Dedicated to creating supportive communities where Virginia’s LGBTQ+ youth can define themselves, belong, and flourish.
Youth & Young Adults
Check out our programs and services for LGBTQ+ youth ages 11-20 based in Richmond, as well as our programs and services for LGBTQ+ young adults 18-25 experiencing homelessness or housing instability.
Family & Caregivers
Side by Side supports parents, caregivers, and family members of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. Check out our resources, programs, and services to help families in turn support their LGBTQ+ family members.
Side by Side works with K-12 schools throughout the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. Check out our training, consultation, and other resources for how schools can support LGBTQ+ students.
Schools
Side by Side provides trainings not only to schools, but community organizations, government agencies, and even corporate partners. Check out how Side by Side can help transform your organization into an inclusive workspace for everyone.
Trainings
Support Us
Check out the many ways you can support Side by Side’s work including volunteer opportunities, ways to donate, and fun events!
Racial Equity Statement
Side by Side is committed to honoring the fullness of who our youth are by cultivating a space that recognizes and focuses on their complete humanity. In order to do so, we affirm that we must commit to the continued acknowledgement of historical and ongoing racial inequities and serve as disrupters of systems, acts, and people that perpetuate racial inequity to impact change. With a specific focus on prioritizing the needs of black and brown LGBTQ+ youth, this commitment will be the lens in which we build our organizational structure, perform analysis, and develop policies and advocacy processes.
We continue to commit to:
Listening to both racial equity scholars in the community and to Black LGBTQ+ youth to understand the nuances of what Black LGBTQ+ youth need.
Creating space for Black LGBTQ+ youth, which includes naming the historical and systemic nature of racism, leveraging organizational influence, and engaging in intentional outreach and recruitment that not only breaks down the dominance of white culture, but also celebrates other cultures and experiences.
Increasing access to our programs and services by building relationships in Black communities consistently through long-term engagement.
Working intentionally to create a representative organization that reflects the racial diversity of Virginia’s LGBTQ community.
Seeking funding opportunities, on an ongoing basis, to uplift Black LGBTQ+ youth.
Collaborating with organizations who serve, support, and affirm Black youth, to ensure that Black LGBTQ+ youth have multiple safe and affirming spaces in which to flourish.
We acknowledge that these objectives are but a start to a long journey filled with consistent reflection and action in response to the ever-changing sociopolitical landscape that disproportionately impacts communities of color. We are committed to being partners in the work and agents of change in order to help shape a brighter and more equitable future for Virginia’s LGBTQ+ youth.
“Through Side by Side, I’ve found friends I can count on, adults I can trust with everything about my identity, and the ability to stand up for not just myself but for queer youth overall.”
— Side by Side Youth