SUPPORT PROGRAMS
LGBTQIA+ PEER Support Group (18+)
A Safe, Supportive LGBTQ+ Community to Be Your Authentic Self
Looking for a welcoming LGBTQ+ support group near you? You’ve found it. Our peer-led LGBTQ+ support group meets monthly on the second Tuesday from 7–8 p.m., offering a safe, affirming space for connection, healing, and growth.
Whether you're exploring your identity, navigating life’s challenges, or seeking a sense of belonging, this is a place where you are seen, heard, and valued.
What You’ll Find Here:
Practical Tools and Resources
Learn strategies for coming out, managing mental health, and accessing LGBTQ+ services and community events.
Emotional and Peer Support
Express yourself freely in a nonjudgmental space. Receive empathy, validation, and encouragement from people who truly get it.
Authentic LGBTQ+ Connection
Meet others who understand your journey. Share experiences, build friendships, and feel less alone.
This group is more than just a meeting—it’s a community of empowerment. Through open conversations and regular meetups, we foster confidence, resilience, and belonging.
Whether you have a strong support system or are just starting to build one, you are welcome here. Come as you are—and leave feeling supported, uplifted, and connected.
LGBTQ+ YOUTH SUPPORT GROUPS IN CHESTER COUNTY, PA
Safe, Affirming Spaces for Teens Ages 14–18
Rainbow Phoenix and SPOT (Space to be Proud and Open Together) are peer-centered, professionally facilitated LGBTQ+ youth groups in Chester County, Pennsylvania. These groups provide safe, supportive environments for LGBTQ+ teens ages 14–18 to connect, grow, and thrive.
Facilitated by Planned Parenthood Southeastern PA staff and trained volunteers, these groups are vital for LGBTQ+ youth navigating identity development, emotional well-being, and personal safety in a world that can often feel unwelcoming.
Games & Activities
Build friendships and have fun in a relaxed, inclusive setting.
Discussion & Peer Support
Share your experiences and hear from others who understand.
Education & Resources
Learn about LGBTQ+ rights, mental health, coming out, and more.
These meetups are more than just social gatherings—they’re lifelines for connection, empowerment, and belonging. In uncertain times, staying connected is more important than ever. We’re here to ensure every LGBTQ+ teen has a space to be their authentic self. These environments also foster leadership and advocacy. Youth learn about their rights, develop confidence, and find their voice—empowering them to share their stories and shape a more inclusive future.
What You’ll Find Here:
LGBTQIA+ Grief Support Group (18+)
Grief can be isolating, especially when you’re navigating loss within a world that doesn’t always recognize or hold LGBTQIA+ experiences with care. Our LGBTQIA+ Peer Grief Support Group offers a gentle, peer-led space where adults in our community can come together to share, listen, and sit with the many forms grief can take.
This group is not therapy — it’s community care. A place where people who understand the complexity of queer lives can support one another through loss, change, and remembrance.
What You’ll Find Here:
• A Space for Shared Grief
A confidential, peer-to-peer environment where participants can talk about loss in their own way and at their own pace. Whether your grief is recent or long carried, you’re welcome to bring your story.
• Guided Conversation Prompts
Each gathering begins with a few thoughtful prompts offered by the facilitator to help open conversation. These questions are meant to invite reflection, but participation is always optional.
• Respectful Community Care
Group members help create a space grounded in empathy, confidentiality, and mutual respect, where many different experiences of grief can exist side by side.
Grief doesn’t have a timeline, and it doesn’t have a single shape. This group exists so no one in our community has to carry it alone.
CHESTER COUNTY LGBTQ+ ALLY AFFINITY GROUP
Learn. Support. Advocate
Being an ally means more than just acceptance—it means standing up, speaking out, and creating space for LGBTQ+ voices to be heard and celebrated. Whether you're just beginning your allyship journey or looking to deepen your impact, this group is for you.
What You’ll Find Here:
Learn About LGBTQ+ Issues
Understand the challenges, history, and lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals.
Amplify LGBTQ+ Voices
Support and uplift the stories, needs, and leadership of LGBTQ+ people.
Connect with Fellow Allies
Build community with others who are committed to equality and inclusion.
Take Action Everyday
Advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, support inclusive policies, and be a dependable friend and ally.
Every act of allyship contributes to a culture of respect, dignity, and equality, helping reduce the marginalization and discrimination LGBTQ+ people often face.
SOCIAL PROGRAMS
GENDER-EXPANSIVE COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
A Peer-Led Support & Social Group for Gender-Diverse Individuals in Chester County, PA
Exploring your gender identity? Whether you're questioning, confident in who you are, or passionate about uplifting others on their journey, you are welcome here.
Gender-Expansive Community Connection is a peer-led support and social group designed for anyone across the gender spectrum—including nonbinary, genderqueer, genderfluid, trans, agender, and questioning individuals. Our goal is to foster a stronger, more inclusive local community through connection, conversation, and care.
What You’ll Find Here:
Build friendships in a welcoming, affirming space.
Open Dialogue
Engage in meaningful conversations about identity, life, and community
Inclusive Environment
Be yourself without fear of judgement or exclusion.
Game Night at the LGBTEApot
Pull up a chair, play a game, and connect with community one laugh at a time.
Game Night at the LGBTEApot is a relaxed social gathering where LGBTQIA+ community members can unwind, laugh, and connect through games.
Whether you love strategy games, card games, party games, or just enjoy sitting around a table with good people, this space is about creating easy opportunities to spend time together. There’s no pressure to perform or compete — the goal is simply to enjoy each other’s company in a welcoming environment where everyone belongs.
What You’ll Find Here:
• Games for Everyone
A rotating mix of board games, card games, and group games that are easy to jump into whether you’re a seasoned gamer or someone who hasn’t picked up a board game in years.
• Low-Pressure Social Connection
Conversation, laughter, and connection happen naturally as people gather around the table. You’re welcome to play, watch, chat, or simply spend time in community.
• A Welcoming Community Space
Game Night is designed to be a comfortable environment where LGBTQIA+ people can show up exactly as they are and feel part of something.
At its heart, Game Night is about simple moments of connection — sharing a table, sharing a laugh, and building the kind of community that grows through small, consistent gatherings.
LGBTQIA+ Hiking Group
Pull up a chair, play a game, and connect with community one laugh at a time.
Our LGBTQIA+ Hiking Group brings community members together to enjoy fresh air, movement, and conversation in some of the beautiful outdoor spaces around Chester County.
These hikes are intentionally beginner-friendly and designed to prioritize connection over pace or difficulty. Whether you’re someone who hikes regularly or someone just looking for a reason to get outside, this group creates space for LGBTQIA+ people to explore nature together.
What You’ll Find Here:
Beginner-Friendly Outdoor Adventures
Most hikes are paced so everyone can participate comfortably, with a “no hiker left behind” mindset that makes the experience accessible for people of different abilities and experience levels.
Community Through Movement
Walking side-by-side often leads to the best conversations. These hikes offer a natural way to meet new people, catch up with familiar faces, and build friendships over time.
Social Time Beyond the Trail
Many hikes include optional brunches or casual gatherings afterward, giving people a chance to continue connecting once the hike is finished.
The hiking group is about more than exercise. It’s about reclaiming outdoor spaces as places where LGBTQIA+ people can feel comfortable, welcomed, and connected.
20s & 30s Social Group
The 20s & 30s Social Group is a casual meetup designed to help LGBTQIA+ adults in their twenties and thirties connect with others navigating a similar stage of life.
Many people in this age range are building careers, moving to new places, forming new friendships, or figuring out what community looks like as adults. This group creates a relaxed setting to meet others in the same age bracket through simple, low-pressure gatherings — often over coffee.
What You’ll Find Here:
• Coffee-Fueled Conversation
Meetups often happen at local coffee shops or casual cafés, creating an easy, familiar environment where conversations can unfold naturally.
• Connection With Peers
A chance to meet other LGBTQIA+ adults in their 20s and 30s who may be looking for friendship, conversation, or community with people who understand similar life experiences.
• Low-Key Social Gatherings
These meetups are intentionally relaxed — come for a quick coffee, stay for a long conversation, or just enjoy being around others in your age group.
This group is about making it easier to find your people. Sometimes all it takes is a table, a cup of coffee, and the chance to meet someone new.
Social Nights at the LGBTEApot
Our Social Nights at the LGBTEApot are casual gatherings designed to bring LGBTQIA+ community members together around creativity, curiosity, and conversation.
These evenings rotate through different themes — including Arts & Crafts Night, Poetry Night, Skill Share Presentations, and other community-led activities — creating a space where people can show up, participate, or simply spend time together.
What You’ll Find Here:
• Creative Community Spaces
Events like Arts & Crafts Night and Poetry Night offer opportunities to explore creativity in a welcoming environment where everyone’s expression is valued.
• Learning From Each Other
Skill Share Presentations and other community-led gatherings give people a chance to share their passions, knowledge, and experiences with others in the group.
• Easy Ways to Meet People
These nights are intentionally relaxed and conversational, making them a great place to meet new people, reconnect with familiar faces, and build friendships over time.
Social Nights at the LGBTEApot are about the simple act of gathering — sharing ideas, stories, creativity, and time together in a space where LGBTQIA+ people can feel comfortable being themselves.
Little Queer Library
A free community library where queer stories are shared, discovered, and passed along.
Our Little Queer Library is a free community book exchange located in the LGBT Equality Alliance office. It’s a cozy corner of our space where people can discover stories that reflect LGBTQIA+ lives, histories, and experiences. Community members are welcome to stop by during open office hours or while attending groups and events to browse, take a book, or leave one behind for someone else to enjoy.
What You’ll Find Here:
• LGBTQIA+ Stories for All Ages
Books that reflect queer and trans experiences across genres — from children’s stories and young adult novels to memoirs, poetry, and nonfiction.
• A Community Book Exchange
Take a book, leave a book, or donate one to help keep the shelves full and the stories circulating through the community.
• A Welcoming Place to Discover New Voices
The library offers an easy, accessible way for people to explore queer literature and find stories that help them feel seen and understood.
The Little Queer Library is a simple but meaningful way we share knowledge, stories, and representation with one another — keeping the joy of queer reading alive in our community.
Bussiness Networking
LGBTQIA+ Business Networking Group
The LGBTQIA+ Business Networking Group connects queer professionals, entrepreneurs, and allied business leaders who want to build meaningful professional relationships while supporting one another’s growth.
This group focuses on authentic connection rather than traditional networking pressure, creating a space where people can talk honestly about work, goals, challenges, and opportunities.
What You’ll Find Here:
• Professional Connection
Meet other LGBTQIA+ and allied professionals from across Chester County who are interested in building relationships, sharing knowledge, and supporting each other’s work.
• Collaboration and Growth
Members often share ideas, resources, and opportunities that help strengthen both individual careers and the broader queer professional network.
• Community-Centered Networking
This group prioritizes conversation and relationship-building over sales pitches, making it a comfortable environment for both seasoned professionals and those just starting their careers.
The goal of this group is to strengthen the local network of LGBTQIA+ professionals while creating a space where people can connect as whole humans — not just job titles.