Reaching Out
There may come a time when, regardless of how quietly you generally live your life, you have trouble standing by as you see your son or daughter or a loved one treated unfairly simply because he or she is gay. That’s when you might want to become more involved, either in helping others through PFLAG or in the many civil rights campaigns that exist both nationally and locally. Read the articles below to learn more, or click here to visit the Take Action section of our Resources page.
Articles
- The Power of One
Now we have the numbers game. How many gay people are there in the nation? Ten percent? One percent? Four percent? It depends on whom you ask, what survey you read, how statisticians and sex experts crunch the numbers, which respondents tell the truth and which don't. How many marched in Washington on Sunday for the civil rights of gay men and lesbians? Three hundred thousand? Half a million? A million or more? It depends on whether you ask the park police or the march organizers. Read more - Allies
They were high school sweethearts who married in the Catholic Church and raised two children, a son and a daughter. Their son Greg was a popular high school student who committed himself to excellence both in his academic and community service pursuits. Greg claimed his first girlfriend at the seventh grade dance and was thereafter rarely without a female companion. They assumed it was the same his freshman year at NYU, where Greg was rising to the top of his class and life seemed unchanged. And then Ed and Ann Bonetti’s world shifted dramatically. Greg came home the summer of his freshman year and told them he is gay. Read more - Advocate Magazine - RI Same Sex Marriage
Ed Bonetti of Warwick, Rhode Island, describes himself as a traditional Italian Catholic who wants what any dad would want for his 20-year-old son: to see him get married and have children. But because his son is gay, he's not sure that will ever happen. Read more - Ten Things Everyone Should Know
Same-sex couples live in 99.3 percent of all counties nationwide (2000 U.S. Census). The federal government could save more than $1 billion a year by allowing same-sex couples to marry (2004 Congressional Budget Office). There are more than 1 million gay and lesbian veterans in the United States (Urban Institute). - Straight For Equality: A PFLAG Field Guide (new window)
Imagine the time in your life before equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people became personal for you. For many PFLAG members, it usally goes back to the time prior to finding out that someone that they love is not straight. Many people may have thought about "gay rights" and even felt that fairness for LGBT people should exist, but they never saw themselves part of a movement to make it happen. Until, as every PFLAG parent knows, you find someone you love is GLBT...that changes everything.
To learn about PFLAG South/Central Rhode Island's next monthly meeting, or sign up for our quarterly newsletter, click here: http://www.pflagscri.org/events/
If meetings in Providence would be more convenient for you, visit PFLAG Greater Providence's website by clicking here: http://www.pflagprovidence.org/
If you’re not ready to come to a meeting or read any more material, but you think you’d like to learn more, email us at: http://www.pflagscri.org/contact/. We look forward to hearing from you...
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