Resources

Crisis Support:

• The Trevor Project: Call 866-488-7386, Text “START” to 678678
• The Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
• Blackline for BIPOC folks: 800-605-5841
• Desi LGBTQ+ Helpline for South Asians: 908-367-3374
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline: 988
• Crisis Text Line: Text “REACH” to 741741
• DuPage County Crisis Line: 630-627-1700
• The National Runaway Safeline: 800-RUNAWAY (800-786-2929)
• YWCA Rape Crisis Hotline: 888-293-2080 (Chicago Region)
• RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)

Comprehensive Resource List and Useful Reports:

• The List for Us: Chicagoland-based TGNC resources
• National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2021
• 2022 US Trans Survey
• Illinois Youth Survey Results

Housing:

• 360 Youth Services: Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing
• DuPage PADS
• Streetlight Chicago: Drop In and Emergency Shelter Resource
• The Night Ministry (Chicago)

Health, Wellness and HIV Resources:

• Lurie Children’s Gender Development Program
• Planned Parenthood of Illinois
• Howard Brown Health
• Open Door Health Center of Illinois
• Top Surgery Resource Guide
• Huma Kahn, MD- Adolescent Medicine
• Jessica Lapinski, DO- Northwestern Medicine, Geneva
• What is PrEP?
• Aids Foundation Chicago
• NAMI LGBTQ Recovery Support Group

Substance Use and Recovery:

• Gateway Out in Recovery
• SMART Recovery at Kenneth Young Center
• Pride Institute Recovery Programs (Minnesota)
• New Town Alano Club: LGBTQ+ Substance Use Recovery Meetings

Eating Disorder Recovery:

• Fed Up Collective

DV Support:

• The Network/La Red

Other Illinois Youth Groups:

• Virtual: Q Chat Space
• Virtual: Gender Spectrum Groups
• Pinwheels
• Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook Pride Youth Program
• Kenneth Young Center (Schaumburg)
• The Liam Foundation (Rockford)
• The Up Center (Champaign)
• The Phoenix Center (Springfield)
• Rainbow Cafe (Carbondale)
• Broadway Youth Center (Chicago)
• Center on Halsted Youth Program

Recreation, Sports and Camps:

• Action Camp: LGBTQ+ Leadership Camp
• OUT! Bowling (Addison)
• Changing the Game: LGBTQ+ student athlete and educator guide
• Athlete Ally

Books:

• Lee Wind: LGBTQIA2+ Book Guide
• Gender Inclusive Classrooms K-5 and Spanish Language Booklist

Name Change and Identity Documents:

• Transformative Justice Law Project
• Illinois Name Change Forms
• Illinois Fee Waiver Forms
• Odyssey E-file IL (Platform for filing name change)
• National Center for Trans Equality ID Document Center
• Trans Lifeline Microgrants for Name Change and HRT

Legal:

• Lambda Legal
• ACLU of Illinois
• Chase Strangio
• Second Parent Adoption Resource
• Black and Pink
• Liberation Library

Know Your Rights and Advocacy Toolkits:

• Services for LGBTQI+ Youth in Care (DCFS)
  • Appendix K (starts on page 115)
  • DCFS LGBTQ Liaison: Marla Courts
• The Talk: A Guide to Comprehensive Sexual Health Education in Illinois
• Illinois LGBTQ Students Rights
• Navigating Selective Service when Trans
• Advocates for Youth: Youth Advocacy Toolkit

Binders/Prosestics:

• Binding Safely
• gc2b (binders)
• Underworks

Parent/Caregiver Support:

• PFLAG Illinois
• PFLAG Sauk Valley
• Rainbows: Parenting Trans Children who are on Multiple Spectrums
• Desi Rainbow Families and Allies
• Family Acceptance Project
• TransFamilies

Education:

• CDC LGBTQ Inclusivity Self-Assessment for Schools
• Join Illinois GSA Advisor Listserv
• Illinois Safe Schools Alliance
• Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Transgender Guide
• IHSA Policy on Trans Athletes in Illinois
• Illinois Department of Human Rights Guidance Relating to Protection of Transgender, Nonbinary and Gender Nonconforming Students
• GSA Network
• GLSEN
• Welcoming Schools
• Gender Inclusive Schools
• Teaching Outside the Binary
• Learning for Justice
• Campus Pride: LGBTQ Friendly Colleges and Universities
• How to Create a Gender Support Plan
• Gender Inclusive Schools Assessment

Inclusive Curriculum and Comprehensive Sex Ed Resources:

• History Unerased
• The Legacy Project
• Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ RIghts Movement
• Elementary Appropriate Lesson Plans from Welcoming Schools
• Scarleteen
• Amaze: Age appropriate info on puberty for tweens and their families

Professional Resources:

• Community Network: Professionals Serving LGBTQ+ Youth
  • Email carolyn.wahlskog@youth-outlook.org to be added to listserv
  • DuPage/Kane Network Meetings on 3rd Thursdays from 1-2p on Zoom
• Chicago LGBTQ+ Clinical Therapists
• Illinois LGBTQ Roundtable: supporting youth in care of DCFS
  • Email RLehocky@lawrencehall.org to be added to listserv

Disability/Neurodiversities:

• Blind Pride International
• Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf
• Deaf Queer Resource Center
• Queer Sign Language

Podcasts:

• Gender Reveal
• Queer America
• How to Be a Girl
• Making Gay History

Terminology:

• What are Pronouns?
• Gender Unicorn
• LGBTQ 101
• LGBTQ Pride Flags

Others:

• Equality Illinois
• Brave Space Alliance
• Naper Pride
• DeKalb Pride
• Bolingbrook Pride
• Plainfield Pride
• Aurora Pride
• Belong Fox Valley
• Joliet Pride Network
• Will County Pride Coalition
• Affinity Community Services

National Resources:

• Centerlink: Community of LGBT Centers
• National Center for Trans Equality
• Gender Spectrum
• National Center for Lesbian Rights
• All Children- All Families Program: Human Rights Campaign
• True Colors United
• National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center

Employment/Jobs:

• Werq! LGBTQ Job Fair
• Hire Trans
• Out and Equal
• Centerlink Jobs Board
• FAQs for Trans Job Seekers

Therapists/Psychiatrists:

• For affirming therapists and psychiatrists in your area, please contact carolyn.wahlskog@youth-outlook.org.