PFLAG

A Great Story About a PFLAG Mom

On a snowy night a few winters ago, Anita Gorrell’s youngest child dropped a letter in front of her and zipped out of the room.

The family had just moved to Indianapolis, and her youngest — a socially anxious teenager who had to be home-schooled — was doing better than ever, after a surprising request weeks earlier.

“You want to go to a social group?” Gorrell asked, stunned. This was a child who had cried hysterically enough to provoke a fever when they had tried public schools.

“Yeah. Will you take me?”

After a couple of weeks, Gorrell was floored when she noticed her teen was making friends.

Wow, she thought.

Suspicious and nosy, she dug around on the place, Indiana Youth Group — and became incensed when she learned it was a group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth.

 

There’s much more to the story! Continue reading here…

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Our Trans Loved Ones: Q&A Resource from PFLAG

The conversation about people who are transgender was just taken to a whole new level of engagement and interest with the unveiling of Caitlyn Jenner on Vanity Fair. There are more questions being asked, more people interested in educating themselves, and as always, PFLAG is a valued resource for answers!

Today, we’re proud to announce the formal release of our newest publication, Our Trans Loved Ones: Questions and Answers for Parents, Families, and Friends of People Who Are Transgender And Gender Expansive.

Based on its well-loved and popular predecessor, Welcoming Our Trans Family and Friends, Our Trans Loved Ones is a brand-new, updated resource. Written by PFLAG staff members, and created with the help of dozens of content experts, reviewers, and family members and friends with experience to share, it is chock full of information, first-person stories, expert input, and more, all geared to those who have a close family member or friend — of any age— who has come out as trans or gender expansive.

The new publication and comprehensive web resources (available at pflag.org/trans) address frequently asked questions and are also divided into sections specific to three age ranges; Childhood, Adolescence, and Adulthood. This gives readers easy and immediate access to information they need based on their own circumstances, along with a full section of Frequently Asked Questions for people of all ages.

Just as Our Trans Loved Ones is geared to families and friends, we also have answers for allies! Our other invaluable publication from our Straight for Equality® project, guide to being a trans ally, applies the philosophy of the project — to invite, educate, and engage allies — to a topic that has been key to PFLAG’s work for years: inclusion for people who are transgender.

So visit pflag.org/trans for an interactive, electronic copy of Our Trans Loved Ones or straightforequality.org/trans for your electronic copy of guide to being a straight ally. (And don’t forget the comprehensive resources on both pages!)

 

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10 Simple Things You Can Do To Make a Difference

  1. Become a member of PFLAG and join with thousands of people from all walks of life, working to end discrimination against lesbians, gays, and bisexuals.
  2. Teach your children that being gay, lesbian, or bisexual is simply another means of expressing love.
  3. If one of your family is gay, lesbian, or bisexual be sure to let them know you love them just the way they are.
  4. Don’t tell anti-gay jokes. You just perpetuate the stereotypes about gays and lesbians.
  5. Read PFLAG literature and find out more about what it is really like to be a lesbian, gay, or bisexual in our society.
  6. Be open with others about having lesbian, gay, or bisexual friends or family. Secrecy breeds shame.
  7. If you over hear someone making an anti-gay comment, let them know you don’t agree or approve.
  8. Write Congress to protest any anti-gay legislation as you become aware of it.
  9. Encourage open and honest discussion of gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues in your home, workplace and church.
  10. Stand with those who believe that discrimination against anyone is a crime against humanity – TAKE A STAND WITH PFLAG.
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