I came out as a PFLAG Mom!

So for years I've been contemplating putting the fact that I volunteer with PFLAG on my child care website. Yesterday, I did it. This is what I wrote:


I have served on the board and now as President of PFLAG Central Oregon for over three years. PFLAG is an acronym for Parents, Families, and Friends, of Lesbians and Gays. (www.pflag.org) God blessed me with a son who was born different and I do everything in my power to work for social justice and to end discrimination based on sexual orientation. PFLAG provides support, we educate, and we advocate on behalf of our gay and lesbian loved ones. I have so much passion for this work and know I will be involved for a very long time. My hope is that if any of my daycare children should be gay or lesbian, that laws will be in place to protect them. If you want any information on PFLAG, sexual orientation, or have any question regarding my work with this, please ask. I know this is a controversial issue and a hot topic in the news right now. Occasionally you will see my name in the newspaper or you might see me on TV. If any of this makes you feel uncomfortable, then this might not be the place for you or your children. I’m very proud of the work that I do and someday feel that society will look back on this civil rights debate and wonder what all the controversy was about. I’ve made many gay and lesbian friends and they are really no different than you or I except in who they love. I am open and honest about who I am and that is why I share this with you now.

I think all of my daycare parents that I have now, know. In fact, several of them I have spoken to about it. One even told me how proud she was of me. I'm probably not going to attract any right-wingers because of this but who wants them anyway? <grin>

 

OK Paul, aren't I the ONLY mom here? LOL

 

Well the reason I joined PFLAG was because my son told me about it and said he'd met another mom that he thought I would enjoy talking with. So I met the mom and she invited me to a meeting. My son had gone to one meeting before I went. I think that I have learned through EC just how very terrified everybody is to come out especially to parents. Yes Paul, parents come out too and grandparents. I remember my mom telling her sister just a few days after Adam came out. The sister told her that she knew for a long time that Adam was gay. (gaydar?) She has many gay friends, loves gay people, and has a brother-in-law who is gay. These things aren't shared unless we talk about it.

 

Yes, of course. I would definitely go to the PFLAG website and see if there is a chapter near you. If there is, you can mention it to your mom. If groups scare her, it might help to talk to another mom just like I did. You can call the infoline and ask for that and I'm sure somebody would be willing.

 

I see it as drawing to me the people I WANT to be around not the people that I don't.