it twice, don’t forget that there are worthy non-profits making life better yearround for local LGBTQ people. Non-profits always need benefactors. In 2021, multiply reasons to give by 1,000. Sharing with organizations that make Atlanta a better place is also a year-end tax break, so giving back in some ways is like doing yourself a favor, too. Not to mention juicy, delicious queer karma. Do it for them, do it for you, but just do it. Here are a few of our favorite local non-profits for your consideration this year.

AID Atlanta

Known for its AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run, AID Atlanta started providing HIV/AIDS-related services and education at the beginning of the crisis in 1982. Since then, it evolved to serve a broader range of clients. In 2014, it became an affiliate of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. aidatlanta.org 

Atlanta Pride

The largest festival in the Southeast is free to all comers thanks to donations and sponsorships. The committee officially donates to other LGBTQ causes and other non-profits in the equality movement. atlantapride.org

Counter Narrative Project

Under the watchful eye of director Charles Stephens, CNP builds power among black gay men, working in solidarity with all movements committed to racial and social justice to amplify black gay male voices through media, advocacy and political education. thecounternarrative.org

HRC Atlanta

The host of HRC Atlanta Dinner & Silent Auction supports local and national LGBTQ initiatives with year-round fundraising. hrcatlanta.org

Joining Hearts

Prolific in giving against HIV for more than three decades, this group throws Atlanta’s largest queer pool party and scores of satellite events. joininghearts.org If it’s happening in LGBTQ rights in Georgia, these activists have a hand in it. From lobbying in the legislature to grassroots initiatives, these dedicated staff and volunteers are busy year-round. georgiaequality.org

Positive Impact Health Centers

Client-centered care to give the HIV community a life worth loving on a sliding scale of fees. Services include HIV specialty medical care, dental referrals, testing, risk reduction, mental health counseling, psychiatry and substance abuse treatment. In 2020, they added a pharmacy. positiveimpacthealthcenters.org

Pets Are Loving Support

PALS was founded at the dawn of the AIDS crisis. It helps critically ill and elderly people keep and care for their pets. Fundraisers include

Drag Bingo games at Lips. palsatlanta.org

The Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative is a black, trans-led, Atlanta-based coalition to build a black, queer, trans, feminist movement toward practical abolition. snap4freedom.org

Southern Fried Queer Pride

A springtime event series and year-round party crew is just the beginning. Few other, if any, organizations in town reach directly into the day-today lives of young and disenfranchised LGBTQ people of color. southernfriedqueerpride.com

Southerners on New Ground

SONG is a regional queer liberation organization made up of people of color, immigrants, undocumented people, people with disabilities, working class and rural and small town, LGBTQ people in the South. southernersonnewground.org

Thrive SS

This group led by black men supports health equity for people living with HIV through lessening gaps of disparities. thrivess.org

Trans Housing Atlanta Program

THAP connects transgender and gender nonconforming people in metro Atlanta directly to available safe housing and supportive services. transhousingatlanta.org

Someone Cares, Inc.

Since 1996, Someone Cares offers a holistic approach to fighting HIV/AIDS to LGBTQ, marginalized, indigent, homeless and high atrisk populations. Services include primary care, addiction counseling and treatment, mental health counseling and treatment, and drug screening collection. someonecaresatl.org

Voices of Note

Through the combined efforts of Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus and Atlanta Women’s Chorus, performances promote equality to diverse audiences, serve as a catalyst for social change, inspire hearts and minds to change and embrace each other. voicesofnote.org