Who We Are

PYC unites young LGBTQ leaders from across the commonwealth within their schools and communities in order to create a responsive and organized statewide movement. Through connecting and empowering strong advocates, PYC helps ensure that the issues facing young LGBTQ Pennsylvanians are addressed in local and state government.
Young LGBTQ Pennsylvanians have varied urgent needs. Many LGBTQ youth experience violence and discrimination in their schools and communities. Through PYC, young leaders are able to advocate for effective policy solutions at the local and state levels. From city councils to school boards to the General Assembly, PYC champions issues in government.
PYC was founded in 2011 as a coalition of high school and college LGBTQ student organizations. Over 50 LGBTQ student groups have become members of PYC. These student organizations have direct access to leadership development, networking, and important advocacy opportunities. To find out more about becoming a member organization of PYC, <a href="https://payouthcongress.org/get-involved/member-organizations/">please click here</a>!
As an intersectional movement of young Pennsylvanians, PYC advocates for communities where all can thrive. PYC was created to ensure all marginalized LGBTQ youth have power in their communities. To that end we aim to center those most impacted by the harm being addressed and that they are directing the work. Together, PYC leaders envision a commonwealth that has no room for prejudice or discrimination - where all people can thrive regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or other identities.
Since 2011, PYC has organized dozens of statewide forums for young LGBTQ leaders, including the Pennsylvania Youth Action Conference (YAC), which has become the largest annual gathering of young LGBTQ advocates in the state. From retreats in the northern tier to regional convenings, PYC believes in the critical importance of organizing in-person gatherings.
PYC firmly believes that young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow, but that they are also the leaders of today. By empowering and training each other with the skills necessary to successfully take on local and statewide community work, PYC is continually investing in generations of strong civic leaders. PYC alums have been hired for important staff positions at LGBTQ organizations and have even made history by being elected to local government.

Get Involved!

Join the Movement

Sign up to receive information on urgent LGBTQ Pennsylvania news and ways to get involved in our statewide LGBTQ youth movement

Pennsylvania News

Denouncing Anti-Black Racism

Denouncing Anti-Black Racism
May 31, 2020

Anti-black racism is a national crisis. It has been for over 400 years on this land. Through slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow laws, segregation, lynchings, police brutality, economic injustice, environmental racism, healthcare discrimination, mass incarceration, political disenfranchisement, underfunded public education, and more, our United States has utterly failed black people. The […]

Full Statement
Pennsylvania Values Campaign Pushes for LGBTQ Nondiscrimination Protections

Pennsylvania Values Campaign Pushes for LGBTQ Nondiscrimination Protections
February 3, 2020

HARRISBURG, PA — Lawmakers, leaders from the faith and business communities, LGBTQ Pennsylvanians, and allies spoke today at a landmark press conference at the state Capitol to call for LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections in Pennsylvania and across the country. The event was hosted by Pennsylvania Youth Congress to formally launch its […]

Full Statement
Huntingdon Makes History: First Rural Community in PA to Adopt LGBT Nondiscrimination Law

Huntingdon Makes History: First Rural Community in PA to Adopt LGBT Nondiscrimination Law
December 18, 2019

HUNTINGDON, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Youth Congress is thrilled to share that at their December 17, 2019 meeting, Huntingdon Borough Council voted to adopt an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinance. Huntingdon becomes the first rural community and 58th municipality in Pennsylvania to enact local protections for LGBT people in employment, housing, and […]

Full Statement