Side by Side

Side by Side is Richmond's dedicated LGBTQ+ youth organisation and one of the most important community institutions in the city's queer infrastructure. The organisation works with young people aged 13 to 24 — an age group whose particular vulnerabilities and needs in the LGBTQ+ context (family rejection, school environments, mental health, housing instability) require dedicated rather than general support services. Virginia's geography means that many of the young people Side by Side serves come from suburban and rural contexts where local LGBTQ+ resources are limited or absent; Richmond, as the state's capital and largest cultural centre, becomes the destination for queer young people from across the region seeking community. The West Cary Street location puts Side by Side in the Carytown neighbourhood — one of Richmond's most consistently LGBTQ+-friendly commercial strips. The organisation's mentorship programmes, drop-in hours, and community events have made it a genuine community anchor for a generation of Richmond's queer youth, and its advocacy work at the state level connects the individual support services to the broader political context.