A Summary About PFLAG as a
Support Group and More...

Below is a brief summary of the contents of this web site. If you prefer, you can skip all this and go directly to the site's extended content by clicking on the links in the navigation menu on the top left.

Welcome to the official home page of the chapter of PFLAG Denton County, Texas. Below is a brief summary of what you can find in this web site.

PFLAG Denton is part of the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Inc., a nonprofit organization whose primary purpose is to offer a support group structure for our members. When a loved one comes out to us, our reactions span a wide spectrum; most of us feel shocked, angry, depressed, anxious, confused, sad... We often experience a sense of loss, which we need to grieve. As a support group, PFLAG provides the support we need to overcome these initial reactions, which are normal, and to move towards a deeper understanding and acceptance of your loved one's homosexuality, bisexuality or transgenderism.

The information in web site addresses the concerns of those seeking out our organization: primarily mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, grandfathers and other family members and friends of GLBT (gay, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) persons—not to exclude other sexual minority groups. Our support group offers monthly meetings where parents, family, friends as well as their gay and lesbian loved ones can share their experiences and difficulties related to having (or being) a gay loved one.

Our chapter maintains a Hotline (or Help Line) so that parents, families and friends in need of support can reach us by telephone for information or someone that understands. We also maintain this web site, through with you can stay abreast of chapter activities and find relevant information about human sexuality and issues concerning families dealing with the knowledge that a loved one is GLBT.

Find out here what our position is on sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality) and gender identity (transgenderism). Find out how you can help our organization to promote support, education and advocacy opportunities to improve the lives of our members and their loved ones. You can also stay informed through our monthly newsletter, which covers diverse areas as health, school climate, activism, political issues affecting our GLBT children, and calendar of chapter events. Get in touch with us by E-mail through one of our web mail forms.

Although members choose to be public about their loved one's sexual orientation or gender identity at different levels, we fully respect those who would rather keep it a private matter. Confidentiality is the backbone of our organization.

Learn about our national organization's history, positions on relevant issues and top priorities.

Our "Support" section contains information that we found helpful when we first found out that our children, family member or friend was gay, lesbian, transgendered or bisexual. Learn how to best support yourself and your loved one in this process of coming to terms with having a gay person close to you.

"Questions and Answers" (the "Frequently Asked Questions" or FAQs portion) about sexual orientation (homosexuality and bisexuality) and gender identity (transgenderism) address the multitude of questions we all had so we could understand not only about our loved one but also what we were experiencing and our difficulties in dealing with the information about which, unfortunately, most of us either know little or are ill-informed.

In our "Education" section, learn how educating ourselves about sexuality and sexual orientation and gender identity was crucial for us to have a clear understanding of our loved one and ourselves. Knowledge enables us replace old stereotypes and myths about homosexual, bisexual and transgendered persons with sound knowledge. Find additional "Questions and Answers," frequently asked questions on the coming out process, gay identity formation, the so-called reparative or "conversion" therapies, concerns about HIV and AIDS, homosexuality as a "mental illness," and religious issues.

Some of us made personal decisions to participate in our communities more actively on behalf of our gay children. In the "Advocacy" section, find out how writing an effective letter can be a simple, yet compelling, way to make a difference and improve the living condition of our gay loved ones. Find information about homosexuality that counters the commonly held beliefs that our gay children (young and old) are deserving of fewer or no civil rights, differential legal treatment, even emotional and physical abuse starting as early as in their school years.

It is entirely up to you whether you choose to write your representative a letter, write an op-ed piece to your local newspaper, speak at a school board meeting about your concerns for your child, march on a gay pride parade alongside your son, daughter, family member or friend, or simply act within your own family to improve your relationship with your gay loved one and his or her well-being. You should never do anything you're not compelled to to willingly.

Members and those attending our monthly meetings can choose to receive our the PFLAG Denton Monthly Newsletter to stay informed about chapter activities and other relevant issues. Our newsletter issues are archived on this web site, and generally appear soon after they come out in print.

Your feedback is important to us. At any point, if you would like to contact a chapter member, the webmaster or newsletter editor, you can send us your feedback through one of our web mail forms. Your contribution to our web site and our chapter will make it possible for us to serve existing and future members more effectively.