Pflag History

I have added this pflag history page because it shows the true meaning of love and courage from a mother for her son.

  
In 1972, Morton Manford was physically attacked at a gay rights protest demonstration in New York. His parents, Jeanne and Jules Manford, saw the attack on a local newscast and witnessed the police's failure to intervene. Their outrage turned them into activists.

The idea for PFLAG began in 1972 when Jeanne Manford marched with her gay son in New York Pride Day March. After many gay and lesbian people ran up to Jeanne during the parade and begged 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. Approximately 20 people attended.

In the next years, through word of mouth and response to community need, similar groups sprang up around the USA, offering :safe havens" and mutual support for parents with gay and lesbian children. Following the 1979 National March for Gay and Lesbian Rights, representation from these groups met for the first time in Washington, D.C. In 1981, members decided to launch a national organisation. The first PFLAG office was established in Los Angeles.

Now there are 460 chapters worldwide with more than 80,000 members and supporters.