This resource page is for LGBTQ+ and questioning adults. UP also provides several different adult support groups. Click here to learn more about the groups we're offering at this time.
If you are currently in crisis, please reach out to one of the following hotline services:
- The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ+ people ages 24 and younger; 24/7 support by text, chat, or call)
- LGBT National Hotline (available M-F 3pm-11pm and Saturday 11am-4pm by call)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (24/7 support by call and chat)
- Crisis Text Line (24/7 support by text)
- Trans Lifeline (24/7 support by call)
Questioning & Coming Out
Questioning
It is never too late to begin questioning one’s gender or sexual identity. Indeed, these things can evolve at any age. Change and self-discovery are normal parts of life, and if you are currently questioning your identity, we welcome you to this new journey.
Questioning your identity is not a result of past trauma or a sign of illness. Rather, your willingness to question your past assumptions about yourself is a sign of maturity.
Labels can be a way to contextualize your experience and find others who can relate to you. They can also be a way to communicate your desires and experiences to others. That said, if you don’t find them useful, there’s no need to use them for yourself.
Listed below are resources related to some common LGBTQ+ identities. If you have questions, however, you’re always welcome to reach out to [email protected] for more support.
*Although many resources about gay people and lesbians focus on cisgender men and women, these labels are not restricted to these groups. Many transgender and nonbinary people identify as gay or lesbian, and these people are valued members of our community.
Coming Out
The resources below are .pdfs created by the Human Rights Campaign, a non-profit organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community through political and legal action for equal rights.
It is never too late to begin questioning one’s gender or sexual identity. Indeed, these things can evolve at any age. Change and self-discovery are normal parts of life, and if you are currently questioning your identity, we welcome you to this new journey.
Questioning your identity is not a result of past trauma or a sign of illness. Rather, your willingness to question your past assumptions about yourself is a sign of maturity.
Labels can be a way to contextualize your experience and find others who can relate to you. They can also be a way to communicate your desires and experiences to others. That said, if you don’t find them useful, there’s no need to use them for yourself.
Listed below are resources related to some common LGBTQ+ identities. If you have questions, however, you’re always welcome to reach out to [email protected] for more support.
- Questioning your gender with Transgender Map
- What is Bisexuality? from the Bisexual Resource Center (includes information about pansexuality)
- What is Asexuality? from WhatIsAsexuality.com
- Aromanticism FAQ from AUREA
- How Do You Know If You’re a Lesbian? from Healthline*
- Gay Male Sexuality from Better Health*
- What is intersex? from interACT
- Transgender and Intersex Solidarity Kit by National Center for Transgender Equality
*Although many resources about gay people and lesbians focus on cisgender men and women, these labels are not restricted to these groups. Many transgender and nonbinary people identify as gay or lesbian, and these people are valued members of our community.
Coming Out
The resources below are .pdfs created by the Human Rights Campaign, a non-profit organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community through political and legal action for equal rights.
- Guide to coming out as transgender or non-binary
- Guide to coming out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual+
- Guide to coming out for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans (available in six languages)
- Guide to coming out for Black LGBTQ people
- Guide to coming out for Latinx Americans (available in English and Spanish)
- Other coming-out resources
Transition Resources
Transition can be intimidating, but Uniting Pride is committed to supporting community members who are going through the process. You can find out more about our support & social group for trans adults, Trans UP, by emailing [email protected]. If you would like a binder or waist cincher but are unable to afford or safely purchase one on your own, please apply to UP & Away.
As you read through these resources, remember that no parts of transition are mandatory. While it is always important to consider your physical safety, keep in mind that on a personal level, transition should alleviate feelings of dysphoria (if you have them) and open you up to new experiences of gender euphoria.
General Transition Resources
Body & Voice Changes
Products
Legal Resources
As you read through these resources, remember that no parts of transition are mandatory. While it is always important to consider your physical safety, keep in mind that on a personal level, transition should alleviate feelings of dysphoria (if you have them) and open you up to new experiences of gender euphoria.
General Transition Resources
- General transition resources from Transgender Map
- More general resources from How to Trans
- Deadname removers for Chrome and Firefox
- How Transgender People Choose Their Names by TeenVogue
Body & Voice Changes
- Guidelines for Gender-Affirming Primary Care with Trans and Non-Binary Patients by Sherbourne Health (the best and most detailed guide to HRT, free to download)
- If you think it would help them, consider sharing UP’s resource page for healthcare providers with your doctor. This page includes information about how to support a patient through a transition and how to use the correct pronouns.
- How to safely bind your chest with Pink News (video)
- Safer Tucking by Desert AIDS Project and DAP Health
- Learn about voice training with Callen-Lorde
- Learn about the science of voice training with UCSF Transgender Care
- In the Champaign area, our source for voice training is Clarion Mendes. She's worked with our community extensively and we regard her very highly. She is a certified member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) as well as a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). You can reach her by phone at 217-300-7826 or by email at [email protected].
- Facial masculinization surgery information from FTMsurgery.net
- Facial feminization surgery information from Transgender Map
Products
- UP & Away (Uniting Pride’s free binder and waist cincher program)
- gc2b (chest binders; the link is a referral code that offers $5 off)
- TomboyX (tucking undergarments, packing boxers, compression tops)
- Gender Gear (shapewear, packing supplies, breast forms, and many more)
- Packers Guide by Trans Guy Supply
- STP Guide by Trans Guys
- Free Femme Shapewear by Point of Pride
- Unclockable (tucking kits)
- Transmasculine Alliance Chicago (T-MAC) Binders, Packers, and STPs Resources (Multiple Product Resources)
Legal Resources
- To change the gender marker on your birth certificate, you have to submit paperwork with the state that you were born in. For Illinois birth certificates, click here. Scroll to the bottom of the page to download the necessary forms. If you were born outside of Illinois, we recommend googling “[birth state] gender marker change” to find the most up-to-date information for your state.
- To view the process in Illinois to change your legal name, click here.
- Changing the gender marker on your passport does not require any documentation. Read about the process here. Click here to read about changing the name on your passport.
- Name Change Mobilization by the Transformative Justice Law Project of Illinois
- Name Change Checklist by UIC Law
Wellness & Aging
General Healthcare Resources
Aging Resources
Sex Work Resources
- UP has a resources page for healthcare providers. Consider sharing this with your doctors or other healthcare staff.
- If you or a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder, contact the NEDA Helpline for 24/7 support by call, text, or chat.
- If you are struggling with addiction, reach out to the Addiction Center Helpline for 24/7 support by call.
- Trans Safer Sex Guide by Whitman-Walker Health and the Human Rights Campaign
- What To Do If You Experience Discrimination by the Human Rights Campaign
- Protecting Your Visitation & Decision-Making Rights by the Human Rights Campaign
- Get Insured - Affordable Care Act Resources for the LGBTQ Community by the Human Rights Campaign
- Coming Out to Your Doctor by the Human Rights Campaign
- Sexual Assault and the LGBTQ Community by the Human Rights Campaign
- Same-Sex Parents and Consent for Treatment of a Minor by the Human Rights Campaign
- Health Resources Main Page from the Human Rights Campaign
- Tips for navigating healthcare for autistic trans people from the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN) and the National LGBTQ Task Force (scroll down and select the Trans Autistic Healthcare Guide)
- National LGBT Cancer Network
Aging Resources
- Creating End-of-Life Documents for Trans Individuals by the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging
- Lifelines: Documents to Protect You and Your Family by NCLR (available in Spanish)
- Planning with Purpose: Legal Basics for LGBT Elders by NCLR
- Create Your Care Plan by SAGE
- Old Lesbians Organizing for Change
- PrimeTimers Worldwide
- Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement
- AARP LGBTQ Page
- Eldercare Locator
- LGBTQ Aging from the American Society on Aging
- National Center on Elder Abuse
- Heartland Alliance (LGBTQ+ friendly senior housing in Chicago)
- Questions to ask when looking for an LGBTQ+-Friendly Senior Living Community
- Senior Rainbow Assistance Program (offers assistance for basic necessities and mortgage/rent assistance for LGBTQ seniors in Illinois)
- SAGECents (a digital wellness platform made specifically for LGBTQ+ elders to increase financial stability and reduce economic stress)
- National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging
- Health and Aging by Human Rights Campaign
- Old and Bold (a campaign from SAGE to help LGBTQIA+ and HIV-positive seniors access aging services like meal assistance, senior center programs, benefits enrollment, and more)
- Housing Rights for LGBTQ+ Seniors by Lambda Legal
- LGBTQ+ Focused Care Giving Guides
- Housing Guides and recorded Zoom talks
- Discrimination Resources
- Disrupting Disparities: Solutions for 50+ LGBTQ+ Illinoisans
Sex Work Resources
Windows Into the Wider Community
We hope you’ll connect with your local LGBTQ+ community through UP’s Social & Support Groups or through our Discord server (email [email protected] for more info), but the links below offer some glimpses at the LGBTQ+ community that exists beyond Champaign County. These resources speak to the good work we do, the broader conversations that are being had, and the diversity of our experiences.
Community-Building Organizations
- What It Means to Be Non-Binary by Teen Vogue
- Outwards (stories from LGBTQ+ elders and pioneers)
- Project Contrast (stories from LGBTQ+ youth)
- LGBTQ+ Fiction Database
Community-Building Organizations
- CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
- Family Equality
- Affinity (for Black LGBTQ+ people)
This resource collection is a living document. If you find that any of these resources are outdated, or if you know of an additional resource that may benefit this collection, please reach out to [email protected].