President Obama shared the story of PFLAG as "the story of America" in a speech on October 10, 2009.
Showing posts with label PFLAG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PFLAG. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
PFLAG at Olympia Pride 2008
Watch the PFLAG interview at Capital City Pride Parade with some parade footage and pancake feed.
By David Raffin, Olympia writer, filmmaker, raconteur, and owner of of Blissful Rememberances.
Monday, September 1, 2008
GLBT youths bravely pave way for change
This article was written by Ruth Schneider who contacted a Stonewall Youth Representative who contacted me to do an interview. Ruth writes for The Olympian in the OUTspoken column. I hope you all enjoy the article as much as I did.
It's tough being a teenager. Period.
It's even tougher being a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender teenager.
"It's kind of hard to be out there and try to be someone there for people to talk to when there's a lot of homophobia around," said Kaleigh Costello, a junior at Olympia High School and a member of Olympia's Stonewall Youth.
That's why it is up to schools to do their best to protect all students from discrimination.
A school district in central Florida failed to do just that last year.
In fact, the school so alienated the GLBT-supportive members of the student population that the American Civil Liberties Union was called on to help file suit against the district.
It all began with a lesbian student at Ponce de Leon High School in Holmes County, Fla. The student was being harassed about her sexual orientation by other students. She took the issue to the principal, David Davis.
The mission statement for area school district states, "The Holmes County School District shall provide a safe, nurturing environment and a comprehensive curriculum that will allow students to achieve their highest potential and become responsible, productive citizens."
Principal Davis' response falls disturbingly short of this mission. Davis told the student homosexuality was wrong, outed her to her parents and ordered her to stay away from children.
This is not exactly the "nurturing environment" the school district says it offers.
GLBT-supportive students responded by wearing gay pride T-shirts to school, including rainbows and pink triangles.
Then things began to get ugly. Students reported being singled out for harassment from school officials for wearing clothing with gay pride symbols. Some students were suspended.
One of those students was Heather Gillman, a senior at Ponce de Leon High who identifies as straight but staunchly defends GLBT friends. She was suspended for five days last school year, but had the gumption to do something about it. She gathered her peers and took the issue to the ACLU.
"I was upset by what the kids at school were going through and I felt wronged that the school board said I couldn't wear a shirt supporting the GLBT students," Gillman said in an online interview.
And it was the right thing to do.
Federal Judge Richard Smoak reprimanded Davis for what he termed a "witch hunt" against gays and lesbians.
The school district "probably had an opportunity, as the courts have pointed out, in the learning environment of schools, where not just comfortable issues are to be learned or debated, that this would have been an opportunity for leadership, it would have been an opportunity for understanding and an opportunity for civil discourse and a learning opportunity about tolerance and diversity," Smoak wrote in his order that forced the school to recognize the First Amendment rights of students. "Unfortunately, those opportunities were missed."
As the school year begins again, students at Ponce de Leon High School will be allowed to wear T-shirts expressing gay pride without fear of reprimands. Gillman said she already has worn her rainbow belt to school.
But the homophobia GLBT students face from their peers will persist. And it can be found in South Sound high schools as much as it can be found in schools in small towns in Florida.
Costello wears rainbow bracelets to school and walks around campus with a Parents and Families of Lesbians and Gays bag.
Just that is enough to incite taunts from peers.
"People always give dirty looks and whisper and act rude. And people yell 'Fag!' at you," said Costello, who has been out since her freshman year at Olympia High.
The barrage of homophobic insults pushed Costello to conduct a mini-experiment on campus. When a teacher would walk by, she or a friend would yell a derogatory comment to see whether the teacher would respond.
Of the 15 teachers she tried her experiment on, only one asked her to refrain for homophobic remarks. Costello maintains that with teachers allowing hateful rhetoric, it makes homophobia permissible and pervasive on campus.
The homophobia she deals with daily pushed her to become active in the GLBT community. As a youth board member of PFLAG, she is able to advise others on what it is like to be a GLBT student.
"I give them insight into the schools. It's helpful to have someone in high school and tell them what kind of bullying and harassment goes on," Costello said.
It's teens like Costello and Gillman who make a difference for other GLBT youths trying to survive the vicious teenage years.
And that deserves thunderous applause.
Ruth Schneider was not out in high school, but wishes she had been. Contact her at rschneider@theolympian.com or 360-704-6873.
It's tough being a teenager. Period.
It's even tougher being a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender teenager.
"It's kind of hard to be out there and try to be someone there for people to talk to when there's a lot of homophobia around," said Kaleigh Costello, a junior at Olympia High School and a member of Olympia's Stonewall Youth.
That's why it is up to schools to do their best to protect all students from discrimination.
A school district in central Florida failed to do just that last year.
In fact, the school so alienated the GLBT-supportive members of the student population that the American Civil Liberties Union was called on to help file suit against the district.
It all began with a lesbian student at Ponce de Leon High School in Holmes County, Fla. The student was being harassed about her sexual orientation by other students. She took the issue to the principal, David Davis.
The mission statement for area school district states, "The Holmes County School District shall provide a safe, nurturing environment and a comprehensive curriculum that will allow students to achieve their highest potential and become responsible, productive citizens."
Principal Davis' response falls disturbingly short of this mission. Davis told the student homosexuality was wrong, outed her to her parents and ordered her to stay away from children.
This is not exactly the "nurturing environment" the school district says it offers.
GLBT-supportive students responded by wearing gay pride T-shirts to school, including rainbows and pink triangles.
Then things began to get ugly. Students reported being singled out for harassment from school officials for wearing clothing with gay pride symbols. Some students were suspended.
One of those students was Heather Gillman, a senior at Ponce de Leon High who identifies as straight but staunchly defends GLBT friends. She was suspended for five days last school year, but had the gumption to do something about it. She gathered her peers and took the issue to the ACLU.
"I was upset by what the kids at school were going through and I felt wronged that the school board said I couldn't wear a shirt supporting the GLBT students," Gillman said in an online interview.
And it was the right thing to do.
Federal Judge Richard Smoak reprimanded Davis for what he termed a "witch hunt" against gays and lesbians.
The school district "probably had an opportunity, as the courts have pointed out, in the learning environment of schools, where not just comfortable issues are to be learned or debated, that this would have been an opportunity for leadership, it would have been an opportunity for understanding and an opportunity for civil discourse and a learning opportunity about tolerance and diversity," Smoak wrote in his order that forced the school to recognize the First Amendment rights of students. "Unfortunately, those opportunities were missed."
As the school year begins again, students at Ponce de Leon High School will be allowed to wear T-shirts expressing gay pride without fear of reprimands. Gillman said she already has worn her rainbow belt to school.
But the homophobia GLBT students face from their peers will persist. And it can be found in South Sound high schools as much as it can be found in schools in small towns in Florida.
Costello wears rainbow bracelets to school and walks around campus with a Parents and Families of Lesbians and Gays bag.
Just that is enough to incite taunts from peers.
"People always give dirty looks and whisper and act rude. And people yell 'Fag!' at you," said Costello, who has been out since her freshman year at Olympia High.
The barrage of homophobic insults pushed Costello to conduct a mini-experiment on campus. When a teacher would walk by, she or a friend would yell a derogatory comment to see whether the teacher would respond.
Of the 15 teachers she tried her experiment on, only one asked her to refrain for homophobic remarks. Costello maintains that with teachers allowing hateful rhetoric, it makes homophobia permissible and pervasive on campus.
The homophobia she deals with daily pushed her to become active in the GLBT community. As a youth board member of PFLAG, she is able to advise others on what it is like to be a GLBT student.
"I give them insight into the schools. It's helpful to have someone in high school and tell them what kind of bullying and harassment goes on," Costello said.
It's teens like Costello and Gillman who make a difference for other GLBT youths trying to survive the vicious teenage years.
And that deserves thunderous applause.
Ruth Schneider was not out in high school, but wishes she had been. Contact her at rschneider@theolympian.com or 360-704-6873.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Article: Rainbow connection: PFLAG (Tacoma) offers support to parents of gay children
When gay children come out to parents, there is anxiety on both sides. PFLAG – Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays – is there to offer support.Several members of the Tacoma, WA PFLAG chapter are featured in this article with photos.
The focus of the article on the closest chapter North of us is on support for parents when someone comes out.
Rainbow connection: PFLAG offers support to parents of gay children
by Debbie Cafazzo - July 20th, 2008 - in the SoundLife section of the Tribune.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
PFLAG Protests Ex-Gay Love Won Out Conference
PFLAG speaks out against Love Won Out conference and other harmful ex-gay, reparative therapy programs in Orlando, Florida, on June 7, 2008.
Includes Ryan Skipper's stepdad and Sean Kennedy's mom.
Learn more about Ryan Skipper and Sean Kennedy on Wikipedia. Both were gay men murdered in hate crimes.
Includes Ryan Skipper's stepdad and Sean Kennedy's mom.
Learn more about Ryan Skipper and Sean Kennedy on Wikipedia. Both were gay men murdered in hate crimes.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
PFLAG Book List
This book list is for everyone who wants to read GLBTQ material. There's an assortment of coming out stories, non-fiction, fiction, research, etc, novels in this selection. Enjoy! :)
1. Every Woman I've Ever Loved: Lesbian Writers on Their Mothers by Catherine Reid and Holly Iglesias
2. His Hands, His Tools, His Sex, His Dress: Lesbian Writers on Their Fathers by Catherine Reid and Holly Iglesias
3. Gay Conservatives by Kenneth W. Cimino
4. Loving Ourselves by Kimeron Hardin
5. Side by Side by Andrew R. Gottlieb
6. Policy Issues Affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Families by Sean Robert Cahill, Sean Cahill, and Sarah Tobias
7. Bringing Lesbian and Gay Rights Into the Mainstream: Twenty Years of Progress by Steve Endean
8. Activism and LGBT Psychology by Glassgold & Drescher
9. Shy Girl by Elizabeth Stark
10. Faultline by Sheila Ortiz Taylor
11. Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage by Nancy D. Polikoff
12. Creating Safe Environments for LGBT Students by Michael J. Bayly
13. LGBT Studies and Queer Theory by Karen Lovaas
14. Kinflicks by Lisa Alther
15. Regeneration by Pat Barker
16. Bastard Out of Carolina by Allison Dorothy
17. Ready to Catch Him Should He Fall by Neil Bartlett
18. By Night in Chile by Robert Bolano
19. Surprising Myself by Christopher Bram
20. Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
21. Earthly Powera by Anthony Burgess
22. Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinburg
23. The Family of Max Desir by Robert Ferro
24. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
25. Curious Wine by Katherine Forrest
26. Boys on the Rock by John Fox
27. The Ladies by Doris Grumbach
28. Lost Language of Cranes by David Leavitt
29. The Last Resort by Alison Lurie
30. The Object of My Affection by Stephen McCauley
31. Halfway Home by Paul Monette
32. At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'Neil
33. Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig
34. The Persian Boy by Mary Renault
35. The Coming Storm by Paul Russell
36. Sacred Lips of the Bronx by Douglas Sadownick
37. Rat Bohemia by Sarah Schulman
38. Funny Boy by Shylam Selvadurai
39. Loving Her by Ann Allen Shockley
40. The Man Who Fell in Love With the Moon by tom Spanbauer
41. The Story of the Night by Colm Toibin
42. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
43. A Boy's Own Story by Edmund White
44. Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
45. The Cut Sleeve by Ameng of Wu
46. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
47. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
48. The Girl with the Golden Eyes by Honore Balzac
49. Beebo Brinker by Ann Bannon
50. Nightwood by Djuna Barnes
51. Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen
52. Two Serious Ladies by Jane Auer Bowles
53. The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles
54. In Transit by Brigid Brophy
55. The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler
56. O Bom-Crioulo by Adolfo Caminha
57. Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote
58. Wapshort Chronicle by John Cheever
59. Claudine by Colette
60. More Women Than Men by Compton-Burnett
61. Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert
62. Howards End by Gustave Flaubert
63. Maurice by E.M. Forster
64. Bertram Cope's Years by Blake Henry Fuller
65. The Well of Lineliness by Juan Goytisolo
66. The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley
67. The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
68. Berlin Stories by Christopher Ishwood
69. Death in Venice by Thomas Mann
70. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
71. Better Angel by Ralph Meeker
72. The Bell by Irish Murdoch
73. The Getting of Wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson
74. Ernesto by Umberto Saba
75. Three Lives by Gertrude Stein
76. The City and the Pillar by Gore Vidal
78. Alf by Bruno Vogel
79. The Scorpion by Anna Weirauch
80. Portrait of Mr. W.H. by Oscar Wilde
81. Torchlight in Valhalla by Gale Wilhelm
82. Out Law: What LGBT Youth Should Know About Their Legal Rights by Lisa Keen
83. Respectably Queer: Diversity Culture in LGBT Activist Organizations by Jane Ward
84. One More River to Cross: Black & Gay in America by Keith Boykin
85. Living in Sin?: A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality by John Shelby Spong
86. An underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin by Gad Beck, Frank Heibert and Allison Brown
87. Homosexuality and Male Bonding in Prenazi Germany: The Youth Movement, the Gay Movement, and Male Bonding Before Hitler's Rise: Original Transcript by Harry Oosterhuis
88. The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuality by Richard Plant
89. The Hidden Holocaust?: Gay and Lesbian Persecution in Germany 1933-1945 by Gunter Grau
90. The Gay Metropolis: The Landmark History of Gay Life in America by Charles Kaiser
91. Gay Men and Sexual history of the Political Left by Gert Hekma, Harry Oosterhuis and James Steakley
92. Straight Talk About Gays in the Workplace: Creating An inclusive, Productive Environment For Everyone In Your Organization by Liz Winfield
93. Gay by the Bay: A History of Queer Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area by Susan Stryker, Jim Van Buskirk, and Armistead Maupin
94. The Men with the Pink Triangle: The True Life-and-Death Story of Homosexuality in the Nazi Death Camps by Heinz Heger, Klaus ller, and David Fernbach
95. Still Acting Gay: Male Homosexuality in Modern Drama by John M. Clum
96. Making Trouble: Essays on Gay History, Politics, and the University by John D'Emilio
97. Gay and Lesbian Studies by Theo Sandfort, Judith Schuyf, Jan Willem Duyvendak. and Jeffrey Weeks
98. Is It A Choice? by Eric Marcus
99. Always My Child: A Parent's Guide To Understand Your Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered or Questioning Son or Daughter by Kevin Jennings and Pat Shapiro
1. Every Woman I've Ever Loved: Lesbian Writers on Their Mothers by Catherine Reid and Holly Iglesias
2. His Hands, His Tools, His Sex, His Dress: Lesbian Writers on Their Fathers by Catherine Reid and Holly Iglesias
3. Gay Conservatives by Kenneth W. Cimino
4. Loving Ourselves by Kimeron Hardin
5. Side by Side by Andrew R. Gottlieb
6. Policy Issues Affecting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Families by Sean Robert Cahill, Sean Cahill, and Sarah Tobias
7. Bringing Lesbian and Gay Rights Into the Mainstream: Twenty Years of Progress by Steve Endean
8. Activism and LGBT Psychology by Glassgold & Drescher
9. Shy Girl by Elizabeth Stark
10. Faultline by Sheila Ortiz Taylor
11. Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage by Nancy D. Polikoff
12. Creating Safe Environments for LGBT Students by Michael J. Bayly
13. LGBT Studies and Queer Theory by Karen Lovaas
14. Kinflicks by Lisa Alther
15. Regeneration by Pat Barker
16. Bastard Out of Carolina by Allison Dorothy
17. Ready to Catch Him Should He Fall by Neil Bartlett
18. By Night in Chile by Robert Bolano
19. Surprising Myself by Christopher Bram
20. Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
21. Earthly Powera by Anthony Burgess
22. Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinburg
23. The Family of Max Desir by Robert Ferro
24. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg
25. Curious Wine by Katherine Forrest
26. Boys on the Rock by John Fox
27. The Ladies by Doris Grumbach
28. Lost Language of Cranes by David Leavitt
29. The Last Resort by Alison Lurie
30. The Object of My Affection by Stephen McCauley
31. Halfway Home by Paul Monette
32. At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'Neil
33. Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig
34. The Persian Boy by Mary Renault
35. The Coming Storm by Paul Russell
36. Sacred Lips of the Bronx by Douglas Sadownick
37. Rat Bohemia by Sarah Schulman
38. Funny Boy by Shylam Selvadurai
39. Loving Her by Ann Allen Shockley
40. The Man Who Fell in Love With the Moon by tom Spanbauer
41. The Story of the Night by Colm Toibin
42. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
43. A Boy's Own Story by Edmund White
44. Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
45. The Cut Sleeve by Ameng of Wu
46. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
47. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
48. The Girl with the Golden Eyes by Honore Balzac
49. Beebo Brinker by Ann Bannon
50. Nightwood by Djuna Barnes
51. Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen
52. Two Serious Ladies by Jane Auer Bowles
53. The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles
54. In Transit by Brigid Brophy
55. The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler
56. O Bom-Crioulo by Adolfo Caminha
57. Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote
58. Wapshort Chronicle by John Cheever
59. Claudine by Colette
60. More Women Than Men by Compton-Burnett
61. Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert
62. Howards End by Gustave Flaubert
63. Maurice by E.M. Forster
64. Bertram Cope's Years by Blake Henry Fuller
65. The Well of Lineliness by Juan Goytisolo
66. The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley
67. The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
68. Berlin Stories by Christopher Ishwood
69. Death in Venice by Thomas Mann
70. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
71. Better Angel by Ralph Meeker
72. The Bell by Irish Murdoch
73. The Getting of Wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson
74. Ernesto by Umberto Saba
75. Three Lives by Gertrude Stein
76. The City and the Pillar by Gore Vidal
78. Alf by Bruno Vogel
79. The Scorpion by Anna Weirauch
80. Portrait of Mr. W.H. by Oscar Wilde
81. Torchlight in Valhalla by Gale Wilhelm
82. Out Law: What LGBT Youth Should Know About Their Legal Rights by Lisa Keen
83. Respectably Queer: Diversity Culture in LGBT Activist Organizations by Jane Ward
84. One More River to Cross: Black & Gay in America by Keith Boykin
85. Living in Sin?: A Bishop Rethinks Human Sexuality by John Shelby Spong
86. An underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin by Gad Beck, Frank Heibert and Allison Brown
87. Homosexuality and Male Bonding in Prenazi Germany: The Youth Movement, the Gay Movement, and Male Bonding Before Hitler's Rise: Original Transcript by Harry Oosterhuis
88. The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuality by Richard Plant
89. The Hidden Holocaust?: Gay and Lesbian Persecution in Germany 1933-1945 by Gunter Grau
90. The Gay Metropolis: The Landmark History of Gay Life in America by Charles Kaiser
91. Gay Men and Sexual history of the Political Left by Gert Hekma, Harry Oosterhuis and James Steakley
92. Straight Talk About Gays in the Workplace: Creating An inclusive, Productive Environment For Everyone In Your Organization by Liz Winfield
93. Gay by the Bay: A History of Queer Culture in the San Francisco Bay Area by Susan Stryker, Jim Van Buskirk, and Armistead Maupin
94. The Men with the Pink Triangle: The True Life-and-Death Story of Homosexuality in the Nazi Death Camps by Heinz Heger, Klaus ller, and David Fernbach
95. Still Acting Gay: Male Homosexuality in Modern Drama by John M. Clum
96. Making Trouble: Essays on Gay History, Politics, and the University by John D'Emilio
97. Gay and Lesbian Studies by Theo Sandfort, Judith Schuyf, Jan Willem Duyvendak. and Jeffrey Weeks
98. Is It A Choice? by Eric Marcus
99. Always My Child: A Parent's Guide To Understand Your Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered or Questioning Son or Daughter by Kevin Jennings and Pat Shapiro
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
