Bellingham Queer Collective
Bellingham Queer Collective builds community and support for LGBTQIA+ individuals through inclusive programs, affirming spaces, and collective care while intentionally working to expand access and equity across diverse and marginalized communities.
We dream of a future where LGBTQIA+ individuals across all backgrounds experience true belonging, equitable access, and the power of community to feel seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.
BQC strives to improve the social health and wellness of the intergenerational (18+), queer community in the greater Whatcom County area by providing opportunities to gather around the arts, nature, movement, belonging, and service. We are working to reduce social isolation, connect folks with friends and resources, and improve quality of life in the queer community.
The BQC Center
Our BQC Center provides a critical safe and inclusive third space - a community space outside of home and work - for our LGBTQ+ community members (ages 18+) to gather in downtown Bellingham. Events and activities are free at the Center, which opened in June 2024. We are the first and only nonprofit LGBTQ+ community center space between Seattle and Canada.
Affinity Groups
Affinity Groups are a wonderful way to connect with other members of the LGBTQ+ community based on common interests or shared identities. These groups are facilitated by a team of volunteer leaders, are free, and meet monthly or more often. Some groups meet in the BQC Center and some in other spaces around town.
Upcoming Events
Everyone who practices with the felt sense of queerness is welcome to attend this monthly community gathering. No prior experience is necessary; come as you are.
Join us for a different activity every Friday night at the BQC Center! Just drop in and join the fun. This week we’re hosting a Queer As Folk watch party!
Join us for a casual and inclusive Queer Women's Social Hour at the BQC Center. We will meet, introduce ourselves, and talk about a variety of topics of interest, including our needs, vision and expectations for future meetings of this group. This event is for those who feel more comfortable gathering in a more female-centered environment rather than a group of mostly cis-males. If this applies to you, then please join us to make new friends, share experiences, and build a supportive community together.
Out and About is a monthly nature program for queer adults (18+). Join us for Queer Critters | Saturday, September 19, 2026 | 3:00-5:00PM
Did you know that thousands of species have been observed participating in “queer” behaviors, such as same-sex coupling, changing sexes, and even raising offspring with same-sex partners. From gay swan foster dads to matriarchal hawk families and asexually reproducing lizards, animals around the world exist, and thrive, outside of the heteronormative expectations we often project onto them. Join us to explore how queerness is a natural and beautiful aspect of life for countless organisms!
Join us for Advocacy Hour as we come together to discuss and amplify critical issues affecting our community.
BQC Sacred Misfits: Spirituality on the Margins is a peer-led group for anyone interested in exploring spiritual practices outside of dominant religious frameworks. We center queer, trans, and other marginalized voices while creating space for self-inquiry, sacred play, and community connection. We gather to study divination, explore our weird spiritual selves, encourage stepping outside the mainstream, and find community beyond the binary, the dogma, and the gatekeeping. All genders, paths, and vibes welcome. No specific beliefs or experience required—just openness and respect.
The Mindfulness Meditation Group welcomes both inexperienced and experienced meditators to a weekly offering that will be hybrid-- both online and in person. It is facilitated by Jill Stansbury, the BQC Wellness Coordinator, who is a trained Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction facilitator through Brown University. This group meets weekly.
The BQC Center is reserved on weekday mornings for quiet time for those who would like to work, read, or study in a quiet and safe space with the community.
We invite you to take advantage of our free Wi-fi, snacks, drinks, book lending library and office supplies while you are working.
The BQC Center is reserved on weekday mornings for quiet time for those who would like to work, read, or study in a quiet and safe space with the community.
We invite you to take advantage of our free Wi-fi, snacks, drinks, book lending library and office supplies while you are working.
This group is a welcoming and affirming social group created specifically for transfeminine people to connect, share experiences, and build community in a supportive environment. Open to anyone who identifies with transfeminine experiences—including trans women, transfeminine nonbinary people, and those exploring gender—this group offers a space for casual conversation, mutual support, creative expression, and friendship. Whether you're looking to meet others with similar identities, talk about gender journeys, or just hang out in a space where you feel seen and celebrated, BQC Transfemme group is here for you.
The BQC Center is reserved on weekday mornings for quiet time for those who would like to work, read, or study in a quiet and safe space with the community.
We invite you to take advantage of our free Wi-fi, snacks, drinks, book lending library and office supplies while you are working.
Drop in to the BQC Center to visit with friends, make a new friend, hang out on your own, check out a book (soon), play a game, read, listen to music, help yourself to a hot or cold beverage and snack, and more!
The BQC Center is reserved on weekday mornings for quiet time for those who would like to work, read, or study in a quiet and safe space with the community.
We invite you to take advantage of our free Wi-fi, snacks, drinks, book lending library and office supplies while you are working.
Drop in to the BQC Center to visit with friends, make a new friend, hang out on your own, check out a book (soon), play a game, read, listen to music, help yourself to a hot or cold beverage and snack, and more!
The BQC Center is reserved on weekday mornings for quiet time for those who would like to work, read, or study in a quiet and safe space with the community.
We invite you to take advantage of our free Wi-fi, snacks, drinks, book lending library and office supplies while you are working.
Join us for a different activity every Friday night at the BQC Center! Just drop in and join the fun.
This week we will be playing Fishbowl! There will be plenty of snacks so be sure to bring your appetite.
Connect with other members of the Latinx community to help with navigating some of the unique challenges of being queer in Latinx culture.
Join us for a Queer as Folk Watch Party at the BQC Center! We will have plenty of pizza and snacks so be sure to bring your appetite. FYI, we will be watching Season 2 Episodes 13-15).
The Mindfulness Meditation Group welcomes both inexperienced and experienced meditators to a weekly offering that will be hybrid-- both online and in person. It is facilitated by Jill Stansbury, the BQC Wellness Coordinator, who is a trained Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction facilitator through Brown University. This group meets weekly.
The BQC Center is reserved on weekday mornings for quiet time for those who would like to work, read, or study in a quiet and safe space with the community.
We invite you to take advantage of our free Wi-fi, snacks, drinks, book lending library and office supplies while you are working.
The BQC Center is reserved on weekday mornings for quiet time for those who would like to work, read, or study in a quiet and safe space with the community.
We invite you to take advantage of our free Wi-fi, snacks, drinks, book lending library and office supplies while you are working.
The BQC Center is reserved on weekday mornings for quiet time for those who would like to work, read, or study in a quiet and safe space with the community.
We invite you to take advantage of our free Wi-fi, snacks, drinks, book lending library and office supplies while you are working.
Drop in to the BQC Center to visit with friends, make a new friend, hang out on your own, check out a book (soon), play a game, read, listen to music, help yourself to a hot or cold beverage and snack, and more!
Join us for coffee and a different discussion on the last Wednesday of every month. Look for the rainbow tablecloths in the lunch room. This event is intended for folks aged 50+. If you are not a member of the BSAC, sign in as a guest and tell them you are meeting with the Rainbow Elders.
Generations of Pride is our intergenerational community dinner centering LGBTQ+ people and allies in the Bellingham/Whatcom community. We gather on the last Wednesday of every month for a free catered dinner for folks 18 years or older at Bellingham Senior Activity Center (315 Halleck St). Each month we have a different topic for discussion with breakouts to help connect LGBTQ+ people across generations.
The BQC Center is reserved on weekday mornings for quiet time for those who would like to work, read, or study in a quiet and safe space with the community.
We invite you to take advantage of our free Wi-fi, snacks, drinks, book lending library and office supplies while you are working.
Drop in to the BQC Center to visit with friends, make a new friend, hang out on your own, check out a book (soon), play a game, read, listen to music, help yourself to a hot or cold beverage and snack, and more!
This group is designed for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals and allies who are curious about or committed to enhancing their well-being through mind-body practices. Whether you're new to the wellness space, just learning to meditate, or you're an experienced energy worker or yoga enthusiast, this space is for you.
The BQC Center is reserved on weekday mornings for quiet time for those who would like to work, read, or study in a quiet and safe space with the community.
We invite you to take advantage of our free Wi-fi, snacks, drinks, book lending library and office supplies while you are working.
Each month, we showcase the work of a local queer artist by hosting a reception during the Downtown Bellingham Partnership’s First Friday Art Walk, and then displaying their work on the walls of the BQC Center in a month-long exhibition.
Join us for Advocacy Hour as we come together to discuss and amplify critical issues affecting our community.
No matter what you're working on or where you are in the process, we offer space and community to support creativity.
The Mindfulness Meditation Group welcomes both inexperienced and experienced meditators to a weekly offering that will be hybrid-- both online and in person. It is facilitated by Jill Stansbury, the BQC Wellness Coordinator, who is a trained Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction facilitator through Brown University. This group meets weekly.
We regularly host events at the BQC Center and other locations throughout Bellingham and the greater Whatcom County area. They include social gatherings, classes, outdoor recreation, performances, and more!
News and updates
Together, we can build a future where LGBTQIA+ individuals across all backgrounds experience true belonging, equitable access, and the power of community to feel seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.
BQC invites you to a special screening of TWO EYES!
We will be hosting two exclusive in-person screenings of this amazing film — followed by a virtual streaming window for those who can’t make it in person. Tickets are $15.00 and BQC will receive 50% of sales for both the in-person and virtual screenings!
We’re grateful to see safer, more supportive resources expanding in our city. The City of Bellingham recently launched an important new initiative to protect community members who experience bias, harassment, or violence: the Safe Place™ Program. We’re thrilled to share that The BQC Center is an approved Safe Place.
Support our community
Together, we can build a future where LGBTQIA+ individuals across all backgrounds experience true belonging, equitable access, and the power of community to feel seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.