The directories worth knowing, kept current by the people who run them
We used to list organisations here ourselves. We stopped, on purpose.
A list typed out on someone else's website starts going out of date the day it is written. Programmes end, offices move, phone numbers change, and the person who needed that number is the one who finds out. So we send you to the directories the organisations themselves keep up to date. Fewer names on this page, and a far better chance that what you find is still there when you arrive.
If one of these has something down the road from you, go to that first. We mean that.
Canada
The IN Directory — Canada's national 2SLGBTQI+ community resource directory. 325 listings across all ten provinces and all three territories, with a map. You can filter by province, by city, and by what you actually need: crisis helplines, mental health, health care, housing, legal services, employment, faith, arts and culture, trans youth support.
Egale Canada — the national organisation, going since 1986. Research, advocacy and a resource library, including a dedicated seniors programme.
United States
SAGE — we are putting this first because of who reads this page. SAGE has existed since 1978 and it exists for LGBTQ+ elders specifically. Local affiliates in 39 states and Washington DC, and more than thirty cities across the US and Puerto Rico.
CenterLink — the community-centre directory: 320+ LGBTQ centres in 45 states, plus Puerto Rico and DC. It is a membership association, which is the useful part — each centre maintains its own listing, so the details come from the people who answer the phone.
PFLAG — 360+ chapters nationwide, most of them meeting monthly, in person. Worth knowing about even if you have no family to bring: showing up in the same room as the same people, repeatedly, is the thing that actually works.
South America, Central America and the Caribbean
ILGA World's member organisations — more than 2,300 organisations, listed country by country. For most countries in the region it is the fullest list that exists anywhere: dozens of organisations named for Colombia, dozens more for Peru, and every other country alongside them.
Be warned about one thing, because we would rather tell you than let you find out. It is a plain list of names. There are no links on it and no search box, so you will need to look up the organisation you pick. We looked hard for something better for this part of the world and there isn't one yet — the regional directories we tested were either out of date, had closed, or listed a handful of organisations where ILGA lists dozens. We would rather point you at the fullest list and be honest about the extra step.
Two countries have a national federation worth going to directly. Neither publishes its member list — so these are a door to knock on rather than a list to browse, and they are the people who will know what is near you.
- Brazil — ABGLT. The national federation since 1995, with more than 300 member organisations in every state — the largest network of its kind in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Argentina — FALGBT. The national federation, founded 2005, with more than 150 organisations and groups across the country.
Anywhere else in the world
The same ILGA World list covers over 160 countries and territories. If you are outside the Americas, start there.
And one room that's open right now
Lüba is an online space where you drop into a room and talk to people. No algorithm, no matching, no swiping, nothing to download. The rooms are always open — Wednesdays and Sundays, 7–9:30pm EST is when the most people are around.
More on finding friends or relationships over 50 →
Pull up a seat →