by Paula Love

Created on: August 28, 2008   Last Updated: January 19, 2009

It all started with Jeanne Manford and her 22 year old son Morty in 1972. Having witnessed the infamous Stonewall Inn Riots in 1969, Morty had become one of the leading activists in the movement for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) equality. In April of 1972 police stood by and did nothing while Morty was beaten during a Gay Activists Alliance demonstration in New York City. Jeanne and her husband Jules helplessly watched the attacks on television.

Outraged, Jeanne called the New York Times but they hung up on her. Next she wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Post, which was published in the April 29, 1972 issue. "My son is a homosexual, and I love him," she wrote. It was a phenomenal and groundbreaking move in a time when the country still hid homosexuality, and the response was overwhelming.

Two months later Morty invited his mother to march with him in the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade. Jeanne accepted the invitation and carried a large sign proclaiming "Parents of Gays: Unite in Support of Our Children." As she marched down the street next to her son, the crowds cheered. But Jeanne believed the cheering was for Dr. Benjamin Spock, famous parenting expert, who was marching behind her. It wasn't until people approached her that she realized they were cheering for her. Many people there that day begged her to speak to their own parents, and the idea for a support group was born right there on the streets of New York City.

The first formal meeting of POG (Parents of Gays) took place in March of the following year at the Metropolitan Duane Methodist Church in New York City. It was attended by about 20 people. Over the next several years Jeanne and Jules gave numerous media interviews, and through word of mouth groups started popping up all over the country. "Dear Abby" mentioned the organization in her advice column when a parent of a homosexual wrote in asking for help.

In the early 1980s, the group, which had became known as PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), decided to launch a national organization, and they were granted their non profit status in 1982. The first national headquarters was located in Los Angeles and presided over by Adele Starr. In 1987 the national office relocated to Denver under the direction of Ellinor Lewallen. By 1990 the organization had gone through tremendous growth and centralized their office in Washington D.C.

Today the organization, now known as Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, has over 250,000 members and more than 500 chapters across the country, making them the largest grassroots based organization in the fight for LGBT rights. PFLAG has taken on the White House and the Religious Right, and they are credited with helping pass the first Safe Schools legislation in the United States. PFLAG is dedicated to support, education, and advocacy in the struggle for equal rights for LGBT people and their families.

To learn more about PFLAG or to find a chapter in your area, visit the national website at www.pflag.org

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