How To Find LGBTQ+ Friends & Community Near You

Meeting queer friends in a new city can feel impossible, but here are few ideas for connecting with your local LGBTQ+ community

December 18, 2025 ~ By Shari Rose

LGBTQ+ people face a litany of challenges in the United States, but perhaps none is as isolating as not having a sense of belonging in your city. Finding a nearby community to call your own in a new area is challenging enough as is, but that uphill battle can seem even more insurmountable if you identify as queer. So if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “Wow I really need gay friends,” this guide is designed to help you figure out how to do that.

Maybe you live near a major metro area but the suburbs are a wasteland for your social life. Or maybe you live somewhere in deep MAGA country that isn’t exactly going to host a Pride Parade any time soon. Regardless of your physical location, if you are a queer person looking to meet other LGBTQ+ folks and have a local gay community to call your own, there are real options out there for making new friends locally.

• Online Communities
• Gay Bars & Clubs
• Pride Events & LGBTQ+ Nights
• Gay Sports Leagues
• Religious Organizations

Online Communities

Even with the enshittification of everything we know and love, the internet really does redeem itself when it comes to finding LGBTQ+ friends and communities near you. Whether you’re gay, transgender, bisexual+, non-binary or anywhere on the very colorful spectrum, you can find an online group that accepts and welcomes you. Here are a few to help you meet people IRL.

MeetUp

MeetUp is an excellent place to start. As a website that allows anyone to create public or private events that others in the area sign up for, it’s great for those who have just moved to the city and lifelong locals alike. From board game nights to coffee chats, book clubs to bar trivia, MeetUp events can be especially useful for finding other gay people in areas where there are no LGBTQ+ organizations at the city or county level.

Just a few MeetUp groups include:

• LGBT Center of Raleigh Social Events for those in North Carolina’s capital city to enjoy game nights, engage in queer discussion groups and more.
• Denver Transmasc Randomness MeetUp for trans Denverites to offer support for one another over coffee or at a nearby library.
• Columbus LGBTQ+ Gaymers for those in Ohio’s state capital to get together, play board games and make new friends.

To find a gay-friendly MeetUp group near you, it’s as easy as typing “lgbtq” into the site’s search bar and choosing the city you’d like to target.

Facebook Groups

While Facebook increasingly becomes a cesspool of misinformation and AI slop, something it actually gets right is Facebook Groups. Let’s say that you just moved to the El Paso area and wanted to meet other amateur a cappella singers to match your own delicate vibrato. In Facebook’s search bar, you’d probably look for “El Paso a cappella group.” Finding local LGBTQ+ organizations and events works the same way.

Doing a Facebook search for “(City Name) LGBTQ” can produce an array of in-person queer groups that get together and do fun, low-pressure events around town. In addition to MeetUp, Facebook Groups can be extremely helpful in meeting gay friends because they are usually created and maintained by local LGBTQ+ people looking to connect in the community.

If you’re feeling a little nervous about meeting a bunch of strangers at a coffee shop or on a hike, it might be helpful to keep in mind that you are all there for the same purpose. Finding new friends nearby is hard, and trying to connect with other LGBTQ+ people in town can feel impossible at times. But you may realize that your individual struggles and joys alike ring true to others in these gay groups who are also just trying to figure it out as Project 2025 comes to fruition in this country. That shared experience alone can break the ice when finding and meeting fellow queer folks for the first time.

Municipal LGBTQ+ Websites & Advocacy Groups

While many towns and cities still don’t offer municipal LGBTQ+ resources for its residents, quite a few do. These websites serve as reliable resources for LGBTQ+ events going on nearby and local organizations that provide support. And even if they don’t have specific resources, some cities offer gay-friendly guides that include their most welcoming restaurants and establishments. For example, Las Cruces features a list of LGBTQIA+ organizations, events and restaurants.

If you are a more politically minded person, advocacy groups can help get you out there and meet like-minded friends through volunteering. Organizations like Austin Outpost in Texas or one•n•ten in Phoenix for instance provide resources to LGBTQ+ locals in the area. A simple Google search can let you know what sorts of nearby advocacy groups exist in your city.

LGBTQ+ Communities on Forums & Blogging Platforms

A little too nervous to put yourself out there in the real world? Dip your toes in with online LGBTQ+ communities found on popular blogging and content sharing platforms like Reddit and Substack. There are entire subcultures centered around gay, bi+ and trans rights and issues where you can interact directly with others who are just as passionate as you are. These new LGBTQ+ friends may live all over the world, but the connections are just as real.

Gay Bars & Clubs

Typically more geared toward gay and bisexual/pansexual men, gay bars and clubs have historically served as safe havens for those targeted by harassment, discrimination or violence because of their sexual orientation. Some neighborhoods in large metropolitan areas are known nationally for their large LGBTQ+ populations and subsequent gay bars, such as Capitol Hill in Seattle or Atlanta’s Midtown neighborhood.

Granted, most small-to-medium-sized cities and towns in the U.S. are unfortunately without bars, but many metropolitan areas have options cropping up every so often. Up-and-coming gay neighborhoods in otherwise red-ish states like Encanto Village in Phoenix or Marmalade in Salt Lake City have a few clubs and LGBTQ-themed nights where you can meet queer people locally.

Note to lesbians, bi+, & queer women: Some gay bars will be more friendly to you than others. While many gay clubs are incredibly warm and welcoming to women, sometimes there are bars that won’t be. What’s particularly frustrating is the fact that public spaces for lesbians and bi/pan women are already scarce, even in major cities. That being said, if the gay clubs didn’t work out for you, there are plenty of other options for you to find and meet a crew of kickass queer women – just keep reading.

Pride Events & LGBTQ+ Nights

It doesn’t get much better than yearly Pride. Parades, special themed nights, rainbows as far as the eye can see and an overwhelming sense of safety while being out with others just as out and proud as you just can’t be beat. Celebrating Pride is the right of every LGBTQ+ person, and it is one of the best opportunities you have to meet nearby gay friends with no pressure and have a really fun time in the process.

But what if June is over and Pride Week is a devastating 11 months away? You may be surprised to find out how many restaurants, clubs, parks, performing arts centers, libraries, colleges and more offer LGBTQ+ themed events throughout the year. Whether a local bar is hosting drag nights, a nearby civic arts center is featuring gay artists and musicians as part of a special event, or the university is hosting a forum on LGBTQ+ issues in the state, there are options out there for you to explore. Some examples include:

• Pride Pageant at African American Performing Arts Center in Albuquerque, NM.
• Monthly LGBTQ+ events at Queer Tallahassee Artists Collective in Florida.
• Out on the Mountain LGBTQ+ event at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita, CA.

Gay Sports Leagues

Sports leagues specifically geared toward LGBTQ+ people are found in many cities, and their numbers are growing. Maybe you played soccer in high school and are thinking of getting back into it, or you always wanted to join a swim team but never got around to it. These leagues are especially ripe for low-stakes sports like pickleball and ultimate frisbee for those who don’t want to get too competitive and just have a fun time. Whatever the case may be, try searching online for a gay sports league in your area to meet new friends.

From brand-new beginners to those who have been playing their entire lives, anyone is welcome to join these groups. While they tend to be more popular in larger cities, it’s definitely worth looking into what intramural LGBTQ+ sport leagues exist near you. Examples include:

• Houston – https://www.usgsn.com/houston
• Omaha – https://www.oglbtsports.org
• Atlanta – https://www.stonewallsportsatlanta.org/

Religious Organizations

For those who want to build LGBTQ+ friendships with those who also share their faith, many congregations across the U.S. openly invite gay, lesbian, bisexual+ and transgender members to join. And the internet makes it easier than ever to find Christian, Jewish or Muslim organizations that are accepting to queer folks.

To find a LGBTQ-friendly church near you, try searching through Church Clarity or the GALIP Foundation for Christian and Catholic parishes. Keshet’s Equality Directory provides a searchable database of gay-friendly Jewish organizations and clergy in the U.S. and Canada. And practicing Muslims can find LGBTQ+ affirming resources through the Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity. Though take note that MASGD says they do not actively endorse any of the providers listed, so it’s important to research each organization to make sure it’d be a good fit for you.

Because these databases may not be 100% up-to-date or fully comprehensive, it’s also a good idea to do a local search for queer-friendly religious groups in your area on Google. Something like “lgbtq church near me” or “gay friendly temple in (city)” can pull up quality resources as well.

Final Thoughts

Finding your chosen family, especially in a community that is not especially LGBTQ+ friendly, can be difficult and discouraging for anyone. It’s probably going to take some time to locate the right group for you, and that’s perfectly okay. Maybe you’ll need to try out a few Facebook Groups or attend LGBTQ+ events alone for a little while before you find your community of fellow queers and trusted allies. But it’s worth the effort to try.

And hey, not every event has to be explicitly gay-friendly. Sometimes checking out a general list of things to do in your city can yield events and activities you never would have known about otherwise. Whether you belong to a large LGBTQ+ community in a major metro area or you simply meet with a group of your gay friends for pizza and late-night talks in your small town, it’s all valid. And if you haven’t found that yet, maybe now you know where to start.