Community & Identity Based Support

LGBT National Help Center

Talk with an LGBTQIA+ peer

Free, confidential LGBTQIA+ peer support, information and community resource navigation by hotline and online chat.

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Who They Are

The LGBT National Help Center is a nonprofit that has provided LGBTQIA+ peer support, community connection and resource information nationally for approximately three decades.

What They Provide

The Help Center operates peer support hotlines, one to one online chat, specialized youth and senior lines, moderated youth chatrooms and the LGBTnearMe resource database. Support is provided by trained LGBTQIA+ volunteers rather than therapists acting in a clinical relationship.

Who They Help

Services support LGBTQIA+ people and people exploring or questioning sexual orientation and gender identity. Specialized youth, senior and coming out programs have their own intended audiences.

Where Services Are Available

National hotline services serve callers across the United States and beyond. Online peer chat can be accessed internationally where the website is available, although the current chat service is conducted in English.

Cost & Payment

The Help Center describes its peer support programs as free. Resources identified through LGBTnearMe are independent and may have their own costs.

How to Get Help

Call the LGBT National Hotline at 888 843 4564 or open one to one peer chat during published hours. You can discuss identity, relationships, coming out, isolation, family concerns, bullying or other issues and ask volunteers to help locate LGBTQIA+ resources near you.

Hours & Response Expectations

The current one to one chat operates Monday through Friday from 11 AM to 8 PM Pacific and Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM Pacific. If all volunteers are occupied, users may need to try again. Specialized telephone lines publish their own schedules.

Accessibility

Telephone and text based web chat provide different communication options. Chat currently requires English. LGBTnearMe can search for local resources by ZIP code and distance.

Documented Accomplishments

The Help Center reports approximately 30 years of national service. In 2026 it described LGBTnearMe as containing nearly 22,000 LGBTQIA+ specific resources and community connections. These figures measure service reach, not clinical outcomes.

Important Limitations

The service is peer support rather than therapy. The Help Center states that calls are not recorded and one to one chats do not create transcripts. It also states that volunteers do not routinely summon outside emergency services on a caller's behalf, except when a credible threat is made against another person.

Sources & Additional Information

LGBT National Help Center:
https://lgbthotline.org/

One to One Peer Support Chat:
https://lgbthotline.org/chat/

Contact and Helplines:
https://lgbthotline.org/contact/