Support

Authentic Voices of Pride: Parenting LGBTQ+ Children

Gen Z is the most out LGBTQ+ generation and growing up at a time of unprecedented visibility and challenges. And, as every PFLAGer knows, many of their parents are along for the ride, supporting their kids to be who they are while trying to keep them safe in an unpredictable climate. 

We are proud to partner with LGBTQ Nation and Chevrolet on Authentic Voices of Pride, to shine a light on vital LGBTQ+ issues through intimate conversations, in-depth profiles, and first-hand stories from within the community.

This month, the series is focused on parenting LGBTQ+ children, and includes a video which features actress Busy Philipps and her nonbinary child Birdie, as well as our Director of Learning and Inclusion, Jean-Marie Navetta.

Visit pflagnation.al/VoicesOfPride to watch the video and read the stories of Authentic Voices of Pride!

Education

Three Steps to Being a Better Communicator

Sometimes good communication can make all the difference in helping someone understand the issues that matter most. Here are a few steps to being a better communicator:

1. Learn: Check out pflag.org/our-story to help you learn more about PFLAG’s nearly 50-year history so that you can talk with others about our story, mission, and values.
2. Watch: Register for April 26th’s brand new PFLAG Academy Online, Be Kind, Not Just Nice: Transforming Your Conversations to learn skills to communicate with kindness even in tough situations. Before attending, be sure to revisit Be Kind, Rewind to learn some baselines skills for your kind communication. Consider re-watching this PFLAG Academy Online about storytelling to learn to use the power of personal stories to change the world
3. Share: Stay connected with PFLAG National on social media, and be sure to share content across your platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

Advocacy

Tell your U.S. Representative: Sign on and support Hate Crimes Prevention Funding

Hate crimes are increasing, not decreasing, but you can help Congress take action to help reverse the trend by increasing hate crime prevention funding in the FY2023 budget. In 2021, the FBI reported that hate crimes reached a 12-year high in 2020. PFLAGers fought hard to get the latest hate crimes prevention law passed, the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act as part of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which provides federal grants for states and local governments to improve the quality of hate crimes data collected by the federal government.

Call your U.S. Representative and urge them to sign the support letter from Rep. Don Beyer (VA-8) by reaching [email protected] in Mr. Beyer's office; ask them to vote in support of the FY23 Appropriations request for Hate Crimes Prevention funding.

Something to Talk About...Live!

The Financial Cost of So-Called “Conversion Therapy”

According to a recent study, the economic burden of conversion therapy exceeds nine billion dollars annually in the United States. And yet, more than 500,000 LGBTQ+ youth were at risk of receiving this kind of discredited therapy in 2021. 

Join us this Thursday, April 28th at 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT for Something To Talk About Live, where we will be discussing  Jen Christensen’s article on CNN Health, “Conversion therapy is harmful to LGBTQ people and costs society as a whole, study says“ with Casey Pick, Senior Fellow for Advocacy and Government Affairs at The Trevor Project and Garrard Conley, conversion therapy survivor, and author of Boy Erased.

You can watch live on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

For more information--and to check out our discussion questions in advance--visit pflagnation.al/STTALive-042822.