Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center (LYRIC) was founded in 1988 by a group of youth and adults who recognized the lack of servics available for young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQQ) youth (24 and under). From the beginning, LYRIC's main goals have been to provide a safe and supportive environment for youth, and to empower young people to take leadership roles within LYRIC and their respective communities.

During its first three years of operation, LYRIC was an entirely volunteer-based organization. In 1991, LYRIC became a project of the Women's Building and hired its first staff. Many dedicated community members continued to serve as volunteer advisors to LYRIC program staff and assisted in lobbying for the creation of a multipurpose youth center dedicated to sexually minority youth. In 1993, LYRIC received the generous support of the residents of San Francisco to purchase a building. In June 1994, LYRIC moved to its new home at 123 Collingwood Street in the heart of the Castro district, and, in 1995, LYRIC began its first fiscal year as an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

LYRIC has an official website: http://www.lyric.org/home.html and also a myspace http://myspace.com/lyricyouth. In addition, LYRIC is affiliated with the Dimensions Clinic: Health Services for Queer & Questioning Youth which provides low-cost, sliding scale health services for youth between 12 and 25.