Parents, Families, and Friends of
Support Education Advocacy
Learn about PFLAG
as a national and international organization
How PFLAG Works
In a Nutshell
PFLAG consists of a group of parents, families and friends of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people (LGBT). Local chapters throughout the country exist primarily to provide support among members as we each learn more about our LGBT loved ones, work towards acceptance, and dispel misconceptions about sexuality, sexual orientation and gender identity. In addition to providing support and education, our mission includes advocating against discrimination and for equal rights for our gay children.Note
From initial reactions to acceptance. People react differently when a loved one comes out to them. Many of us experienced shock, confusion, helplessness, anger, embarrassment, sadness and fear, among many other feelings. At times overwhelming, this was just our initial reaction, which gradually subsided as we sought to help ourselves.
If you are experiencing these reactions described above, give yourself time, keep an open mind, and take action to find your inner peace again. How long we stayed at the initial stage of shock depended on the choices we made to move towards a clearer understanding of our perceptions, of our beliefs and of our loved ones. We found that the caring and understanding support from others who share our experience was comforting and healing.
Remember: You don't have to go through it alone!
At the Heart of PFLAG
We are not professional counselors, but we share a common asset: our love for our gay children. There's much healing in being able to share our feelings with others that understand, especially if they have gone through the same experiences as we have.
We have also found that our initial fears were out of sheer ignorance of what sexual orientation and sexual identity were all about. The more we learned, the more we realized that our fears were unfounded.
As old prejudices and misconceptions were replaced by knowledge and personal experience, we could better understand and support our gay children. Some of us found comfort in taking a proactive stance and advocating equal rights for our children.
And Now What?...
Whatever stage you're at right now,
The common tie that binds us is our love for our children.
If you're from Denton, Texas, you've already found the source of support you needed. Otherwise, click on "Find Chapters" on the navigation bar to the left to locate a PFLAG chapter near you.
We wish you and your loved ones much happiness along this new road! And we hope
that you will find the same acceptance and peace that we all eventually found.
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