​LGBTQ+ activities and resources

By Faye Seidler

fayeseidler@gmail.com

I’d like to welcome everyone to a new school year! I’m sure every student out there has been blasted with more stimulus and information than any human can rightly handle, but if you’re under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, let me answer some common questions about the Fargo–Moorhead area!

What are some safe places to have fun in town for LGBTQ+ individuals?

The Pride Center and the college campuses all put on events year-round that are safe and inclusive of the whole rainbow. Dempsey's Public House, located in Downtown Fargo, is the unofficial LGBTQ+ bar and Red Raven is a coffee shop that doubles as a haven for many of us. They both host many queer-affirming events.

Keep in mind that we're a polite city, so there aren’t usually many problems that come up in public spaces, but these are the locations more likely to be filled with people who understand LGBTQ+ experiences and who will stand up for others if something does come up.

What are some LGBTQ+-oriented social groups?

The Tri-College area features many: NDSU has Pride Alliance, MSUM has Spectrum, and Concordia has SAGA. Each of these organizations hosts activities and provides a safe space for their members.

High schoolers have a fantastic resource in Kaleidoscope, a youth support group hosted at the Pride Center. Additionally, many area high schools have, or are developing, GSA groups (Gender Sexuality Alliance).

More generally in the area, there is the Gay Men’s Chorus, which is a great place to be part of a community and develop a skill. There is Spectrum Stitching, a fiber arts group hosted at the Pride Center which meets twice a month, for anyone wanting to practice their fabric hobbies or pick up a new one!

On the trans end of the spectrum we have the F-M Brotherhood which is a great place to connect with other trans male/masculine individuals. We have Tri-State Transgender, a support group open to all gender variant individuals. And there is a Gender Nonbinary/Fluid/Nonconforming Support and Social that meets at the Pride Center every Saturday. And rounding things out, there are Lake Agassiz Polyamory Network and PolyAware for support, information, and community for non-monogamous individuals.

What about issues related to LGBTQ+-inclusive jobs or healthcare?

Unfortunately, we don’t have statewide protections of LGBTQ+ individuals, and many companies don’t have policies for same-sex partners or for transitioning. That said, when looking for a job, research is essential. Best practice is to check and see what companies have protections in their policy and check out what kind of score they’re getting from the Human Rights Commission.

Healthcare is incredibly important for anyone and the first thing most LGBTQ+ individuals ask when moving to a new city is where they can find a good doctor. Fortunately, we have a lot of quality resources in this area.

The Planned Parenthood clinic located in Moorhead offers a tremendous variety of services and is completely affirming to LGBTQ+ individuals. The Rape and Abuse Crisis Center is also an outstanding organization in the community that takes pride in being LGBTQ+ inclusive. The Family Therapy Center at NDSU is an easy recommendation for therapy, since not only are all of their therapists trained to work inclusively with LGBTQ+ people, and their families, and relationships, but they also operate on a sliding fee scale. Also, for individuals that need hormone therapy, Sanford has endocrinologists for both youth and adult patients, and veterans have an endo available through the VA.

What if I don’t really see a group or resource that speaks to me?

The thing to keep in mind is that this isn’t a comprehensive list of every resource that we have in town, and that new groups are constantly being planned and launched. We’re lucky, because we have a wonderful Pride Center that is dedicated to allowing community members the agency to create change in the community. If you want to create the LGBTQ+ Anime Club, do it! If you want to create the LGBTQ+ Softball Team? Definitely! The Pride Center is happy to work with community members to help make this happen and to provide the space if need be.

Because of this, they now have a transgender clothing drive that sets up every Saturday. They have monthly discussions, often with panels and they’ve allowed their space to be used for wedding celebrations, healthcare seminars, and so many other awesome community-oriented events!

How do I contact any of these organizations?

There are a bunch of groups listed here, luckily most of them are just an internet search away. Questions about groups or resources are more than welcome by email, either to the Pride Center at info@pridecollective.com or to myself at fayeseidler@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to connect you!

[Editor’s note: Faye Seidler is the Project Coordinator of the North Dakota Safe Zone Project www.ndsafezone.org]