Pride Lafayette Inc

Operating in a state that is openly hostile toward its LGBTQ+ population, and founded in 2003, Pride Lafayette proudly serves the LGBTQ+ community in Tippecanoe County, Indiana and the surrounding eight counties in North Central Indiana. The funding Pride Lafayette receives from its corporate, business and community partners supports an expanding slate of year-round programming that includes:

• providing daily open/drop-in hours (365 days a year) at the Pride Lafayette Community Center on Main Street in Historic Downtown Lafayette -- the oldest LGBTQ+ community center in the state of Indiana. The Pride Lafayette Community Center is one of only five LGBTQ+ community centers in the state that is open to all ages, and the only major center between Indianapolis and South Bend;
• production of OUTFest, Lafayette's annual pride festival which attracts more than 170 vendors and averages more than 5,000 attendees from throughout North Central Indiana;
• the LGBTQ+ Health Equity Project (Pride HEP), that works to build out and maintain a referral network of regional health care providers who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community or have verified that that are LGBTQ+-affirming providers and increase interactions with these health care messengers and providers; raise awareness and encourage self-monitoring of chronic health conditions (most especially hypertension and diabetes), educate the queer community about leading health indicators of those conditions, and refer to affirming health care providers; increase community-wide awareness of HIV and STI prevention and accessible/free HIV and STI testing resources; encourage and increase health, wellness, and self-care opportunities opportunities through community partnerships to provide LGBTQ+-focused fitness spaces.
• Second Chance Prom, which gives everyone the opportunity to attend a welcoming and open prom as their authentic selves;
• two Trans Resource Fairs (spring and fall), which connect members of the trans community with more than 30 trans-affirming community organizations, healthcare providers, and businesses;
• the Estate Planning Resource Fair, which gives members of the community the opportunity to hear from financial planners, attorneys, funeral directors, and others to talk about end-of-life planning, including establishing a will, creating a comprehensive healthcare surrogacy plan, providing for loved ones according to a person's wishes, and ensuring that one's wishes and identity are respected in death;
• the Faith Resource Fair, which is a symposium of LGBTQ+-affirming churches sharing their ministries with those interested in finding a faith community and engaging in conversations to heal the wounds created by the weaponization of religion against the LGBTQ+ population;
• Christy's Christmas Carol, Pride Lafayette's holiday adoption program that annually provides age-appropriate gifts and a full holiday meal for more than 20 area families, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity;
• regularly scheduled blood drives conducted in cooperation with the American Red Cross;
• monthly social outreach programs and conversation groups that foster connections within the queer community including TransLafayette, the Bi/Pan Conversation Group, Polyamory Conversation Group, and the Pride Lafayette Youth Group. Additionally the Center provides meeting and "office" space for PFLAG of Lafayette/Tippecanoe County, and HIV Pathways, an organization dedicated to raising local awareness of available free and low-cost  HIV/STI testing opportunities;
•  the Community Closet that provides gender-affirming clothing and accessories free to all members of the community.