PFLAG Parents, Families

1
PFLAGParents, Families Friends of Lesbians
and Gays

• Cynthia Snapp
• EPS 611
• Presentation

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PFLAGHistory

• 1972 The idea for PFLAG began when Jeanne
  Medford started an international movement when
  she marched with her son Mortie in New Yorks Gay
  Pride Parade
• Jeanne carried a sign that said, Parents of
  Gays Unite in Support of Our Children.

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PFLAG

• Jeanne had many gay and lesbian people beg her to
  talk to their parents
• Jeanne began a support group for gay and lesbian
  people and their family and friends
• March 1973 The first formal meeting took place
  at a local church and subsequent meetings popped
  up all over the country

• 1979 Representatives from these groups met for
  the first time in Washington, D.C.

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PFLAG

• 1981 Members decided to launch a national
  organization
• 1990 PFLAG consolidated operations in
  Washington, D.C.

• 1980 PFLAG, then known as Parents FLAG, began
  to distribute information to educational
  institutions and communities of faith nationwide
  and established itself as a source of information
  for the general public.
• 1980s Dear Abby mentioned PFLAG, more than
  7,000 letters were received requesting
  information

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PFLAG

• Early 1990s PFLAG chapters in Massachusetts
  helped pass the first Safe Schools legislation in
  the country.
• Mid-1990s A PFLAG family was responsible for the
  Department of Educations ruling that Title 9
  also protected gay and lesbian students from
  harassment based on sexual orientation

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PFLAG

• At the turn of the century, PFLAG began to
  develop nationally coordinated programs in order
  to better focus the work of their grassroots
  network
• 1970s PFLAG Phoenix was created
• Faith Parker, local Phoenix resident was one of
  the founders of PFLAG National

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PFLAGsMission

• Support
• Education
• Advocacy

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PFLAGSupport

• PFLAGs primary mission is providing support,
  which
• comes in the form of
• Local support groups
• 3 meetings a month offered at three different
  Phoenix locations
• Teen/pre-teen/parents support group (for gay,
  lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and
  "questioning" teens, pre-teens, their parents,
  family and friends)
• Straight spouses support group

• Confidential support via e-mail,
  info_at_pflagphoenix.org
• Counseling Referral List provided by PFLAG
• On-line pamphlets and articles
• Telephone helpline
• [phone]

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PFLAGSupport (cont.)

• Lending Library
• Recommended Reading List
• Personal Stories (on web site or in person at
  meetings)
• Community Resources including www.1in10.org
• 1n10 is dedicated to inspire and enable lesbian,
  gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth
  to realize their full potential and foster a
  sense of community

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PFLAGEducation

• Basic Terminology
• Six Stages of Homosexual Identity Formation
• Kinsey's Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale
• "Coming Out"  A BasicUnderstanding of the Issues

• Stresses OnLesbian Gay Adolescents
• Today's Gay YouthThe Ugly, Frightening
  Statistics
• Being Gay and Coming of Age in a Climate of Fear
• Symbols of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and
  Transgender Movements

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PFLAGEducation (cont.)

• PFLAGs Speaker Bureau will come speak to your
  business, community group, church group, on a
  variety of topics
• This free service can be tailored to your group's
  specific interests/needs

• Project Safe Space is a free educational program
  primarily designed for middle schools, high
  schools and colleges
• The Safe Space program is tailored presentations
  to student classes, teachers, counselors, school
  staff, administrators and/or parents.

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PFLAGEducation (cont.)

• The primary purpose of Safe Space is to bring
  attention to the critical need of providing a
  "safe space" for gay, lesbian, bisexual,
  transgendered and questioning (GLBTQ) youth at
  their school.

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PFLAGEducation (cont.)

• PFLAG has discovered that the best way, and
  sometimes the only way, to get into a specific
  school is through a gay-friendly faculty member
• If you are interested in a Project Safe Space
  presentation at your school or church, please
  contact PFLAG at 602-843-1404

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PFLAGAdvocacy

• "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
  committed citizens can change the world indeed,
  it's the only thing that ever has.
• - Margaret Mead -

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PFLAGFunding

• PFLAG Phoenix Sponsorship
• Charlies Phoenix Bar
• Arizona Gay Rodeo Association (AGRA)
• Constantino Gross Enterprises, LLC.
• Private Donations
• 35 Monthly PFLAG membership fee

• PFLAG National (Washington D.C.) Corporate
  Sponsorship
• IBM
• Motorola
• GM
• American Airlines
• Ford
• Orbitz
• Passport
• Kodak
• CHUBB
• Food Lion
• Irell Manella LLP.

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PFLAGCritique

• PFLAG is clearly a very necessary organization
• PFLAG successfully provides services to the GLBTQ
  community and their family and friends
• Straight (not narrow) allies have a place at
  PFLAG
• PFLAGs physical lending library is in need of
  updating
• PFLAG could do more with more volunteers

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PFLAG

• www.pflagphoenix.org
• Helpline   602.843.1404
• Email 
• info_at_pflagphoenix.org
• PFLAG Phoenix,
• P.O. Box 7265
• Phoenix AZ 85011-7265

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PFLAG

• Special Thanks To PFLAG Phoenix for information
  and pictures from their website, which was used
  in this presentation, as well as PFLAG National.