May 8, 2023
Some organizations really do lead with love. When Jeanne Manford joined her gay son Morty at the 1972 Christopher Street Liberation Day March her handmade sign declared, Parents of Gays Unite in Support of our Children. That message moved many young people whose families were not there for them. Jeanne went on to become the mother of a movement, PFLAFG, that unites families, their LGBTQ loved ones and allies. The fierce love of these families and allies makes PFLAG a powerful force for protecting parents and children who are increasingly under attack in state legislatures and on Capitol Hill. As Diego Manuel Sanchez, Director of Advocacy, Policy, and Partnerships explains, PFLAG’s power is embedded in its grassroots infrastructure, more than 400 chapters and 250,000 members and supporters. And PFLAG creates opportunities for all of us to contribute to the change we want to see, including commenting on a new Title IX regulation that protects trans and other non-binary athletes. Diego is an extraordinary advocate and human being. Having turned to his own mother as a 5 year old to say that he was "born wrong" he demonstrates the power of claiming one's true identity.