Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY)

Education. Service. Advocacy. LIGALY.

Since 1993, Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth, Inc. (LIGALY) has been providing lifesaving services and programs for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) youth, as well as their families and support systems throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

LIGALY was little more than a dream in the early 1990’s when Stony Brook graduate Social Work students and several youth came together to create a curriculum designed to educate students about the experiences of GLBT youth. At that time, no one believed that a “gay agency” could exist and survive on Long Island – a place so often perceived as conservative, close-minded, and not safe for GLBT people, especially youth. No one believed that schools would allow an openly gay person to address students and faculty. And no one believed that Long Island’s GLBT community would one day have a “home of its own” – its own community center.

Twenty years later, LIGALY has become one of the nation’s oldest and largest organizations serving GLBT youth, and is one of the most well-respected non-profits on Long Island. Its innovative programs and services are designed to end homophobia and transphobia on Long Island, to provide a home a safe space for the GLBT community, and to advocate for equality.

LIGALY conducts its groundbreaking work through its two centers in Bay Shore and Garden City, as well as in schools and communities from Mineola to Montauk. LIGALY is changing Long Island for GLBT youth in many ways, including the nationally recognized Safe Schools Initiative to end anti-GLBT bullying in schools; the nation’s first and only chartered PTA focused on GLBT youth and families (The LI Gay Parent Teacher Student Association); free and comprehensive HIV/STI testing; Friday night youth programs (OUTlet) to allow youth to safely express themselves; and much more.