Jump to resources for Adults | Youth | Parents | School Staff | Employers and Providers | Community | Faith
Did You Know?
Healthcare workers in Ohio can legally deny services to patients, including those who are LGBTQ+, based on moral objections. Ohioans on Medicaid are excluded from receiving transgender care. Ohio is one of 25 states listed as “High Priority to Achieve Basic Equality” for LGBTQ+ people on the 2020 HRC State Equality Index – a comprehensive state-by-state report that provides a review of statewide laws and policies that affect LGBTQ+ people and their families.
About This Page
Listed below are local and national resources with programs serving SOGI adults and their families, friends and allies. Links are provided which target specific needs and conveniently take you directly to the optimal place on the affiliate’s website. Each section also includes suggestions for books and articles related to these topics. This list is by no means exhaustive. If you’ve had a positive experience with a website or provider, please email us with information and reasons you would recommend them.
Transgender – adult
- Transgender Self-Help Guides – Health Coverage, ID Documents, Legal Services
- World Professional Association for Transgender Health
- TransOhio
- HRC – Guide for Transgender Employees
- Margie’s Hope – assisting transgender, non-binary and gender expansive individuals in need.
Margie’s Closet 1384 W 117th St. Lakewood, Ohio 44107
LGBTQ Adults
Counseling – Adult and Youth
- Wellbeing Unlimited, Inc.
Brooke H. Kroto, L.I.S.W.
216-261-7887
East side: 250 Richmond Rd, Richmond Hts, OH 44143
West side: 21851 Center Ridge Rd, Suite 411 Rocky River, OH 44116 - Jes James Sellers, PhD Psychologist
Heights Medical Bldg, 2460 Fairmount Blvd, Suite 301,
Cleveland Hts, OH 44106
216-800-5370 - Katherine Bennett MSW, LISW Outpatient Therapist
21625 Chagrin Blvd. Suite 200
Beachwood, OH 44122
216-309-1559 - Ravenwood Health
counseling fee based on ability to pay for Geauga County residents - Marissa Patsey – Psychotherapist and LGBTQIAA+ Consultant
Cleveland Heights
Healthcare – Adult
- Cleveland Clinic – Adult LGBTQ+ services – Patient Coordinator
- Metro Health Pride Network
- UH Hospital – Adults, Youth, Children
Addiction Resources
- Start Your Recovery – StartYourRecovery.org
https://startyourrecovery.org/treatment/rehab-centers/ohio/cleveland
Housing
- Fair Housing Resource Center 440-392-0147 or 866-411-3472
Offers several housing programs that benefit residents of Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula County. - Dorian Gray Youth Foundation provides funding and resources to housing insecure LGBTQ+ youth (ages 12 – 24) in Northeast Ohio.
Wigs, Styling and Makeup
- Safe In My Chair list of welcoming salons / stylists in the US, Canada and UK
Hair Removal
- Cosmetic Laser, Inc. 8353 Mentor Ave. Mentor, OH 44060 440-447-4074
Books and Articles
- Cleveland Clinic – The Transgender Brain
- Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, by Laura Erickson-Schroth, copyright 2014, non-fiction
Edited by psychiatrist Laura Erickson-Schroth, a resource that covers health and wellness for transgender and gender non-conforming people. It was a 27th Lambda Literary Awards finalist in the Transgender Non-Fiction category and won a 2015 Achievement Award from GLMA: Healthcare Professionals for LGBT Equality.
Spouse, Family, and Ally Resources
- PFLAG With over 400 chapters nationwide, PFLAG has provided support to the SOGI community since 1973. It is the first and largest organization of its kind. The PFLAG Cleveland chapter was established in 1985 and has been instrumental in changing hearts and minds in the Greater Cleveland community. They offer a monthly peer support group, and an array of annual membership options, all of which entitle you to receive a national and local PFLAG newsletter, and access to their many resources.
- Transgender Partners – Resources for Significant Others, Friends, Family and Allies of Transgender People
- Tri-C Safe Zone Ally Manual
- LGBTQ Family Acceptance – Family Acceptance Project
YOUTH
- GLSEN – The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network is a national non-profit organization that focuses on providing support for students in grades K-12. They can help with starting and running a GSA and have a national student council.
Student and GSA Resources - Human Rights Campaign – HRC is a national organization that advocates for the SOGI community. The HRC foundation supports LGBTQ+ individuals through a variety of programs.
Coming Out
Youth
College Students
Transgender - The Trevor Project – The Trevor Project is a national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention for individuals on the SOGI spectrum who are under 25 years of age.
Suicide Prevention Resources
Coming Out Handbook
Ally Guide - LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland – The LGBT Center supports members of the LGBTQ+ community throughout the greater Cleveland area. The center has many different programs from support groups to advocate training for youth.
Queer Youth Initiative
Community Resources
Other Resources
- Ultimate Campus Guide for LGBTQ Students
- PFLAG offers a list of coming-out books
- 216 Teens (Cuyahoga County Board of Health)
- LifeAct (Chagrin Falls, OH) understand more about depression and suicide
- GSA Network
- Planned Parenthood
- It Gets Better Project
- CDC LGBT Health Youth Resources
- TRACE app (an easy-to-use application for folks in transition to better track their journey)
- Dorian Gray Youth Foundation provides funding and resources to housing insecure LGBTQ+ youth (ages 12 – 24) in Northeast Ohio.
Books and Articles
- Beyond Magenta, Transgender Teens Speak Out – Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and represented them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference. It illustrates how family dynamics, living situations, and gender influence the transition these teens make in recognition of their true selves.
- GLBTQ – The Survival Guide for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Teens – Kelly Huegel Madrone describes the challenges faced by GLBTQ teens, offers practical advice, real-life experiences, and accessible resources and support groups. First published in 2003, this latest provides a contemporary look at society and its growing acceptance of people who are GLBTQ.
PARENTS
Parental Resources
- TransYouth Family Allies – resources for parents
- COLORS+ Youth Center of Fairview Park
Healthcare – Transgender Youth
- Cleveland Clinic – Gender Understanding, Identity and Expression (GUIDE)
- Metro Health Pride Network
- UH Hospital – Adults, Youth, Children
- Pediatricenter of Greater Cleveland – Angela Vitiello MD
Bainbridge: 8185 E Washington St #3, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023 – 440-543-3627
Twinsburg: 8900 Darrow Rd. Suite H108 Twinsburg, OH 44087 – 330-405-9147
Books and Articles
- I Am Jazz, the story of a transgender child based on the real-life experience of Jazz Jennings, who has become a spokesperson for transkids everywhere. This is an essential tool for parents and teachers to share with children whether those kids identify as trans or not. Jessica Herthel, Jazz Jennings 2014
- Becoming Nicole, The Transformation of an American Family, by Amy Ellis Nutt (Pulitzer Prize winner) – ©2015. A couple adopts identical twin boys. At 2 years of age, one twin insists he is a female. The story follows the family’s challenges personally and in the community. Interspersed through the book are several chapters that explain the biology (chromosomes, endocrinology) of gender anomalies.
- Gender; A Graphic Guide, by Meg-John Barker and Jules Scheele – copyright 2019
Travel through shifting understandings of gender across time and space – from ideas about masculinity and femininity, to non-binary and trans genders. Consider the intersecting experiences of gender; culture, experiences, and biology.
SCHOOL STAFF RESOURCES
- GLSEN – The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network is a national non-profit organization that focuses on providing support for K-12 schools. GLSEN provides educator training and assists student-led GSAs and other clubs. Please contact Geauga SOGI if you are interested in GLSEN training for your school.
Professional Development
Educator Resources
Webinars
Virtual Resources
School Climate For LGBTQ+ Students In Ohio – 2019 State Snapshot - Human Rights Campaign – HRC is a national organization that advocates for the LGBTQ community. The HRC foundation supports LGBTQ+ individuals through a variety of programs.
Research and Data
Anti-Bullying Curriculum for PreK-8
Professional Development
Time to Thrive is an annual conference for all who serve youth on the SOGI spectrum, co-presented by the National Education Association and the American Counseling Association.
Book Lists
Guide for Supporting Transgender Students
Executive Summary of the CDC’s 2019 Youth Risk Surveillance data - The Trevor Project – The Trevor Project is a national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention for individuals on the SOGI spectrum who are under 25 years of age.
Professional Development: Free on-line lessons and in-person trainings for adults who work with youth.
Suicide Prevention Resources
Ally Guide - LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland – The LGBT Center supports members of the SOGI community throughout the Greater Cleveland area.
Professional Development
Queer Youth Initiative
Other Staff Resources
- PFLAG National
- National Education Association
- LifeAct (Chagrin Falls, OH) understand more about depression and suicide
- GSA Network
- CDC Educator and School Resources
- CDC Data
- Ohio GSA Network
EMPLOYERS & PROVIDERS
Did You Know?
4.3% of Ohio adults (about 389,000) are on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. 30% (age 25+) are raising children. 5% of the Ohio workforce (about 298,000) is LGBTQ+. In Ohio, it is legal to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people in employment, housing, and public accommodations. The Ohio Fairness Act, which would make such discrimination illegal, has been introduced every legislative session since 2011 but has never passed. Thirty-two Ohio cities and one Ohio county have local antidiscrimination ordinances governing sexual orientation and gender identity.
Individuals, businesses, and service providers are encouraged to contact us about training and other collaborative opportunities. Geauga SOGI partners with regional and national LGBTQ+ organizations who have completed research and well-developed curriculums.
Employer and Agency Resources
- Human Rights Campaign – HRC is a national organization that advocates for the SOGI community. The HRC foundation supports LGBTQ+ individuals through a variety of programs.
Trans Toolkit for Employers
Restroom Access for Transgender Employees - LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland – The LGBT Center supports members of the SOGI community throughout the Greater Cleveland area.
Training for Businesses - Plexus – LGBT & Allied Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cleveland – Plexus is a strategic partner in the economic development of Northeast Ohio and serves as a point of connection for corporations, supporters, LGBTQ+ businesses and professionals. As the only LGBTQ+ business and professional organization in the region, we are more than a chamber of commerce; Plexus is a unique and influential network.
Education and Training
Employee Resource Groups - SAFE ZONES – indicate a place where individuals are open and supportive of the LGBTQ+ population.
The Safe Zone Project – resources
Cuyahoga Community College – Safe Zone Training
Legislative
- US Federal Employment Policies
- Business Coalition for the Equality Act
- Ohio Fairness Act – Senate
- Ohio Fairness Act – House
COMMUNITY EDUCATION RESOURCES
- LGBT Demographics in the US
- Safe Zone Project – Learning
- Planned Parenthood Definition of Gender Identity
- Planned Parenthood Definition of Sexual Orientation
- Cuyahoga Community College Safe Zone Ally
- PFLAG Glossary of Terms
RELIGION AND FAITH RESOURCES
Did You Know?
Many Ohio faith-based organizations from diverse religious traditions openly accept and affirm LGBTQ+ individuals and are actively working for nondiscrimination protections.
Religion
- Made in the Image of God by Dr. Natalie Weaver
- The Baptist Pastor and His Transgender Friends
- Dignity USA for LGBTQ Catholics
- HRC – Religious Exemptions – Right to Discriminate Laws in the US
- HRC – Overview of Religions
- HRC – Religion and Faith
- UCC LGBTQ Ministries
- The Reformation Project – Biblical Case for LGBTQ Inclusion
- 1946 – film that chronicles how a single word changed the course of modern history
Local Affirming Congregations
- Community Church of Chesterland – 11984 Caves Rd, Chesterland, OH 44026 440-729-7898
- East Shore Unitarian Universalist Church – 10848 Chillicothe Road, Kirtland, Ohio 44094 440-256-3400
- Bainbridge Community United Church of Christ – 17751 Chillicothe Rd, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023 440-543-5117
- Federated Church (UCC) – 76 Bell St, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022 440-247-6490
- Fairmount Temple Reform Judaism – 23737 Fairmount Blvd, Beachwood, OH 44122
- Kol HaLev Reconstructionist Jewish Community – 2245 Warrensville Center Rd # 215, Cleveland, OH 44118
Books and Articles
- Building a Bridge by Fr James Martin – a book on how the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter Into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity.
view documentary film trailer - Center for American Progress – How Religion and LGBTQ Rights Intersect in Media Coverage
- Public Religion Research Institute – Americans Show Broad Support for LGBT Nondiscrimination Protections
- Religious Freedom and Business Foundation – Religious Freedom and LGBT Rights