OUTMemphis is one step closer to providing expansive services to LGBTQ+ residents in the Mid-South.
On Friday, October 12th, the advocacy organization broke ground on the location of its new Midtown headquarters. The 11,000-square-foot space marks a permanent home for the LGBTQ+ support group at the corner of Peach and Cleveland.
The OUTMemphis Headquarters and Community Center gives the organization the opportunity to expand existing services and capacity. In addition to HIV prevention and sexual health support, OUTMemphis provides financial assistance for LGBTQ+ adults and aid for young people.
The new headquarters will serve as a centralized hub for OUTMemphis, as they’re currently spread out “across multiple small buildings.” Officials said this has limited the work they can provide.
OUTMemphis staff expects an opening date in 2027.
Molly Quinn, CEO of OUTMemphis, called the project “essential” to the organization, as it expands their reach across the Mid-South.
“It’s been a difficult, challenging, inspiring, and incredibly beautiful project to be a part of and a leader of,” Quinn said.
Quinn said they’ve seen “rapid growth” in the last five years, as they’ve worked to meet the demand and support for those in the South. She said people not only need a place to connect, but also social services and safety nets.
She’s proud of the growth OUTMemphis has experienced but said it led to them being “maxed-out for space.” Quinn called the expansion “overdue,” as the growth highlights a need for specialized care.
Though the need apparent, Quinn notes the political climate can present cause not to expand.
“The local climate in Tennessee [from] the perspective of policy and rhetoric has been so volatile the past couple of years,” Quinn said. “Our state has essentially made a campaign out of targeting the rights of LGBTQ+ people for over 10 years, and that’s really escalated on a national scale the last couple of years.”
Quinn said they’ve experienced “major” funding losses over the past three years from government partnerships. This included funding for HIV services and support for unhoused individuals.
Slashes in funding have affected LGBTQ+ organizations around the country. In September, a report from Outright International entitled “Breaking Point” found 203 “LGBTIQ” organizations lost funding since January 2025.
Out of these “affected” organizations, 75 percent lost more than a quarter of their budget, with 49 percent losing more than half.
For OUTMemphis, longstanding collaborations with local governments were severed out of fear of retaliation from the federal government, Quinn said. She called this “disappointing.”
Mounting threats have provided further reasons for the project to stall, however Quinn views these as opportunities to persist. She said if these problems were exhibited in Memphis, other communities were plagued as well.
“It’s a hard time to figure out the right ways to protect all of our people to ensure everyone has the things they deserve,” Quinn said. “We felt like this was the perfect time for us to step out, build something, and rally our community resources together to ensure that our people are protected.
“We are doing this project, both for the Memphians that it will serve, but also for people across the South [to] understand what they can accomplish, and what they deserve,” Quinn added.
Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) voiced her support of the project, as its persisted despite attacks on local and state levels. The senator said that Memphis is a “city of resilience,” and OUTMemphis’ groundbreaking is exemplary of this.
“This groundbreaking is about so much more than bricks and mortar,” Akbari said in a statement. “It’s about creating a place where people are seen, valued, supported, and loved exactly as they are.”
