LGBTQ Professionals in Asheville, NC

Blue Ridge Pride Center emerged from a community vision in 2009 when local leaders recognized the need for a grassroots organization dedicated to serving the diverse LGBTQ communities of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, North Carolina. What began with their first Pride Festival in 2009, which drew approximately 2,000 people to Martin Luther King Jr. Park on a rainy day, has grown into a thriving nonprofit with significant community impact and organizational capacity. The organization is rooted in frameworks of Queer Liberation and Queer Joy—dismantling oppressive systems while celebrating the authentic experiences and collective care that define vibrant community life. Blue Ridge Pride has intentionally expanded since 2018 to serve a broader geographical scope and diverse population, growing their 2023 Pride Festival to 14,000 attendees while building partnerships with corporations, churches, hospitals, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and government officials. In 2024, the organization significantly expanded its Board of Directors and hired dedicated full-time and part-time staff to increase impact and internal capacity. The center envisions a vibrant, inclusive community where all LGBTQIA2S individuals in western North Carolina experience belonging and live with dignity, equity, hope, and joy. By fostering an informed, engaged, and supportive community through intersectional belonging and liberation work, Blue Ridge Pride Center continues building the connective tissue that enables this diverse and far-flung community to thrive together.

Founded in 2011 from a church basement in the mountains of North Carolina, the Campaign for Southern Equality has grown into a vital advocacy organization serving LGBTQ+ communities throughout the South from their Asheville, NC base. The organization was born from a recognition that more than one third of all LGBTQ+ Americans live in the South, yet face significant legal barriers, political attacks, and systemic inequities in health care and economic opportunity. The Campaign for Southern Equality's mission centers on building a South where zip code does not determine rights, where LGBTQ+ people can be authentically themselves and love freely, and where access to affirming healthcare, education, and services is guaranteed. Their work is rooted in empathy and equity, guided by a commitment to understand and support the courageous LGBTQ+ Southerners already doing heroic organizing work in their hometowns. The organization played a pivotal role in marriage equality efforts across the South, including the WE DO Campaign that mobilized over 200 LGBTQ+ couples to request marriage licenses in their communities, and participated in landmark litigation striking down marriage bans and adoption restrictions. Today, the Campaign for Southern Equality continues this legacy of bold action and community-centered support, recognizing that the South is changing through the courage of LGBTQ+ people themselves. Their vision remains steadfast: a South where all LGBTQ+ people can thrive with dignity, safety, and full equality in every sphere of life.

Founded in 2009, Youth OUTright WNC has grown to become the only youth advocacy and leadership organization in Western North Carolina solely dedicated to empowering LGBTQIA+ youth. Operating from Asheville, NC, this mission-driven nonprofit creates spaces where queer and transgender youth ages 11-24 can realize their power and autonomy through self-determination. The organization's vision centers on building a world where all youth are supported to reach their full potential, free from bullying, harassment, or discrimination based on sexual identity, gender expression, or gender identity. Youth OUTright WNC's approach is rooted in intersectionality, emphasizing racial justice, gender justice, and disability justice as core commitments. They work to disrupt systems of oppression by centering the voices and experiences of Black and Brown LGBTQIA+ youth, particularly those holding multiple marginalized identities. The organization operates on unceded Cherokee, Yuchi, Catawba, and Miccosukee lands, acknowledging this reality in their commitment to social and environmental justice. Through weekly programming, community events, and intergenerational partnerships, Youth OUTright WNC in Asheville builds healing and resilience while advocating for systemic change. Their work demonstrates deep commitment to the belief that no young person should face discrimination, and that collective community power is essential to protecting and advancing queer and transgender liberation.