Shawn Moore is the current president of the Modern Family Alliance (MFA). MFA is a local Kansas City organization, which aims to help connect LGBTQIA parents and their children to other similar families here in the greater Kansas City and surrounding areas. MFA sponsors annual fall and spring picnics, conferences, and events to help create community and connect LGBTQIA parents.

Shawn was born and raised in a small town in southern Iowa in the late 1970s / 80’s, and knew at a very early age he was gay. Shawn came out to close family members in high school and struggled deeply with the anxiety of community reprisal, parental disappointment, and fear during the AIDS crisis. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1997 with degrees in Finance and Japanese, worked overseas, and relocated to New York City for work in 2000, where he met Chuck. Shawn fulfilled a lifelong dream of getting married in 2011 to Chuck, and shortly after embarked on the journey to parenthood. Chuck and Shawn recently moved to Leawood, Kansas to be closer to family while raising kids, and to ensure their children would be brought up with Midwest cultural values. The couple have two daughters, a 2 1/2-year-old and a newborn, who are half-sisters sharing common maternal DNA (same egg donor), created by gestational surrogacy (like Kanye and Kim Kardashian). Shawn is a senior program manager for a large custodial bank in New York City, and Chuck is EVP and Chief Strategy Officer of Inlet, LLC, a B2B internet company.

Shawn will talk about MFA and his own journey—from coming of age as a closeted gay teen to becoming a gay dad in his mid-40’s, and the successes and failures he’s had along the way as a son, husband, and father.

I have had the pleasure of hearing Shawn speak and I know many parents will appreciate hearing his story! Join us!

Tell Scholastic Why You Love Their

LGBTQ-Inclusive Kids’ Books

The anti-LGBTQ One Million Moms, part of the American Family Association (classified as a hate group by Southern Poverty Law Center), is telling people to complain to Scholastic for including LGBTQ topics in its children’s books.

Reach Scholastic; tell them you’re a PFLAGer and thank them for being inclusive. Here’s how to reach Scholastic:

Corporate Communications: (212) 343-6657
E-mail via form on website  http://investor.scholastic.com/contactus.cfm
Twitter: @scholastic

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Our first meeting of 2018 features Cassandra Peters, founder of JoCo Q-Space, the only LGBTQ+ youth center on the Kansas side of the KC Metro.

JoCo Q-Space’s purpose is to empower LGBTQ youth to become out and proud members of our community by offering a safe, drug-free, and hate-free space where LGBTQ+ youth can be themselves without judgment. Q-Space started in March of 2017 after one of her children came out as transgender and she realized there was a need in Johnson County for youth resources.

Cassandra is also a board member for Equality Kansas Greater KC Chapter and has been working with area City Councils and Human Relations Commissions regularly to add sexual orientation and gender identity to their non-discrimination ordinances.

Cassandra has hosted numerous community events in support of the LGBTQ+ community including screenings of Gender Revolution, an LGBT panel discussion, an ally rally at Olathe Northwest, and most recently, a full day transgender education workshop.

Share this meeting information with others who can benefit from this valuable information for our youth!  See you Sunday at 3-5 at Village Presbyterian Church!