About Our Chapter . . . Hi, and welcome to PFLAG Phoenix!  We hope you'll explore our website to learn more about us, the great work that we do, and how you can get involved (if so desired).  On this page, we present basic information about our chapter, including:   Who We Are What We Do What We Can Do For You How You Can Help Us How to Contact Us More About Our Chapter: Volunteering Membership & Donations Join Our Email List Our Board of Directors Chapter/Member Recognition Our Wish List Our Chapter Logo Our Non-Discrimination Policy   And, If You Happened To Miss Our "Welcome" Page:   Welcome! What is PFLAG? PFLAG's Mission & Vision PFLAG:  How It All Began

• We are the Phoenix/Valley of the Sun chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), a non-sectarian, non-profit, 501c3 tax-exempt grassroots organization.  Our chapter was established on November 18, 1978.  (That's our beloved Boots Reed pictured on the cover of AHRF News, showing off her dazzling Pride hat.  Boots and her also-beloved husband, Ray, were two of the original Phoenix chapter members and are former chapter presidents.)

• We are an all-volunteer organization made up of mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and supporters of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and "questioning" (GLBTQ) individuals.  GLBTQ men and women also participate and are welcome in our organization.  [Note:  We use the acronyms "GLBT" and "GLBTQ" synonymously with the catch-all term "gay" for brevity throughout our website, unless otherwise indicated.]

• Our members come from all walks of life and all areas of the Valley, and together we represent most religious backgrounds, political affiliations, age groups…you name it, we’ve probably got someone who fits the bill!  Our most common trait is that we are all committed to supporting our GLBT loved ones while helping others just beginning their journey to do the same, and to educating the public and our political representatives about issues which impact the lives of our loved ones.

• The goal of our chapter is the same as that of the national PFLAG organization we are affiliated with – "Keeping Families Together."  The national organization currently has in excess of 70,000 members.  PFLAG chapters are located in over 400 communities in the United States and also in other countries.  To find out more about the national organization, check out the PFLAG National website.  To locate another PFLAG chapter in Arizona, in another state or in another country, check their directory of PFLAG chapters.

PFLAG Phoenix members march proudly down Central Avenue in Phoenix as part of the Phoenix Pride 2000 parade

  Chapter Officers for 2011:

• President:  Sheila Lopez-Aguirre

• Vice President: Mike Crum

• Secretary:  Al Ellis

• Treasurer:  Kristi Reynolds

Well, for starters, here’s the "official" mission statement that we operate under:

Each of those three mission directives, and how we work to achieve them, is explained in greater detail on their respective web pages.  As you will see on our Support page, our primary activity is providing support to family members and friends of GBLTQ individuals, and to GLBTQ individuals, through our monthly support meetings.  However, we also participate in many other activities throughout the year.  The following is an abbreviated list of some of the things we’ve done over the past couple of years, just to give you an idea of the other activities our chapter is involved with:

• Talked to school administrators and counselors, parents groups, faculty groups, high school classes and local clergy and church groups throughout the Valley as part of PFLAG Phoenix’s "Safe Space" program for GLBTQ students
• Attended the national PFLAG conference held in Orlando, Florida
• Spoken as concerned citizens at the Arizona Legislature when bills affecting the GLBT community are debated
• Worked concession booths at the annual Arizona Gay Rodeo Association's (AGRA's) RoadRunner Regional Rodeo held in Phoenix 
• Honored our very dear friends, Boots and Ray Reed, for their many years of support and contributions to the Phoenix PFLAG chapter
• Talked to local civic groups and college groups about our personal stories and issues faced by our loved ones
• Marched as a group in the Phoenix Gay Pride Parade and hosted an information booth at the Phoenix Gay Pride Festival
• Hosted the honorable (and openly-gay) mayor of Tempe, Mayor Neil Guiliano, as he spoke of his personal, private and very public coming out experience over the past several years.
• Attended the regional four-corners PFLAG conference held in Albuqurque, New Mexico
• Attended the annual Human Rights Fund (AHRF) Awards Banquet to accept the AHRF Corporate/Organization Award
• Along with the Phoenix Metropolitan Men’s Chorus , co-sponsored a musical adaptation of the well-known book "Prayers For Bobby" to enlighten and educate the local community, gay and straight, on the struggles faced by gay youth
• Together with members of other Phoenix GLBT organizations, volunteered as "extra's" in a Lifetime Television movie entitled "The Truth About Jane", starring Stockard Channing, Ellen Muth, James Naughton and that fabulous fella (well, in this movie at least) RuPaul!  Click here for details!
• Attended the national PFLAG conference held in Washington, D.C., and participated in the Millennium March on Washington (a national GLBT civil rights march)
• Organized three local protests against "Dr." Laura Schlessinger, her new TV talk show and local KTVK Channel 3, the local station who aired her show in Phoenix.
• Organized a local protest against the Boy Scouts of America in support of Scouting for All's "national day of protest" against their continuing policy to exclude gay boys and gay adult leaders from their membership.
• Organized a local protest against reggae 'artist' Capleton whose anti-gay lyrics encourage others to stab, lynch, drown and burn gay people.
• Attended the 2004 PFLAG National Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. [Story & photos]
• Attended the 2007 PFLAG National Conference in Reston, Virginia.
• Marched proudly with Marriage Equality USA - Arizona in the 2009 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Parade in Mesa, Arizona -- a first by any GLBT groups!
• And much, MUCH more . . . !

Kudos to Sheila and Richard for Making History by Bringing PFLAG to the Navajo Nation Fair (Sept. 8th-12th, 2010)!

We can do many things to assist you, depending on your specific situation and needs.  Below is just a partial list:

• We can begin to comfort and support you now through the information provided on our Support page.
• Utilizing our best "asset", our caring volunteers, we can comfort and support you through our monthly local support meetings which meet at various locations across the Valley.
• While waiting for the next scheduled support meeting, we can comfort and support you through our confidential helpline (602-843-1404) or via email.  In many cases, we can even put you in touch with someone who has faced a similar experience such as yours, if you prefer.
• We can mail you informational and supportive pamphlets, just for the asking, if you call (602-843-1404) or email us.
• We can help you to gain knowledge and new insights (which you might choose to pass along to whomever you know who needs the information) through our Education page.
• We can help you get more involved in the community through our Advocacy page, or get you directly involved in our chapter through our Board of Directors or by Volunteering.
• We can provide speakers to your company (e.g., for diversity days, health fairs), community group or church group through our Speakers Bureau.
• We can provider speakers to your school to speak to school administrators, faculty, staff, counselors and/or students (from a single class to an entire assembly) through our "Safe Space" program.  We can also provide books for your school's student and/or professional library.