Support

PFLAG founder Jeanne Manford: The Mother of a Movement

As we begin our celebration of PFLAG's 50th anniversary, let's start by honoring our founder, Jeanne Manford, who passed away on January 8, 2013. We encourage you to check out her story in the beautiful book, THE MOTHER OF A MOVEMENT, now available everywhere -- including on our own Read With Love bookshelves on Amazon and Bookshop.org. We also suggest donating a copy to your local school or library.

Then, ICYMI, check out this great read-aloud of the book featuring friends of PFLAG National like Dan Bucatinsky, Michael D. Cohen, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ilana Glazer, Meena Harris, Kumail Nanjiani, Amy Schneider, Daphne Rubin Vega, and more!

Together we'll #ReadWithLove and make sure everyone knows the PFLAG origin story of one mother's love for her gay son. 

Education

Three Steps to Helping Start Someone's Ally Journey

Get 2023 started off right by helping someone move forward on their ally journey. 

1. Learn: Visit straightforequality.org/allyspectrum to learn more about the ally spectrum and how allies and potential allies can take their next action. Share the guide to being a straight ally, the guide to being a trans ally, and more Straight for Equality resources with new allies.
2. Watch: Revisit PFLAG Academy Online sessions made specifically for allies, including So You Think You Can Ally? Advanced Ally Engagement Skills for PFLAG Chapters and What Would You Do? Tips and Tools for PFLAGers in Tough Situations to help create conversations about LGBTQ+ equality, manage moments of conflict, and more.
3. Share: Share PFLAG National and Straight for Equality content on social media. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and urge new allies in your life to do the same.

Advocacy

Join the HHS Briefing: Safeguarding the Rights of Conscience as Protected by Federal Statutes

Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), entitled Safeguarding the Rights of Conscience as Protected by Federal Statutes, which proposes to restore the longstanding process for the handling of conscience complaints and provide additional safeguards to protect against conscience and religious discrimination.

We invite you to register now to join our friends in the Office of the Secretary and the Office for Civil Rights for a virtual briefing to discuss the proposed rule, taking place this Thursday, January 5th at 3:00pm ET/Noon PT. When you register, be sure to list "PFLAG" as your organization!

Public comments on the NPRM are due 60 days after publication of the NPRM in the Federal Register. Please consider viewing the NPRM prior to the briefing*.  

*People using assistive technology may not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights at (800) 368-1019, TDD toll-free: (800) 537-7697, or by emailing [email protected].

Something to Talk About...Live!

Jeanne Manford - Mother of a Movement

50 years ago, PFLAG founder Jeanne Manford made history when she first wrote an open letter to the New York Post in support of equal rights for LGBTQ+ people, and then became the first parent to publicly march in solidarity and support of rights for her gay son. Those actions sparked a movement of millions, eventually leading to the founding of the organization now known as PFLAG.  

Join us this Thursday, January 5 at 4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT for a special repeat episode of Something to Talk About Live where we will be discussing "The Mother of a Movement: Jeanne Manford--Ally, Activist, and Co-Founder of PFLAG", a new book from Magination Press by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Sam Kalda, which was released last October. We welcomed Rob Sanders and historian Eric Marcus ("Making Gay History") to the conversation! 

You can watch on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

To learn more--and to check out our discussion questions in advance--visit pflagnation.al/STTALive-010523.