PFLAG Atlanta promotes the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, their families, and friends through support, education, and advocacy.
Our major support activities include two facilitated monthly support groups. We provide education to enlighten the public through a Speakers Bureau and participation in Atlanta Pride. In partnership with national and local organizations we advocate to secure equal rights the LGBTQ community.
PFLAG provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity
PFLAG Atlanta welcomes the participation and support of all who share in and hope to realize this vision.
Upcoming Support Groups and Events
Multiple DatesSun, Apr 21AtlantaApr 21, 2024, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PMAtlanta, 2650 N Druid Hills Rd, Atlanta, GA 30329Apr 21, 2024, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PMAtlanta, 2650 N Druid Hills Rd, Atlanta, GA 30329Every support group meeting is lead by a trained PFLAG facilitator who will make sure all participants find compassion, understanding, and acceptance - or just a place to take that first step. No need to speak if you don't want to, and sharing your name is completely optional. Again, all are welcome
ABOUT US
PFLAG Atlanta is the Atlanta chapter of PFLAG National. We are part of a national support, education, and advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, their families, friends, and allies. With 200,000 members and supporters, and local affiliates in more than 500 communities across the U.S. and abroad, PFLAG is the largest grassroots-based family organization of its kind. PFLAG is a non-profit organization and is not affiliated with any religious or political institutions.
We are here to share the journey of acceptance with you. We are committed to giving support to each other as we discover and understand more about being human. We seek to change attitudes, and to create an environment of understanding so our LGBT family members and friends can live with dignity and respect.
PFLAG History
The idea for PFLAG began in 1972 when Jeanne Manford marched with her gay son in New York’s Pride Day parade. After many gay and lesbian people asked her to talk to their parents, she decided to begin a support group. The first formal meeting took place in March 1973 at a local church.
In the next years, through word of mouth and community need, similar groups sprang up around the country, offering safe haven and mutual support for parents with gay and lesbian children. Following the 1979 National March for Gay and Lesbian Rights, representatives from these groups met for the first time in Washington, DC.
By 1980, PFLAG began to distribute information to educational institutions and communities of faith nationwide, establishing itself as a source of information for the general public. When Dear Abby mentioned PFLAG in one of her advice columns, we received more than 7,000 letters requesting information. In 1981, members decided to launch a national organization. The first PFLAG office was established in Los Angeles under founding president Adele Starr.
In 1982, the Federation of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Inc. was incorporated in California and granted non-profit, tax-exempt status. By the late 1980’s, PFLAG began to have notable success in organizing chapters in rural communities.
In 1990 PFLAG employed an Executive Director, expanded its staff, and moved to Washington, DC. Also in 1990, PFLAG President Paulette Goodman sent a letter to Barbara Bush asking for Mrs. Bush’s support. The first lady’s personal reply stated, “I firmly believe that we cannot tolerate discrimination against any individuals or groups in our country. Such treatment always brings with it pain and perpetuates intolerance.” Inadvertently given to the Associated Press, her comments caused a political maelstrom and were perhaps the first gay-positive comments to come from the White House.
Also in the 1990s, PFLAG chapters in Massachusetts helped pass the first Safe Schools legislation in the country. In 1993, PFLAG added the word Families to the name, and added bisexual people to its mission and work. By the mid-1990s a PFLAG family was responsible for the Department of Education’s ruling that Title 9 also protected gay and lesbian students from harassment based on sexual orientation. PFLAG put the Religious Right on the defensive, when Pat Robertson threatened to sue any station that carried the Project Open Mind advertisements. The resulting media coverage drew national attention to our message linking hate speech with hate crimes and LGBT teen suicide. In 1998, PFLAG added transgender people to its mission.
At the turn of the century, PFLAG began to develop nationally coordinated programs to better focus the grassroots network. Programs like Safe Schools for All, the Scholarship Program, the Diversity Network, Bringing the Message Home, and Welcoming Faith Communities are already showing results.