Volunteer with the Safe Schools Program and Help Fight Bullying

Learn to Share Your Story at One of Our Training Workshops In October!

Denise Atherley Speaks with Students at the High School for Law and Public Service

At the heart of PFLAG NYC are personal stories. We share our personal stories, and the stories of our family and loved ones, to foster understanding and bring about change. These stories come to life in our support programs for families grappling with someone’s coming out, they animate the loving portraits that of the Stay Close campaign, and they are the core of our Safe Schools Program.

Volunteer speakers are at the heart of what the Safe Schools Program does. A Safe Schools Presentation is unlike “usual” classroom activities. It does not follow a lesson plan. It does not instruct students to “learn” what is being imparted. Instead, a Safe Schools presentation is built around ordinary people from the community — parents, other relatives, and LGBT people themselves — who share their own stories of having an LGBT loved one, or of being LGBT themselves. These personal stories make the Safe Schools Program uniquely powerful in reaching students. As one educator told us, “The event was absolutely fabulous! Students commented that you never hear parents’ reactions and family stories. It was a new perspective for them. It was a really great program and led to great conversations!”

In the 2015-2016 School year, Safe Schools reached around 6,000 students!, New schools approach us regularly to take part in the program. We always need more volunteers to be speakers in the program and go into schools to share their story. Whether you are a parent of an lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) person, someone with an LGBT loved one in your life, or an LGBT person yourself, your story can help others learn what it means to be LGBT and help change the climate in schools for young people growing up LGBT. You may not think your story is remarkable, but even the most ordinary stories told honestly and proudly can spark revelations and change behavior.

In October, PFLAG NYC will hold New Speaker Orientation Workshops, as well as Skill Building workshops for returning speakers in the program. These will help both new and experienced volunteers shape a personal story to fit a Safe Schools presentation. We will help you identify personal stories that will have impact with students and help you develop your ability to leave behind a lasting message. The trainings will be enjoyable and productive with other passionate PFLAG NYC volunteers. By the end, you’ll feel ready and confident to speak at a Safe Schools Program event. Read more »

The TransParents Project and PFLAG NYC’s Staten Island meeting will both welcome guest speakers at their November meetings. All PFLAG NYC support groups are free of charge and open to all.

Jean Malpas, LMHC, LMFT
Director, Ackerman Gender & Family Project

On Sunday, November 24, Jean Malpas, LMHC, LMFT, will speak at the TransParents Project meeting on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Jean has a private family therapy practice and is also the director of International Training and of the Gender and Family Project at the Ackerman Institute for the Family. He has presented nationally and internationally on issues of gender, sexuality, couple and family therapy. He has published several articles and chapters on his work with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals, couples and families, including the article “Between Pink and Blue: A Multidimensional Approach to Gender Nonconforming Children and their Families.” Jean is on the editorial board of the Journal of LGBT Family Studies and a board member of the American Family Therapy Academy. Jean’s leadership has been recognized by the first Early Career Award of the American Family Therapy Academy. Read more »

Broadway and TV stars Sierra Boggess and Harriet Harris will perform songs from It Shoulda Been You, the eagerly anticipated musical that will be David Hyde Pierce’s debut as a director on Broadway

Written by Brian Hargrove and Barbara Anselmi, It Shoulda Been You is billed as “a musical comedy for anyone with parents.” The plot summary is in the best tradition of musical farce: The bride is Jewish. The groom is Catholic. Her mother is a force of nature, his mother is a tempest in a cocktail shaker. And when the bride’s ex-boyfriend shows up, the perfect wedding starts to unravel faster than you can whistle ‘Here Comes the Bride!’ Plots are hatched, pacts are made, secrets exposed – and the sister of the bride is left to turn a tangled mess into happily ever after!

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It’s Our Anniversary!
Celebrate with us at the PFLAG NYC Awards Dinner on October 14

On October 14, the PFLAG NYC Awards Dinner will celebrate PFLAG NYC’s 40 years of commitment to making life better for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

A highlight of the gala dinner will be the presentation of the PFLAG NYC “Stay Close” Leadership Awards to recognize individuals who have made notable contributions to making society more understanding and to furthering equality for LGBT people. We are proud to announce the 2013 award recipients and look forward to celebrating with them on October 14.

Reserve tickets now

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