Explore LGBTQ businesses and organizations in Salem, OR serving your community. Find law firms, medical practices, restaurants, retail stores, nonprofits, cultural organizations, and community services owned by or dedicated to serving the LGBTQ community. Connect with establishments that understand your cultural values and provide services in your language.
OutLaw represents the heart of LGBTQ+ community at Lewis & Clark College's law school in Portland, Oregon, creating an inclusive space where law students can authentically be themselves while pursuing legal education. Founded on principles of solidarity and intersectional awareness, OutLaw welcomes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning law students and allies who are committed to building community and supporting one another through the challenges of legal education.
The organization's mission extends beyond social connection to meaningful advocacy and education. OutLaw brings pertinent legal and political issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community directly to the law school campus, ensuring these voices and concerns are heard and addressed within legal education. The group recognizes that LGBTQ+ law students often navigate unique challenges, and OutLaw provides both emotional support and practical resources to help members thrive academically and personally.
What sets OutLaw apart is its explicit commitment to intersectionality and coalition-building. The organization acknowledges that members hold multiple, interconnected identities and may experience different forms of oppression based on race, gender, ability, and other factors. Rather than operating in isolation, OutLaw actively builds understanding and partnerships with other student affinity groups, recognizing that collective strength comes from solidarity across communities. The organization maintains thoughtful community guidelines designed to create and maintain a genuinely safe space where all members feel respected and valued. With experienced board members serving as mentors and advocates, OutLaw provides law students in Portland with both immediate community support and long-term professional relationships that extend beyond law school.
OGALLA—The LGBT Bar Association of Oregon—represents a historic commitment to supporting sexual minorities and gender non-conforming individuals within the legal profession. Founded in January 1991 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, OGALLA has spent over three decades building a vibrant community of LGBTQIA2S lawyers, judges, legal workers, law students, and allies united by shared values of justice and equity.
At its heart, OGALLA is driven by a mission to create a legal system that is more just, equitable, and reflective of the communities it serves. The organization recognizes that diversity within the legal profession strengthens the pursuit of fair treatment for all people. By fostering a spirit of unity while celebrating the diversity within the LGBTQIA community, OGALLA creates meaningful spaces where legal professionals can forge deeper connections, support one another's advancement, and collaborate on systemic change.
What sets OGALLA apart is its holistic approach to member support—combining professional development opportunities with social connection and community building. Members throughout Oregon benefit from a network of peers who understand both the professional challenges and lived experiences of LGBTQIA legal professionals. Through OGALLA's work, the organization ensures that LGBTQIA voices are heard in legal reform efforts, that discrimination is challenged within the profession, and that the next generation of diverse legal talent is nurtured and celebrated.
Founded in 1996 by a group of 13 students in Salem, Oregon, Latinos Unidos Siempre (L.U.S.) has grown into a vital community organization dedicated to youth empowerment and social justice. The organization emerged from a critical moment when Salem's Latino community faced immigration raids, high school dropout rates, gang activity, and hostile legislative proposals, with young people stepping forward to advocate for change. Today, L.U.S. continues this legacy of youth leadership by welcoming young people of all backgrounds—ages 12 to 25—who identify as Latino or who are passionate about working for social justice alongside the Latino community. The organization's approach combines cultural affirmation, educational support, and political organizing to combat racist stereotypes and discrimination while building the next generation of community leaders. Operating as the youth arm of Mano a Mano Family Center in Salem, L.U.S. maintains deep roots in local movements for immigrant rights and community equality, collaborating with organizations like CAUSA and the Salem-Keizer Coalition for Equality. With a membership that is predominantly female and Latino, L.U.S. has proven itself as an incubator for emerging leaders, with six alumni currently serving as staff members at partner organizations, including the Executive Director of Mano a Mano. The organization's sustained presence in Salem for nearly three decades reflects its commitment to creating spaces where young people can develop their voices, build solidarity, and work toward meaningful social change in their community.
Basic Rights Oregon emerged from Portland, OR in 1996 as a direct response to decades of anti-gay ballot measures that threatened LGBTQ rights across the state. Founded on the principle that sustained, organized community power is essential for lasting change, the organization has grown into a comprehensive movement-building force. In 1999, recognizing the need for long-term infrastructure beyond individual campaigns, Basic Rights Education Fund (BREF) was established as a 501(c)(3) sister organization. Together, these entities form Basic Rights Oregon—a unified movement dedicated to ensuring that all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Oregonians experience equality and live free from discrimination. The organization's mission centers on building a broad, inclusive, and politically powerful movement that shifts public opinion and achieves policy victories that protect and advance LGBTQ2SIA rights. What distinguishes Basic Rights Oregon is its commitment to long-term community empowerment rather than reactive crisis response. The organization provides multiple pathways for community engagement, including volunteer opportunities, event participation, training programs, and speaker services. By connecting individual experiences of discrimination to broader policy change, Basic Rights Oregon transforms personal struggles into systemic solutions. The organization operates with transparency and accountability, maintaining open communication channels with community members seeking support, information, and ways to contribute to the movement for LGBTQ2SIA equality throughout Oregon.
Based in Portland, Oregon, Equality Federation represents a unique national movement builder dedicated to strengthening the state-based LGBTQ+ advocacy ecosystem through social justice principles and collaborative partnership. The organization has earned recognition as the leading strategic partner to 50 member organizations spanning from Equality Florida to Freedom Oklahoma to Basic Rights Oregon, demonstrating a deep commitment to amplifying grassroots power across all fifty states. At its core, Equality Federation believes that winning equality is a marathon requiring investment in developing tomorrow's leaders today, which is why the organization prioritizes building strong, sustainable organizations capable of adapting to evolving community needs. The federation's work reflects an integrated commitment to racial equity, recognizing that justice for LGBTQ+ communities must be inseparable from racial justice efforts. Equality Federation's team has been celebrated by the National Black Justice Collective and continues to demonstrate leadership excellence within the broader LGBTQ+ movement. The organization's values are reflected in its unwavering commitment to accessibility, community accountability, and inclusive representation across all aspects of its work. By serving as both a national network and strategic partner, Equality Federation connects state-based organizations with resources, knowledge, and solidarity needed to protect transgender people, end HIV criminalization, ban conversion therapy, and create lasting systemic change that benefits LGBTQ+ individuals and families throughout the country.
Founded on a mission to provide safe spaces and foster positive transformation, Q Center has become a cornerstone of the LGBTQ2SIA+ community in Portland, Oregon and Southwest Washington. This community-centered organization recognizes that empowerment comes through connection, mutual support, and access to resources tailored to diverse needs. Q Center welcomes everyone—from longtime Portland residents exploring their identity to newcomers seeking their first community connection, and to friends, family members, and allies wanting to understand and support their loved ones. The organization's strength lies in its intersectional approach, celebrating joy and resilience while addressing the real challenges faced by LGBTQ+ communities. Based in Portland, OR, Q Center prioritizes building equitable structures where every person feels valued and supported. Their collaborative spirit means they're constantly working with other organizations to strengthen the entire support ecosystem across Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. More than just a physical space on Mississippi Avenue, Q Center represents a commitment to holistic wellness and community wealth-building. By offering volunteer opportunities, workshops, and regular events, they create pathways for people to contribute their gifts while finding belonging. Q Center embodies the belief that transformation happens together—through shared spaces, authentic connection, and collective care.
PFLAG Salem is a local chapter of the nation's first and largest organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ people and those who love them, serving the greater Salem, Oregon area with compassion and commitment. Founded on the principle that families united with LGBTQ+ people and allies can create meaningful change, PFLAG Salem builds on a foundation of loving relationships and mutual support across generations. The organization envisions a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed in their authentic identities. In Salem, OR, PFLAG Salem works to educate communities and foster conversations that transform hearts and minds, creating spaces where LGBTQ+ individuals feel safe, celebrated, and empowered. The chapter emphasizes accountability, transparent communication, and clear boundaries in all its work, reflecting a deep commitment to integrity and responsiveness to community needs. By connecting families, friends, and allies who share a dedication to LGBTQ+ equality, PFLAG Salem demonstrates that love and acceptance transcend differences. Members participate in local meetings, virtual gatherings, and community events designed to build understanding, share experiences, and mobilize collective action. Whether someone is beginning their journey of acceptance, seeking connection with others who understand their experience, or ready to become an advocate, PFLAG Salem offers a welcoming community rooted in the belief that when families and allies stand together, real transformation becomes possible.
Founded in 1977 by parents Ann and Bill Shepherd and Rita and Charles Knapp in response to their children coming out, PFLAG Portland has evolved into a vital community institution serving the Tigard and Portland area. What began as Parents of Gays meeting monthly in a living room grew into one of the nation's most established PFLAG chapters, with a remarkable 40-year history of supporting LGBTQ individuals and their families through profound social and legal changes. The chapter's journey reflects Portland's own evolution—from the ballot measure battles of the 1990s and early 2000s through marriage equality victories and into today's focus on transgender rights and community resilience. PFLAG Portland's commitment extends beyond support to include intentional community-building with Portland's communities of color, launching the PFLAG Portland Black Chapter in 2009 as the first PFLAG chapter created by and for the Black LGBTQ community. As part of the national PFLAG network—which includes over 200,000 members and supporters across nearly 400 chapters—PFLAG Portland connects local families to a broader movement while maintaining deep roots in the Tigard and Portland communities. Today, the chapter combines traditional in-person gatherings with innovative online support circles through PFLAG Connects, adapting to how community members live and work while honoring its founding principle of keeping families strong. PFLAG Portland remains committed to celebrating the wonderful diversity of LGBTQ neighbors and creating spaces where acceptance becomes celebration.