Founded in 1973 after the simple act of a mother publicly supporting her gay son, PFLAG is the nation's largest family and ally organization.
The idea for PFLAG began in 1972 when Jeanne Manford marched with her son, Monty, the precursor to today’s Pride parade. After many gay and lesbian youths ran up to Jeanne during the parade and begged her to talk to their parents, she decided to begin a support group, and the first PFLAG meeting was held on March 11, 1973.
By 1980, PFLAG was distributing information to educational institutions and faith communities nationwide, establishing itself as a source of information for the general public. When “Dear Abby” mentioned PFLAG in one of her advice columns, PFLAG received more than 7,000 letters from families requesting information.
In the 1990s, following a period of significant growth, PFLAG employed an Executive Director, expanded its staff, and moved to Washington, DC. PFLAG chapters in Massachusetts helped pass the first Safe Schools legislation. In 1993, PFLAG added the word "Families" to the name and added bisexual people to its mission and work.
In 2014, the organization officially changed its name from "Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays" to PFLAG. The change accurately reflects PFLAG members, those PFLAG serves, and the inclusive work PFLAG has been doing for decades. The mission and vision also updated the mission and vision of the organization to streamline further and modernize the language, making it inclusive of everyone in the PFLAG family while recognizing and celebrating the tremendous diversity of PFLAG’s membership and the communities PFLAG currently serves...and aims to serve in the future.
Information from pflag.org, click here to learn more.