The Problem of Silence
In America today, there are millions of parents with gay daughters and sons who are victims of social, political and economic oppression. Gay people in many communities are still obstructed by prejudice in their pursuit of happiness and in striving to live their lives with openness and dignity. But homosexuals are not the only victims of this oppression; it also touches their friends and families. We as Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) feel that the time is right to join together and appeal to the public conscience in order to achieve equal opportunities for our daughters and sons. We challenge society's status quo attitudes. We have a commitment to actively help our gay daughters and sons by working for the same basic human rights, liberties and opportunities for them that are enjoyed by others. As proud parents of gay people, new windows of understanding have been opened to us, which have enriched our lives. We want to bring this understanding to the community.
Family Values
PFLAG represents thousands of families throughout the United States and eleven other countries. One of our primary objectives is to maintain families in loving relationships. We challenge any concept of traditional family values that excludes our gay, lesbian and bisexual loved ones.
Homosexual and bisexual persons are important and vital members of society. They function in leadership roles at every level of public life, and as responsible and caring individuals in their private lives. They are your doctor, nurse, teacher, minister, lawyer, sales clerk, union leader, chief executive officer, auto mechanic, political representative, star athlete and office colleague. They are your, and our, children, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts and cherished friends.
With all of our children, heterosexual and homosexual alike, we share values that include personal integrity and responsibility, adherence to the work ethic and to religious values, compassion for those in need, and commitment to healthy and mutually-respectful family relationships.
Gay, lesbians and bisexual persons are beloved and cherished members of millions of families. They create their own families, and instill in their own children the same values of integrity, work, responsibility, religion and compassion. We love, respect and support our gay, lesbian and bisexual children. We denounce and will strongly resist any effort to label them as less than the responsible citizens and caring family members we know them to be.
Statement of Position
We who are parents and friends of lesbians and gay persons have learned that they come from families, from all corners of the earth, from every culture, religious and ethnic group.
Their homosexual orientation is neither chosen nor something they are taught to be and it is not “Just a stage they go through."
There is no pattern to the kinds of families they come from dominant or submissive mothers, weak or strong fathers, single parent homes or "model" families. A gay son or daughter may be an only child, the youngest, middle or oldest child, with siblings who are not gay.
We who are parents have learned to be free from any burden of guilt for our children's sexual orientation and we recognize their expression of love as natural for them and moral.
We view rejection of a gay child by his/her family as a tragedy. We share this stance with you because we are members of close-knit families who are pro-family in every sense and who affirm "traditional values. " We respect the truth; recognize the reality of individual differences; honor the right of each person to be who he/she authentically is. We love and affirm our children with pride and are committed to their entitlement to full civil and human rights.
