Queerly ME

Q***rly ME fosters strong support networks and strengthens community belonging for LGBTQIA+ adults in Maine.

All things Q***rly ME including our social media policy located here: http://linktr.ee/q***rlyme

09/02/2026

Join Q***rly ME, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, and Maine Island Trail Association on a day trip to Monroe Island! We will take a charter boat out to the island, explore 1.5 miles of trails, and eat lunch together by the sea. More info. on our event page!

*This hike is all ages, but minors must be accompanied by a guardian at all times. Additional information on charter boat location and program structure will be sent out to registered participants.

09/01/2026

Join TEMPOart Maine, Portland Trails, and Q***rly ME for nature drawing fundraiser! Savor September in Maine with a pencil in your hand. Artist Pame Chévez will lead a drawing practice inspired by the sights, sounds, smells, patterns, and emotions you experience surrounded by nature.

Pencils and sketchbooks will be provided for all participants, but please feel free to bring your own materials.

This activity is led by Pame Chévez (she/her) Pame Chevez. Pame is an artist whose work is at the intersection of art and tech, driven by her curiosity and authenticity. Her work includes illustration, packaging, visual identity, murals, and more. Thank you, Pame, for leading this activity!

You can register via the link in our bio!

08/28/2026

Marcin, He/Him
“One of the biggest regrets I carry with me is never showing my grandmother my full, true self.

She was the person who raised me. The person who stepped in and gave me the kind of love every child deserves to feel. She shaped the man I am today, teaching me kindness, compassion, and how to love people deeply and fully.

She wasn’t just my grandmother. She was my safe place. The person who made the hardest days feel lighter just by being there. No matter what life looked like, I always knew I was loved by her. And that kind of love changes a person forever.

Deep down, I truly believe she would have loved and accepted me exactly as I am. But there was always that quiet voice in the back of my mind asking, ‘What if she won’t?’ And that fear was enough to keep me silent.

I held her hand as she took her last breath. And in that moment, a part of me broke knowing she never truly got to know all of me. The real me.

That regret will always stay with me. Fear convinced me to hide pieces of myself from someone I loved so deeply. But I refuse to live behind fear anymore. I refuse to shrink myself for the comfort of others or for the ‘what ifs’ that once controlled my life. I am who I am. Fully. Openly. Proudly.

And maybe this is my full circle moment. Finally becoming the person I was always meant to be, with the hope that somewhere above, she sees me now…and smiles.”

08/26/2026

We spent last weekend Q***ring The Coast with 35 participants, some coming as far as Philadelphia! Tide pooling, coastal birding, exploring, and having guided conversations about nature’s way of not fitting into neat boxes—we left the Center For Ecological Teaching & Learning in bittersweet spirits, inspired by the connections we made with the land and each other, and longing only for more time together. We can’t wait to return.

08/25/2026

Everyone deserves to experience the outdoors in an accessible, affirming way. At Summiting Outdoor Accessibility, we did just that. Ourselves and approximately 50 participants gathered at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens for a beautiful day of connection, conversation, and collaboration. In partnership with Bridge Maine, Outdoor Access Solutions, Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation, and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, we addressed what Q***r, disabled folks need to thrive, how land trusts and place based organizations can improve accessibility on their trails, and what adaptive equipment is available to engage in all different types of outdoor environments.

We are so grateful to The Onion Foundation and Disability Rights Maine for funding this summit, and to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens for hosting us! We look forward to future iterations of this gathering built by and for people with disabilities.

08/21/2026

Can’t join us for Q***r Bug Weekend, but still want to join us for our entomology walk? Registration is open for our Sunday bug walk led by Dr. Katherine Burns, an ecologist and science communicator currently based in Midcoast Maine. Dr. Burns has worked in the fields of ecology and conservation for over 13 years, focusing mainly on native insect pollinators. She is deeply passionate about introducing folks to the miniature worlds that surround us, but so often go unnoticed! During our entomology walk, we will explore a pollinator garden and learn all about insects. At the same time, OUT Maine is partnering with us and Mahoosuc Land Trust to offer a youth centered entomology walk—you can find more info. on their site for the youth centered walk!

Sliding scale is 25-50 per person pending individual capacity. Find info. & registration via the link in our bio!

08/19/2026

On July 6th, Q***rly ME reached a major milestone! We are proud to welcome our first full-time Executive Director (and our first ever employee)!

Q***rly ME was built to address widespread community needs. In 2022, Kyle Warnock founded Q***rly ME in response to hundreds of conversations he had with LGBTQIA+ people over the course of an independent photo-documentary project. Kyle recognized a pattern of issues many project participants faced: chronic isolation and loneliness, resource scarcity, and a lack of affirming outdoor spaces. Q***rly ME was created to address these issues guided by the idea that LGBTQIA+ people deserve to be thoroughly connected, healthy, and well-resourced regardless of where they live in Maine.

While guiding Q***rly ME’s mission and growth since its inception, Kyle has created and led 103 Q***rly ME programs since 2023 as a volunteer, and later as a contractor. These programs have facilitated community connection, support network building, and outdoor exploration for over 2,350 LGBTQIA+ people across all 16 counties of Maine.

In just four years, Q***rly ME has grown from an idea into a statewide organization serving thousands of LGBTQIA+ Mainers.

Having dedicated, full-time leadership will allow us to expand LGBTQIA+ programs in all 16 counties, strengthen community partnerships, build our resource network, and invest in new initiatives including county-based coalitions, ecology cohorts, volunteer led programs, and more.

This milestone is made possible by every volunteer, donor, community partner, and participant of Q***rly ME. Thank you for your support!

Curious about how to support Q***rly ME as we continue to grow? Community donations go a long way! Monthly donations get us further. Consider what you can give to sustain our progress and push our work forward.

08/15/2026

Q***rly ME hosts Maine’s largest LGBTQIA+ resource directory containing over 250 resources! We are taking the time to spotlight LGBTQIA+ businesses, wellness providers, artists and performers, writers, and more to ensure LGBTQIA+ people are well-resourced and supported across the state. This week we want to spotlight three incredible LGBTQIA+ shops: Lucky Fox Bookshop, Plant Office, and Artemis Plus Size Thrift. Know of any other LGBTQIA+ retail shops in Maine? Tag them below as we continue to expand our directory resources!

08/14/2026

Jorden, They/Them & Danny, They/She
“With our theme song being ‘Just the two of us’, past created handshakes, and secret whisper language we developed as children, you can say we are a close pair of siblings. Besides trying to be as different as possible growing up and being 6 years apart, our life experiences have matched pretty uncannily. Being Black and Latino, q***r, gender-nonconforming, working in the service industry, skipping out on college, and dealing with our interesting family. The years I have in extra experience as the elder sibling, Jorden, gave me lots of insight. Dealing with all these factors and encountering and navigating similar feelings/situations a few years earlier helped me guide my sister through, as they happened. Helping them have an easier journey heals me and changes my outlook on the world and the past.

Sometimes it slips my mind while life and society are a mess, that Danny thinks I’m cool as f**k and still wants to be like me. Our parents taught us how to be great siblings to each other and how to do the right thing. I wanna share everything liberatory for us in this life with Danny. So far I’ve been successful in sharing the local kiki ballroom scene and how to live your own damn life with them. The visibility and freedom in ballroom was something I knew that I didn’t want to and couldn’t keep for just myself. We do different categories but stun the room regardless everytime.

With support, Danny has blossomed into an ever evolving beautiful person. They remind me how to put myself first with other people, stay grounded, to not give a damn, to expect the unexpected, break limits, and that our shared stubbornness is valid (as well as always right). To this day it is said that you can find us on any given day having our weekly sister dates.”
JORDEN | MAINE TEXTURE + COLOR EXPERT Danny🧿

08/11/2026

Campfire Club is growing! Our third Campfire Club gathering was in S**o at Fairy Forest, and we could not be more grateful for community space. Highlights include bats flying overhead, our heart circle, the warmth of the fire, and the whimsical energy Joshua has curated for Fairy Forest.

Campfire Club is our membership program where monthly donors can access quarterly campfires in Southern Maine as well as exclusive Campfire Club merch. Each monthly contribution is kindling to our fire. By joining Campfire Club at 15 per month, donors sustain and ignite our growth as we continue to build a robust statewide community network that supports LGBTQIA+ people through visibility, resource accessibility, and community building outdoors in all 16 counties of Maine. You can learn more by visiting the link in our bio!

Address

Brunswick, ME
04011

Website

http://queerlyme.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Queerly ME posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Brunswick?