‘A HISTORIC NEW ERA’ FOR MID-SOUTH LGBTQ+ SERVICES
OUTMemphis, the region’s oldest LGBTQ+ nonprofit scales to meet record demand
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — OUTMemphis, the longest-running LGBTQ+ organization in Tennessee, announced today a transformative expansion of its regional infrastructure.
Following three years of unprecedented growth, the organization is launching a bold new chapter that consolidates its footprint, scales its lifesaving services, and secures its position as a leading voice for the LGBTQ+ South.
Central to this historic new era is the launch of a state-of-the-art regional headquarters on Cleveland Street between Poplar Avenue and Crosstown Concourse.
The move allows OUTMemphis to consolidate staff and services currently spread across three separate buildings into two high-efficiency hubs, including the Youth Empowerment Center, which is set to double in size by 2027, five years after opening. By streamlining operations, the organization is creating immediate capacity to meet a 300 percent increase in service requests over the last five years in the face of escalating obstacles to resources and legal rights.
Extierior rendering of the soon to be built OUTMemphis Community Center + Headquarters, designed by archimania
The project will create an 11,000-square-foot headquarters designed to meet rising demand for housing support, health services, advocacy and community programming in a region with few dedicated LGBTQ+ resources.
An investment in operating capacity and sustainability will enable OUTMemphis to deepen its advocacy and leadership programs, which provide ongoing community mobilization and education, fighting back against defunding of HIV and LGBTQ+ public services and equal rights.
For many in Memphis, the project represents more than a building — it represents visibility, safety and opportunity for communities that often face isolation in the South.
“Being a Black trans woman in the Mid-South means you learn early how strong you have to be,” said TaMesha Prewitt, a program manager at OUTMemphis. “This center means our community will have a place where we’re seen, respected and reminded that we belong.”
Founded in 1989, OUTMemphis has grown from a volunteer-led effort into the largest LGBTQ+ community center in the Mid-South. Today the organization serves people across a region where LGBTQ+ infrastructure is scarce and where the nearest peer organizations are often hundreds of miles away.
The new headquarters will consolidate programs currently spread across several buildings and dramatically expand capacity for community gatherings, counseling and case management, HIV care and prevention, support groups, and the organization’s comprehensive housing and financial navigation offerings.
“My wife, Angie Dagastino, and I have seen incredible progress for equality in our lifetimes, and we refuse to go back,” said Dottie Jones, honorary co-chair of the campaign’s Action & Resilience Committee. “OUTMemphis is staking a claim on a future where everyone is free to love and live authentic lives. We're very proud to support OUTMemphis.”
Over the past five years, OUTMemphis has tripled in size while requests for services continue to grow. Case management and support services operate at full capacity year-round, with some requests for assistance going unmet due to space limitations.
The new facility will include private therapy and case management rooms designed by staff providers, dedicated HIV testing spaces, a robust food pantry, kitchen, and community meal facility, and flexible community areas capable of hosting multiple social support gatherings simultaneously.
“We’ve spent decades meeting our community wherever we could — basements, bungalows and borrowed spaces,” said Molly Quinn, CEO of OUTMemphis. “But the need has grown far beyond what those spaces can hold. This new home will allow us to expand services, increase safety and ensure LGBTQ+ people across the Mid-South always have a place where they belong.”
The campaign includes investments not only in construction but also in the long-term stability of the organization and the Mid-South’s infrastructure for LGBTQ+ people. The group began preliminary fundraising and planning stages in late 2023 and are hoping to raise an additional $3M from the community and allies to reach their final goal of $12M. Philanthropic support will fund the new headquarters, strengthen operating reserves and expand advocacy work across the region.
“In a time when our very existence is being challenged, the South needs leaders — and OUTMemphis is ready to build a permanent regional home for the community,” said Lacretia Carroll, board co-chair. “This center will strengthen our ability to serve people across the Mid-South and ensure our community has the stability and support it deserves.”
Strategically located at the corner of Peach and Cleveland in Midtown Memphis, the facility will anchor the organization’s work in the neighborhood where its earliest community efforts began.
“OUTMemphis is stepping into its next chapter — not only as a beacon for our local community, but as a leader in the national movement for equality,” said Jeff Rhodin, board co-chair. “This new home is a promise that there will always be a place in our region to live authentically, love openly, and find the care, connection and community every person deserves.”
Learn more about the Action & Resilience Campaign on our fundraising page here.
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