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About Us Your Facilitators LGBTQ+ Resources FAQs
About us
Q Chat Space provides online discussion groups for LGBTQ+ teens ages 13 to 19. It is not a forum. It is live and chat based; there is no video or audio. Everyone is chatting during the same pre-scheduled time.
Conversations are facilitated by experienced staff who work at LGBTQ+ centers around the country. Q Chat Space facilitators are NOT mental health professionals. If you are in crisis or need help immediately, please use the resources available here.
Q Chat Space is a collaboration of the following organizations:
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
CenterLink develops strong, sustainable LGBTQ+ community centers and builds a thriving center network that creates healthy, vibrant communities.
PFLAG is the largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people, their parents and families, and allies. With over 400 chapters and 200,000 members and supporters, PFLAG is committed to creating a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Planned Parenthood advocates for and delivers vital sexual and reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of people worldwide. Planned Parenthood’s doors are open to anyone regardless of gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation.
Q Chat Space facilitators are staff and volunteers from the following organizations:
Your facilitators
Our groups are facilitated by caring (and verified) facilitators!
They are staff and volunteers from youth programs at LGBTQ+ centers across the country.
They are in the live chats to guide group conversations and help if anything comes up.
Currently, live chats are facilitated by staff from:
- Hetrick-Martin Institute (New York, NY)
- JASMYN (Jacksonville, FL)
- LGBT Center Orange County (Santa Ana, CA)
- The LGBTQ Center Long Beach (Long Beach, CA)
- one-n-ten (Phoenix, AZ)
- SMYAL (Washington, DC)
- Time Out Youth (Charlotte, NC)
LGBTQ+ resources
Emergency: Call 911
Over 250 LGBTQ+ centers providing support to their local LGBTQ+ communities
Support for families, allies, and people who are LGBTQ+ provided through 400 local chapters
Find a Planned Parenthood health center
Health centers are open to people of all gender identities and sexual orientations and offer STD testing, birth control, physical exams, other sexual and reproductive health services, and referrals
HOTLINES
24/7 suicide prevention helpline for LGBTQ+ youth (call, chat, or text)
Suicide prevention helpline for trans youth, staffed by trans people (call)
Talk to peers directly (call, chat)
National Suicide Prevention Line
24/7 suicide prevention hotline (chat)
Crisis intervention and referrals for runaway and homeless youth (call, chat, or email)
RAINN - Rape Abuse & Incest National Network
National sexual assault hotline (call, chat)
National Domestic Violence Hotline
24/7 domestic violence hotline (chat)
24/7 child abuse hotline (call)
Sexually Transmitted Disease & AIDS/HIV Information Hotline
1-800-CDC-INFO/1-800-232-4636 (Mon-Fri 8 am - 8 pm ET) (call)
OTHER RESOURCES
Asexuality Visibility and Education Network
The world's largest online asexual community as well as a large archive of resources on asexuality.
Facts for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Teens and Their Parents
From the American Academy of Pediatrics
Having trouble getting used to a friend's new pronouns? Want to try some out for yourself? Check this out.
The Lounge is a space for teens, parents, and professionals to connect with one another and have conversations on gender without the boxes.
A safe space for all LGBTQ+ youth, whether out or closeted, to share their writing with a supportive community.
An online magazine for QTPOC youth.
OUTWORDS collects, archives and shares the experience and wisdom of LGBTQ pioneers, to serve as a model for enduring social change in the United States and beyond.
Project Contrast's mission is to show LGBTQ+ youth that they are not alone.
Having trouble getting used to a friend's new pronouns? Check this out.
Trying to figure out which pronouns suit you best? Check out this site.
Sexual health information and resources specifically for LGBTQ+ youth
TrevorSpace is an affirming international community for LGBTQ young people ages 13-24.
FAQs
What is Q Chat Space? What is it not?
Q Chat Space provides online discussion groups for LGBTQ+ teens ages 13 to 19. It is not a forum. It is live and chat based; there is no video or audio. Everyone is chatting during the same pre-scheduled time.
Conversations are facilitated by experienced staff who work at LGBTQ+ centers around the country. Q Chat Space facilitators are NOT mental health professionals. If you are in crisis or need help immediately, please use the resources available here.
People are using Q Chat Space to get support, make friends and build community in a safe environment. Q Chat Space is not a dating site. Please do not repeatedly talk to someone about romantic or sexual things when they have asked you to stop. Do not use sexually explicit or degrading words and phrases.
What will it be like when I join a discussion group?
A facilitator will greet you when you arrive in the space. There will be some time to informally meet others who are joining the discussion. After introductions and a review of the group agreements, there will be open discussion on a designated topic. You are free to share as much or as little as you like. At the end, there will be a closing and some time to chat more informally.
Check out this video to see what joining a group will be like.
Who are the Q Chatters?
Q Chatters are teens who commit to joining at least one Q Chat Space discussion a week for a year. Their role is to help create a positive and supportive Q Chat Space community by being friendly and active participants in the conversations. They also provide feedback to the supportive adults who run Q Chat Space.
How can I share feedback?
If you have any feedback to share about another participant, a facilitator, a particular group, the website or chat platform, or anything else, contact us through this form.
What am I agreeing to in joining Q Chat Space groups?
We want people who use Q Chat Space to feel safe, get support, and make friends. In order to make sure that happens, we need to have clear and mutually agreed upon ways to interact with each other. We ask every person who joins groups on Q Chat Space to agree that they will:
- Respect other’s identities and pronouns.
- Keep confidentiality – what’s shared here, stays here.
- Be here for support and try to stay positive.
- Welcome new ideas and different perspectives.
- Own up to and forgive mistakes.
Both facilitators and participants in groups are responsible for keeping these agreements. They are also responsible for courteously helping others understand when they might be doing something that doesn’t follow the agreements. Everyone needs to work together to build a respectful and trusting community.
We also want to be clear that Q Chat Space is here to support you, but the facilitators are not acting as mental professionals. And, while we won't share the information you discuss in the group, there are a few exceptions to that. Q Chat Space facilitators may be required by state law to report information share in the group if you share that you are being abused (physically, sexually, or emotionally) or that you want to hurt yourself or someone else.
How can I make sure I am safe and help create a safe space while using Q Chat Space?
We want everyone to feel and be safe in Q Chat Space. Here are guidelines to help you do that.
- Be careful with humor. Even if you think it’s obvious that you are joking, it can be hard to tell. If it’s meant to be funny, make that clear by adding ‘lol’ or ‘jk.’
- Remember that what happens online is as serious as in real life. Don’t say anything in a discussion group that you wouldn’t be comfortable saying in person.
- Don’t share personal information (like your birth date, phone number, or social media profile) until/unless you feel really confident that you trust the other person.
- Trust your own instincts. If you think that it might be unwise to share something, don’t do it. If someone says or does something that makes you feel uncomfortable, ask them to stop. If they don’t stop, let a facilitator know.
- If you have any feedback to share about another participant, a facilitator, a particular group, something that happened in a group, or anything else, contact us through this form.
I'm an adult and I'd like to share this resource with youth. Where can I find resources?
Thanks for your interest in spreading the word about Q Chat Space. Check out downloadable resources here: https://www.lgbtcenters.org/Programs/Q-Chat-Space
What’s the fine print?
Here are links to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for the Q Chat Space website. You will see that these are the privacy policy and terms of use of CenterLink’s web properties because this website, QchatSpace.org, is affiliated with CenterLink.