Celebrating LGBTQ+ Histories with NH Outright

As part of Historic New England’s commitment to inclusive storytelling and community engagement, we are proud to partner with NH Outright, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting, protecting, and advocating for LGBTQ+ youth across the Granite State. Founded over thirty years ago as Seacoast Outright, the organization expanded in 2024 to serve communities statewide. Its work underscores the power of connection, visibility, and advocacy—values that align with Historic New England’s mission to broaden whose histories are preserved and shared. Alyssa Sweet, Site Manager for Southern Maine, recently spoke with Rev. Heidi Carrington Heath, Executive Director of NH Outright, about the organization’s mission, its expanding reach, and why history matters.

Tell us about NH Outright: How did the organization begin, what kinds of programs and services do you provide, and what made you expand your geographic reach?

NH Outright was born in 1993 at the University of New Hampshire. A group of parents and caregivers came together and identified that there were resources to support parents and caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth, but there were no resources for kids. Out of that meeting, NH Outright (née Seacoast Outright) was born. I like to think we’ve held onto some of that scrappy, organizing spirit even as we’ve grown over the years. Over the last couple of years, in particular, our work has really grown to include the whole state of New Hampshire. Our Education and Training team has been working on a statewide basis, and we have been hearing from our community about a growing need for more resources for LGBTQ+ youth. “Can we have an Outright chapter here?” is a question we get asked often. We decided in 2024 it was time to live fully into our identity as NH Outright. 

The heartbeat of our work is our young people. We offer a peer support space on a weekly basis at our flagship chapter here on the Seacoast, and also on a monthly basis in Manchester and Nashua. Peer-support spaces are part of the evidence-based best practices that allow our youth to thrive. These spaces of community, connection, and joy help us fulfill our commitment for every young person in New Hampshire to be seen, be heard, and be themselves. We also offer a robust training and education program for communities and organizations to be responsive to the needs of our kids and families, participate in appropriate advocacy at the state level when legislation impacts the communities we serve, and much more. And of course, we are the organization that runs and hosts Portsmouth Pride, now in its eleventh year.

What are the most pressing challenges facing LGBTQ+ youth in New Hampshire and the Seacoast region?

I won’t sugarcoat it. This is a dire time for LGBTQ+ youth on the Seacoast and around New Hampshire. There is an intentional targeting at the state and federal levels of a very vulnerable population of youth who simply want the opportunity to be kids, like all of their peers. The data tells us clearly that mental health outcomes are worsening for LGBTQ+ youth (particularly transgender youth) in New Hampshire in comparison to their national peers. The current climate is a factor. It has never been more important to communicate belonging and public allyship.

For the second year, NH Outright and Historic New England are partnering to hold a Pride Garden Party at Sarah Orne Jewett House in South Berwick, Maine, as part of the town’s Pride Month celebrations. Why is it important to bring Pride events into historic spaces? What role does history play in empowering LGBTQ+ youth?

History is so essential in empowering our LGBTQ+ young people. We lost so many of our movement elders, and the history they held, in the AIDS epidemic. Creating spaces that bring LGBTQ+ history to life (like Sarah Orne Jewett House) help make that history living, real, and relevant. We recently cohosted an event with AIDS Response Seacoast, the LGBTQ+ History Project, and the Portsmouth Historical Society rooted in the protest buttons of the earlier chapters of our movement. Events like this that draw together an intergenerational audience help ground history in our present and help our young people see that they come from a long lineage of activists, thinkers, creatives, and more. When we know our history, we can more clearly see our future. We LOVE our Garden Party event, and partnership with Historic New England, for this reason.

What is your favorite part of the Garden Party?

It is SO hard to pick a favorite element of the Garden Party, because I love the event as a whole so much! I think I’d have to say our reenactors who help bring the story of Sarah and Annie to life!

What other events or initiatives do you have coming up that our readers might be interested in?

Of course, we want to invite everyone to join us for the parade and festival on Saturday, June 21, in downtown Portsmouth, beginning around 12:30 p.m. Your audience might also really enjoy our launch party aboard the Thomas Leighton at the Isles of Shoals Steamship company on Friday evening, June 20, from 7 p.m.-10 p.m.

This post is part of our Around New England series, which explores how New Englanders are building more sustainable, inclusive, and accessible communities.