The Montgomery County Pride Family Resource Center — proudly operated by MoCo Pride Center, Inc. — is the first dedicated LGBTQIA+ resource center in Montgomery County, establishing a 7-day-a-week safe, affirming space for all ages, identities, and lived experiences.
Through support groups, cultural events, and critical linkage-to-care services, the Pride Resource Center is a transformative hub for equity, public health, and education. Check out our regular services below, or click the “Events” tab above to see what’s going on in your area!
We can also connect you to external resources throughout Montgomery County, MD depending on your needs. Click our “Resources” tab to learn more about what’s out there, or speak to a Pride Center staff member during our hours of operation 11 AM - 7 PM any day of the week.
Resources and Services
Testing and Training
We offer free STI and HIV screenings on site weekly. Anyone aged 13+ is eligible. Drop in during our testing hours, or get in touch to request a self-test! Click the button below to see our full testing schedule and learn more about your options.
MoCo Pride Center also stocks a variety of health and wellness items, including condoms, drug testing strips, and Naloxone (Narcan). Pick them up for free, or attend future Narcan and first aid trainings led by Behavioral Health Crisis and Services. Check our Events page to see when our next training is scheduled!
Inclusive Library
Inside the MoCo Pride Center you can find the Kason Mordechai Smith Inclusive Books Library and LGBTQIA+ Archive. Take out books from our physical collection, join a book club, or register for an author event using the link below!
Vendor Fair
From 12 PM - 5 PM on the 4th Saturday of every month, MoCo Pride Center hosts a vendor fair called “How Bazaar!” We have LGBTQIA+ small business vendors and health professionals on site to connect you to meaningful resources that suit your needs, as well as free STI/HIV testing, care navigation, and live entertainment. Come for the shopping, and stay for community connections!
Care Kits
At MoCo Pride Center, we have care kits available designed to assist people experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, or other difficult living situations. Thanks in part to generous community donations, we have individual bags packed with nutritious food, hygiene items, first aid kits, reproductive health and menstrual products, and more. Walk in and ask a staff member for one and you’ll be served with no questions asked.
Clothing Drop-off Services
MoCo Pride Center is an official drop-off location for a gender-affirming clothing and binder exchange program in collaboration with Rainbow Youth Alliance, as well as a free clothing mending service operated by Mayes Makes. Simply fill out our forms to drop off your items for mending OR request an item from us!
Citizenship Corner
In partnership with MoCo’s Lighthouse Program with the Department of Health and Human Services, MoCo Pride Center now stocks information in multiple languages about immigration services. Get up-to-date resources on your constitutional rights, how to deal with ICE, family protection, pro bono legal services, and more. The Director on site can assist with navigation and questions.
HIV/STI Testing Schedule
You do not have to RSVP for these events! They are free, walk-in, and conform to HIPPAA standards. Those who get tested will also receive free gift cards!
Every Tuesday
11 AM - 5 PM
Private office, second floor
Every Tuesday, rain or shine, we will have free STI/HIV testing provided by Us Helping Us. This schedule begins in September and runs through 2025!
Our first testing date of 2026 is January 6th. We will see you then!
Can’t make it to a testing day?
GET A SELF-TEST!
If you can’t come in on our regular testing days, don’t worry! You can still get yourself tested by picking up a self-test here at the Center, or requesting one be mailed to you from our testing partners. Thank you for getting an STI/HIV test at MoCo Pride Center! You are doing a great job taking care of yourself, your partner(s), and your community by staying informed and knowing your status.
In Maryland, anyone aged 13 years or above can get tested for STIs and/or HIV and is eligible for our testing incentives! You do not need permission to get tested, and your results won’t be shared with anyone.
We have rapid HIV tests for pickup at the Pride Center. To speed up the process, fill out your intake form before you come in to pick up your test! Click the button below.
Don’t have a mailing address? Send your requested test to MoCo Pride Center at 4805 Edgemoor Lane, and we’ll hold it until you can pick it up!
We are doing our part to make sure that even the most marginalized members of our community know their status and are staying safe.
-
Are you a parent or caregiver to a trans or nonbinary child? Join MoCo Pride Center, Trans Maryland, and Rainbow Youth Alliance to share stories and resources to support our kids. Our CTY Support Group is led exclusively by trans and nonbinary members of the community! We meet on the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at the MoCo Pride Center offices.
Our first meeting is on November 10, 2025. This is a peer-to-peer meeting group, not a counseling or medical service.
You can register for this group here, or email our team at hello@mocopridecenter.org if you have any questions or concerns about the group! We hope to see you soon.
-
ON HOLD AS OF JANUARY, 2026.
Dharma Bums is a non-religious, recovery style weekly meeting that focuses on abstaining from substance and process addictions via guidance based in Buddhism. Every Tuesday from 7 PM - 8 PM in the Kason Mordechai Smith Inclusive Books Library, settle in with your peers for a trauma-informed, empowered approach to recovery.
Learn more about the program here, and check our calendar for the next meeting date.
-
Join The Montgomery County Pride Family in partnership with the Montgomery County LGBTQIA+ Liaison for Hope & Support Circle: a weekly virtual gathering designed to provide empowerment, joy, and resources for our LGBTQIA+ communities. Now with one in-person date a month!
Every Thursday from 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (ET), we create a space of understanding, connection, and support in the face of ongoing challenges and attacks on our communities. Whether you’re looking for encouragement, resources, or simply a place to be heard, you are welcome here.
What to Expect:
A safe and affirming space for all LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies
Conversations that uplift, empower, and inspire joy
Resources to navigate challenges and build resilience
A supportive network to remind you that you are not alone
Let’s come together in solidarity and strength. We will not be silenced. We will not be erased.
Registration is required for this event! Register here or check out our Events page for the next group meeting!
-
MoCo Pride Center partners with the community to host a special LGBTQIA+ Soul Circle.
This circle is intended to be a safe space where members of Montgomery County’s LGBTQIA+ community can regularly gather to discuss ethical, moral, and spiritual matters. Led by two experienced members of the LGBTQIA+ community, this program is free and open to people of any religion and no religion, and is not affiliated with any one religion or religious organization. Participants are encouraged to listen, engage, and learn how nurturing their soul can help them become more self-aware and ethical.
Soul Circle meets in the library of MoCo Pride Center at 4805 Edgemoor Lane (Floor 2) in downtown Bethesda from 6:30 to 8 PM on the 4th Wednesday of every month. Participants do not need to attend every session, and there is no required preparation before each session, only suggested readings and mental exercises.
-
Maryland Trans*Unity is a peer-facilitated support group for the trans* communities in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, Maryland. Virtual meetings happen once per month on the 3rd Sunday from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM.
Zoom meeting details will not be published in advance for privacy and security reasons. To get the Zoom meeting link, email with interest a few days before the meeting: hello@marylandtransunity.org
To learn more about Maryland Trans*Unity programs, visit their web calendar here!
-
Are you neurodivergent and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community?
Join MoCo Pride Center for social meet-up group facilitated by a “neuroqueer” community member on the 3rd Sunday of every month from 12 - 2 PM in the MoCo Pride Center library. This is an opportunity to connect with LGBTQIA+ folks whose brains function, learn, and process information differently than what is considered typical.
“Neurodivergent” is a non-medical umbrella term covering neurological conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD, dyslexia and other learning disorders, and/or Tourette Syndrome (TS). If this sounds like you, you’re welcome to share our space! You are also encouraged to bring your own lunch to the group.
Click here to sign up and attend! We look forward to seeing you soon.
-
T4T (Trans for Trans) is an online space for peer-to-peer support weekly on Wednesdays from 6:30pm-8pm. These groups are for trans Marylanders 18+.
“Trans” means that the gender assignment when you were born is no longer accurate for you. Nonbinary and agender folks are warmly welcome in this space. These groups will take place online using the Zoom platform (free).
To join the groups, trans-Marylanders should complete an intake form. Individuals will receive an email on Tuesday afternoon with a link to the group. Entries received after Monday 9am will not receive a link till the following week due to capacity.
You can visit the Trans Maryland website to get more information about their regular support groups.
-
Not all of us have the luxury of being who we are out loud. This is a space for you.
Z-Club is a social club held on the 4th Thursday of every month from 6 - 9 PM at MoCo Pride Center created for transgender, gender expansive, and gender-nonconforming adults to show up as themselves. Change your clothes, do your hair, and be who you are in safety and community with people that value you. This social club is hosted by trans community members that can empathize with your frustrations, encourage you in hard times, and share in your joys.
This is not our usual support group or social event; this is a private safe space. As such, we have special policies everyone who registers must agree to before attending.
Please read the event information carefully and sign up here to join us. We are here for you.
Get Support
MoCo Pride Center is proud to host existing support groups and to create our own to fit our community’s needs! Support groups are either in-person, virtual, or both. Here are the regular groups we currently host:
Our fully in-person staff is certified in youth and adult mental health counseling first aid courtesy of our partners at the 988 lifeline, EveryMind, and in administration of Naloxone (Narcan) courtesy of our partners at the Overdose Prevention Team. If a community member of any age is in crisis and needs to speak with an LGBTQIA+ adult that can get them to the resources they need, we will always drop what we're doing to help them responsibly and with compassion.
Drop-in hours are 11AM - 7PM every day of the year, including holidays.
Upcoming events
at MoCo Pride Center
Hover over an event listing to learn more, and then click to register!
County Resources
Can’t find what you need at the Pride Center? We’re happy to connect you to other aid resources throughout Montgomery County. Either visit us in person to talk through your options, or get started with our external Resources Directory linked below!
Email our team at hello@mocopridecenter.org with questions or concerns. We’ll ensure you get the help you need!
Want to make sure these services continue?