I am not gay but would sincerely like to know how I can be of help to the gay community. I believe in letting people live their lives without judgment. Where can I volunteer?

I love this question because the answer has so many possibilities and because it shows that people like Lisa, who asked the question, care about the community.

There are many different types of volunteer agencies that seek to educate, empower, and assist the community. In order to find a good match for you, it is important to decide what part you want to play.

Here are the main types of volunteerism:

Political: helping the community secure the same rights as the straight community.

Youth: building self-esteem and empowering youth to live a healthy life.

Healthy relationships: working with agencies that seek to end domestic violence, sexual assault and hate crimes in the community.

Medical: volunteering at a clinic or hospice that serves to assist GLBT patients.

Elderly: volunteering with support groups and outreach to seniors in the community who feel isolated.

Mental health: volunteering with agencies that seek to improve the mental health of the community.

Fund-raising: participating in fund-raising events that seek to assist any of the above.

The best way to find an organization is to do a search for your city and the GLBT community resources.

 Other ways you can help the community are:

• Do not participate in jokes that are derogatory to the GLBT community.
• Tell others that you have respect for the community and speak positively about the community.
• Seek out and share information about injustices in the GLBT community.
• Become an ally for all and proudly bear that honor.
• Speak up and speak out.
• Support companies that are GLBT friendly and express your dislike for the policies of companies that aren’t.

 I hope that this will give you a good jumping off point and thank you for your question!

Allie