LGBTQIA+
About Us
Merritt College thrives to become a more inclusive environment which welcomes and supports the intersectionality of all of our students. The resources on this page are to greatly improve the school climate for (LGBTQIA) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual students.
Merritt College Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Student Club
The GSA Student Club is to support LGBTQIA students by creating safe spaces for students to meet and socialize in a harassment-free environment. GSA will work in conjunction with the college to educate and inform the campus community regarding how to better support students in need of support. For more information, contact Merritt College’s GSA club, merrittgsa@gmail.com.
Merritt College Wellness Center
To learn more about Merritt College and Peralta Community Colleges' Health and Wellness Services for students, visit:
The Merritt Wellness Center is OPEN in R-106
Fall and Spring Semester Hours:
Mondays: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesdays: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Wednesdays: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Thursdays: 12:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Bay Area LGBTQ+ Community and Emergency Resources
For Bay Area LGBTQ+ Community and Emergency Resources, visit the Center for Critical Public Health website at https://criticalpublichealth.org/bay-area-lgbtq-resources/ or refer to the information below.
Resource Information Hubs
- www.211.org: Call 2-1-1 (toll-free)
- One Degree: Visit the website or text any keyword (like "shelter") to 844-833-1334
Community Resource Centers
Many offer support groups and/or therapy, or can refer you to these resources and many others.
- Oakland LGBTQ Community Center: (510) 882-2286
- San Francisco LGBTQ Community Center: (415) 865-5555
- Lavender Youth Recreation & Information Center (SF): (415) 703-6150
- Pacific Center for Human Growth (Berkeley): (510) 548-8283
- Rainbow Community Center (Concord): (925) 692-0090
- Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center (San Jose): (408) 293-3040
- The LGBTQ Youth Space (San Jose): (408) 343-7940
- RYSE Youth Community Center (Richmond): (510) 374-3401
- Project Q (Los Angeles-based community center with some mobile services, serving LGBTQIA+ young people experiencing housing insecurity): (213) 617-8442
Health, Health Care & Substance Use Services
| Dimensions Clinic (SF) Free or low cost medical and mental health care for LGB, queer, trans, & nonbinary people 12-25. |
(628) 217-5753 |
| Lyon-Martin Health Services (SF) Free or low cost medical services for women + trans & genderqueer people. |
(415) 565-7667 |
| HEPPAC (Oakland/East Bay) Free harm-reduction and other services available by drop-in at Casa Segura and at mobile community outreach sites in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. |
(510) 434-0307 |
| St. James Infirmary (SF) Peer-based occupational health and safety clinic for current & former sex workers of all genders and their families. |
(415) 554-8494 |
| Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic (SF) | (415) 746-1940 |
| Berkeley Free Clinic | (510) 548-2570 (800) 6-CLINIC |
| San Francisco AIDS Foundation For folks from a wide range of communities facing sexual health & substance use-related inequities; free or low-cost services promoting health, wellness, harm reduction & social justice. |
Main Office (1035 Market): (415) 487-3000 Strut Wellness (470 Castro): (415) 437-3400 |
| Planned Parenthood | (800) 230-PLAN |
| California HIV/AIDS Hotline | (800) 367-AIDS |
| HIV/AIDS Nightline | (800) 273-2437 |
| HIV/AIDS Textline | (415) 200-2920 |
| Drug Info Line (24-hour hotline) | (415) 362-3400 |
| Poison Control Center | (800) 222-1222 |
| North American Syringe Exchange Program (NASEN) Find harm reduction programs and services in your area. |
General Mental Health Support
| Mental Health Referral Service (24-hour hotline) | (800) 843-7274 |
| Teen to Teen Hotline | (510) 236‑TEEN |
| LGBT National Youth Talkline | (800) 246-7743 |
| LGBT National Hotline | (888) 843-4564 |
| Trans Lifeline (24 hour hotline) Peer support service run by trans people for trans people. |
(878) 565-8860 |
| Queer LifeSpace Sliding-scale therapy in SF for LGBTQ people, by LGBTQ people. May be able to recommend resources in other areas. |
www.queerlifespace.org (415) 358-2000 ext. 301 |
| Phoenix Jackson, MFT Located in Oakland, Phoenix specializes in topics relevant to queer youth and adults specifically, as well as intersectionality. |
PhoenixJacksonTherapy.com (510) 214-6762 |
Suicide & Emotional Crisis
| National Suicide Prevention Lifeline | (800) 273-8255 Text: MYLIFE to 741741 |
| Hopeline Network | 24-hour hotline: (800) SUICIDE (800) 784-2433 |
| Hopeline: San Francisco | (415) 781-0500 |
| Hopeline: Berkeley/Oakland | (510) 849-2212 |
| Hopeline: San Leandro/Hayward/CV | (510) 889-1333 |
| Hopeline: Fremont/Newark/Union City | (510) 794-5211 |
| Hopeline: San Mateo County | (650) 579-0350 |
| Hopeline: Livermore Valley/Pleasanton | (925) 449-5566 |
| Hopeline: Contra Costa County | (800) 833-2900 |
| Hopeline: San Jose/Santa Clara County | (408) 279-3312 |
| Hopeline: Marin County | (415) 499-1100 |
| The Trevor Project Crisis support & suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ folks under 25. |
Online chat: thetrevorproject.org Call: (800) 850-8078 Text: START to 678678 |
| National Youth Crisis Hotline | (800) 448-4663 |
| California Youth Crisis Hotline (24-hour) | (800) 843-5200 |
Mental Health & Emergency Psychiatric Services
Call 911 if you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency.
Sexual Violence, Partner Abuse & Domestic Violence
Legal, Crime & Other Resources
| Victims of Crime Resource Center | English/Spanish/TDD: (800) 842-8467 |
| Anti-Violence Project (AVP) For survivors of all forms of violence and those who support and love them, geared towards LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities. |
24-hr Spanish/English: (221) 714-1141 |
| City of Oakland Community Police Review Agency (CRPA) | Portal for filing a complaint: www.oaklandca.gov/services/make-a-cpra-complaint |
| Cop Watch Links and forms for filing complaints with most Bay Area law enforcement agencies. |
berkeleycopwatch.org/complaint-resources |
| National Lawyers Guild | (415) 285-5067 |
| Bay Area Legal Aid Free legal advice, referrals, and services for eligible low-income Bay Area residents (civil matters only; for criminal matters contact your county’s public defender office or bar association). |
Advice Line: (800) 551-5554 |
| National Police Accountability Project (NPAP) | Manual for victims of police misconduct: nlg-npap.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/NPAP-Manual-compact.pdf |
Alameda County LGBTQ+ Resources
For additional resources, visit the Alameda County LGBTQ+ Resources website at visit https://www.smcgov.org/lgbtq/alameda-county-lgbtq-resources .
Contact Information
Office Hours:
Monday 10 am – 12 pm
Tuesday 9 – 11 am
Wednesday 2 – 4 pm
Thursday 2 – 4 pm
Doris Hankins,
Director of Student Activities & Campus Life
dhankins@peralta.edu
(510) 434-3982
R-124
Michelle Mai
Staff Assistant, Student Activities
mmai@peralta.edu
(510) 436-2419
R-124
Susana Abdurahman
Basic Needs Coordinator
sabdurahman@peralta.edu
(510) 436-2431