Audre Lorde Project — Free LGBTQ+ People of Color Community NYC
The Audre Lorde Project (ALP) is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two Spirit, Trans, and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color community organizing center based in New York City and serving the broader region since 1994. Named for Black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde, the Project offers ongoing support groups, organizing programs, community-based anti-violence work, and a long-running peer community that has been a touchstone for LGBTQ+ people of color in NYC for three decades.
What to Expect
ALP’s programming includes peer support groups for LGBTQ+ people of color across identities (Trans Justice, Working Group for LGBTSTGNC People of Color, immigrant rights groups, anti-violence community programs), community organizing campaigns rooted in the leadership of LGBTQ+ POC, the Safe OUTside the System Collective (SOS Collective) for community responses to violence, and ongoing community gatherings and events. The Project’s approach centers self-determination, mutual aid, and political organizing alongside peer support — meaning members find both community care and the chance to be part of broader liberation work.
Who This Group Is For
ALP serves lesbian, gay, bisexual, Two-Spirit, trans, and gender-nonconforming people of color in New York City and the surrounding region. Members include Black, Latine/x, Asian, Pacific Islander, Indigenous, Arab/SWANA, and mixed-heritage LGBTQ+ folks; immigrants and U.S.-born members; and queer people across the political spectrum who want to be part of intersectional community. The Project has historically been a leadership-development space for LGBTQ+ POC activists, organizers, and cultural workers.
Why Peer Support Works
LGBTQ+ people of color often describe how rare it is to find spaces that don’t ask them to leave part of themselves at the door — spaces that don’t center whiteness in queer community or center cisnormativity in BIPOC community. ALP has held that space deliberately and successfully for 30 years. The combination of peer support, organizing, and cultural work means members can engage at the level that fits — from showing up to a support group to taking on leadership in community campaigns.
How to Join
ALP programs are free. Visit alp.org to browse current programs, find support groups and community gatherings, learn about the SOS Collective and other organizing work, and contact staff. The Project is headquartered in Brooklyn (147 W 24th Street, 3rd Floor) and serves LGBTQ+ POC across NYC. Many programs are open to drop-ins; others (like the SOS Collective) involve a brief intake to ensure community safety.