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{{CZ:POL 214: US Political Parties and Interest Groups/EZnotice}}
<!--{{CZ:POL 214: US Political Parties and Interest Groups/EZnotice}}-->
{{subpages}}
{{subpages}}
{{Infobox Legal Person
{{Infobox Legal Person
| name            = Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
| name            = Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
| parent          =  
| parent          =  
| logo            = Microsoft_wordmark.png
| logo            =  
| website          = http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=194
| website          = http://pflag.org
| legal_status    =  
| legal_status    =  
| ownership_type  = Public
| ownership_type  = Public
| stock_symbol    = NASDAQ:MSFT
| stock_symbol    =  
| foundation_date  = 1975
| foundation_date  = 1972
| founded_by      = [[Bill Gates]]
| founded_by      =  
| location_street  =  
| location_street  =  
| location_city    = Redmond
| location_city    = Washington D.C.
| location_state  = Washington
| location_state  =  
| location_country = United States
| location_country = United States
| industry        = Computers
| industry        =  
| product          = Computer and Consumer Products
| product          =  
}}
}}
{{TOC|left}}


'''Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)''' was founded in 1972. It is an interest group comprised of friends and family members that act in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered people.


A brief overview of your [[interest group]] (be sure to put its name in '''bold''' in the first sentence) and the scope of the article goes here.<ref>See the "Writing an Encyclopedia Article" handout for more details.</ref>
==History==


The following list of sections should serve as a loose guideline for developing the body of your article. The works cited in references 2-5 are all fake; their purpose is to serve as a formatting model for your own citations.


==History==
===Founding===


This section should describe the interest group's founding and development. It would probably be a good idea to divide it into chronological subsections, for example:
Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) originated shortly after the [[1972 Gay Pride Parade]] in [[New York (disambiguation)|New York]], when [[Jeanne Manford]] decided to march alongside her gay son, Morty, carrying a sign that read “Parents of Gays, Support Our Children.” This act caught the attention of several other [[gay]] and [[lesbian]] marchers, who approached her to request that she speak to their own parents. From this experience, Manford decided to create a support group for other parents with gay or lesbian children. As Manford’s group gained exposure, similar support groups were established across the country. In 1979, representatives from these groups met in [[Washington D.C.]] “Parents For Lesbians and Gays” (P-FLAG) was formed.


===Founding===
===Growth and National Exposure===


This subsection should provide some historical context for the founding of your group, explain the motivations behind it, and describe the steps taken and challenges faced by its founders to get the ball rolling.<ref>John Q. Sample, ''Why and How Interest Group X Was Founded''. City: Publisher, 2015.</ref>
In 1980, P-FLAG made its mark by distributing information to various sources across the nation. This expanded their influence to the point where they were mentioned in a "[[Dear Abby]]" advice column. Because of the sudden recognition, P-FLAG members decided to launch a national organization in 1981. The first office was established in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] under founding President Adele Starr. In 1982, the group was granted non-profit, tax-exempt status. In 1987, PFLAG relocated to [[Denver, Colorado|Denver]]. In 1993, PFLAG, now operating from [[Washington DC]], added “Families” to its name and expanded its mission statement to include bisexuals. In 1998, [[trans-gendered people]] were added as well.


==Current objectives and activities==
==Current objectives and activities==


This section should discuss the group's current initiatives and tactics for influencing political outcomes (which may or may not be very different from its original goals and modus operandi).<ref>"The Things We Do and How We Do Them," Interest Group X. 2006. Retrieved July 21, 2009 from [http://www.interestgroupx.org/things_we_do.html http://www.interestgroupx.org/things_we_do.html]</ref>
===Objectives and Beliefs===
 
PFLAG has taken stances on several issues that are important to the LGBT community, such as:
*[[Marriage]] Equality: PFLAG believes that the government should be prohibited from passing laws related to marriage.
*[[Adoption]]: PFLAG feels that LGBT people should not be denied the right to become parents, and should legally be allowed to adopt in any state.
*[[The Military Readiness Enhancement Act]] (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell): PFLAG believes that this law is unfairly responsible for the discharges of qualified LGBT members of the armed forces, and should be abolished.
*[[Workplace Fairness]]: PFLAG is in favor of an extension of anti-discrimination policies, claiming that members of the LGBT community in the workplace are unfairly denied domestic partnership benefits
*[[Reparative Therapy]]: PFLAG is strongly against the notion that individuals are allowed to “choose” their sexual or gender orientation, and thus feel that it is wrong for anyone to attempt to “repair” or “change” someone else’s.  
*[[Hate Crimes]]: PFLAG is in favor of expanding hate-crime legislation to include sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability.  
*[[Safe Schools]]: PFLAG wants school districts to extend anti-bullying policies to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
 
===Programs===
 
PFLAG has also started several programs to help their cause. “Stay Close” was started in 2006 in an effort to encourage friends and families of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered people to pledge their support. Other nationally coordinated programs include “From Our House to the School House,” “The Diversity Network,” “Bringing the Message Home,” and “Welcoming Faith Communities.
 
==Organizational Structure==
 
===Organization===
 
PLFAG is organized into chapters that extend to over 500 communities. These communities are then divided into 14 regions across the [[United States of America]]. Every region in PFLAG then elects its own "Regional Director" to represent it. PFLAG is run by a 21 member "Board of Directors."
 


==Organizational structure==
=== Affiliates ===


This section should describe the group's organizational structure, including its principal leadership positions and their current incumbents.<ref>First Author and Second Author, "The Organizational Structure of Interest Group X," ''Fake Journal of Nonexistent Scholarship'' 36:2 (2015) pp. 36-52.</ref>
Affiliation with PFLAG largely depends on the size of the group. a Representative is a person of a family member working with PFLAG. Two more more individuals working with PFLAG constitutes a Chapter, and State Councils are a statewide organization of PFLAG chapters, representatives, and at-large members.


==Achievements==
==Achievements==


This section should recount the group's major achievements, including but not limited to legislative and/or legal victories.<ref>"Major Success for Interest Group X," ''Anytown Daily News'', January 1, 2015, p. A6.</ref>
Throughout the 1980s, PFLAG was actively involved in opposing [[Anita Bryant]]’s anti-gay, “Save Our Children” crusade, in which Bryant argued that homosexual parents would influence the sexuality of the children they adopted. They also fought the U.S. Military’s agenda to discharge lesbians. In the early 1990s, a chapter in [[Massachusetts (U.S. state)|Massachusetts]] worked to pass the first “Safe Schools” legistlation in the country. One PFLAG family is credited for having  influenced a ruling by the Department of Education that Title 9 protected gay and lesbian students from harassment based on sexual orientation.


==Public perception and controversies==
==Public perception and controversies==


In developing this final section, be especially careful about maintaining a [[CZ:Neutrality Policy|neutral]] stance and tone. Your aim should be to document the public's perception of your group and/or any controversies in which it is or has been embroiled ''without weighing in with your own opinion'' about them.
The mid 1990’s “Project Open Mind” created controversy with advertisements that included anti-LGBT quotes from several people. [[Pat Robertson]], an outspoken televangelist, threatened legal action against television stations that aired these ads, as he had been quoted for one of them. The case garnered national media attention.


==References==
==References ==
<references/>
<references/>

Latest revision as of 12:30, 17 September 2023

This article is a stub and thus not approved.
Main Article
Discussion
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This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.
Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Website http://pflag.org
Ownership type Public
Founded 1972
Headquarters Washington D.C. , United States

Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) was founded in 1972. It is an interest group comprised of friends and family members that act in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered people.

History

Founding

Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) originated shortly after the 1972 Gay Pride Parade in New York, when Jeanne Manford decided to march alongside her gay son, Morty, carrying a sign that read “Parents of Gays, Support Our Children.” This act caught the attention of several other gay and lesbian marchers, who approached her to request that she speak to their own parents. From this experience, Manford decided to create a support group for other parents with gay or lesbian children. As Manford’s group gained exposure, similar support groups were established across the country. In 1979, representatives from these groups met in Washington D.C. “Parents For Lesbians and Gays” (P-FLAG) was formed.

Growth and National Exposure

In 1980, P-FLAG made its mark by distributing information to various sources across the nation. This expanded their influence to the point where they were mentioned in a "Dear Abby" advice column. Because of the sudden recognition, P-FLAG members decided to launch a national organization in 1981. The first office was established in Los Angeles under founding President Adele Starr. In 1982, the group was granted non-profit, tax-exempt status. In 1987, PFLAG relocated to Denver. In 1993, PFLAG, now operating from Washington DC, added “Families” to its name and expanded its mission statement to include bisexuals. In 1998, trans-gendered people were added as well.

Current objectives and activities

Objectives and Beliefs

PFLAG has taken stances on several issues that are important to the LGBT community, such as:

  • Marriage Equality: PFLAG believes that the government should be prohibited from passing laws related to marriage.
  • Adoption: PFLAG feels that LGBT people should not be denied the right to become parents, and should legally be allowed to adopt in any state.
  • The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell): PFLAG believes that this law is unfairly responsible for the discharges of qualified LGBT members of the armed forces, and should be abolished.
  • Workplace Fairness: PFLAG is in favor of an extension of anti-discrimination policies, claiming that members of the LGBT community in the workplace are unfairly denied domestic partnership benefits
  • Reparative Therapy: PFLAG is strongly against the notion that individuals are allowed to “choose” their sexual or gender orientation, and thus feel that it is wrong for anyone to attempt to “repair” or “change” someone else’s.
  • Hate Crimes: PFLAG is in favor of expanding hate-crime legislation to include sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability.
  • Safe Schools: PFLAG wants school districts to extend anti-bullying policies to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Programs

PFLAG has also started several programs to help their cause. “Stay Close” was started in 2006 in an effort to encourage friends and families of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered people to pledge their support. Other nationally coordinated programs include “From Our House to the School House,” “The Diversity Network,” “Bringing the Message Home,” and “Welcoming Faith Communities.”

Organizational Structure

Organization

PLFAG is organized into chapters that extend to over 500 communities. These communities are then divided into 14 regions across the United States of America. Every region in PFLAG then elects its own "Regional Director" to represent it. PFLAG is run by a 21 member "Board of Directors."


Affiliates

Affiliation with PFLAG largely depends on the size of the group. a Representative is a person of a family member working with PFLAG. Two more more individuals working with PFLAG constitutes a Chapter, and State Councils are a statewide organization of PFLAG chapters, representatives, and at-large members.

Achievements

Throughout the 1980s, PFLAG was actively involved in opposing Anita Bryant’s anti-gay, “Save Our Children” crusade, in which Bryant argued that homosexual parents would influence the sexuality of the children they adopted. They also fought the U.S. Military’s agenda to discharge lesbians. In the early 1990s, a chapter in Massachusetts worked to pass the first “Safe Schools” legistlation in the country. One PFLAG family is credited for having influenced a ruling by the Department of Education that Title 9 protected gay and lesbian students from harassment based on sexual orientation.

Public perception and controversies

The mid 1990’s “Project Open Mind” created controversy with advertisements that included anti-LGBT quotes from several people. Pat Robertson, an outspoken televangelist, threatened legal action against television stations that aired these ads, as he had been quoted for one of them. The case garnered national media attention.

References