PFLAG Canada is a national non-profit organization which brings together family and friends of
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
people in Canada. It was begun separately and without knowledge of the American
PFLAG
PFLAG is the United States' first and largest organization uniting parents, families, and allies with people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+). PFLAG National is the national organization, which provides support to ...
which performs the same functions in the United States. As of November 2014 PFLAG Canada has over 70 chapters and/or contacts in nine Canadian provinces. The board of directors is responsible for six regions across Canada, and includes a president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer among others.
History
In Toronto in the 1970s, meetings of non-LGBT but welcoming family members were held under the banner of Parents Of Gays (POG). Changes were accelerated by Rev.
Brent Hawkes
Brent Hawkes, (born June 2, 1950) is a Canadians, Canadian clergyman and gay rights activist.
Early life and education
Hawkes was born in Bath, New Brunswick, Bath, New Brunswick to a Baptist family."Gay rights leader cherishes his New Brunswick ...
of the
Metropolitan Community Church
The Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), also known as the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC), is an international LGBT-affirming mainline Protestant Christian denomination. There are 222 member congregations in 37 ...
of Toronto, who brought
Betty Fairchild, co-author of ''Now That You Know'', to POG meetings. After POG was advertised in ''
Chatelaine
Chatelaine may refer to:
* Chatelaine (chain), a set of short chains on a belt worn by women and men for carrying keys, thimble and/or sewing kit, etc.
*Chatelaine (horse), a racehorse
* ''Chatelaine'' (magazine), an English-language Canadian wom ...
'', Anne Rutledge of Mississauga contacted June Tattle (a friend of Fairchild and parent of a gay child), after which POG was amalgamated with Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (FFLAG), started by Pauline Martin and her son Russell in October 1981. The new organization was re-styled as Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or Parents FLAG.
After a number of media appearances by Rutledge and other members of Parents FLAG, other chapters were established throughout Canada in the 1980s and 1990s. Finally, in 2003, the movement was nationally consolidated as PFLAG Canada, renamed so as to distinguish the organization from the American
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
of a similar name. It was consolidated as a federal corporation in 2005, and all chapters were renamed as PFLAG Canada to reflect the changes.
Endorsements
PFLAG Canada officially endorses the
web series
A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...
''
Out With Dad''.
Partnerships
PFLAG Canada has had a number of partnerships, the most noteworthy being with FCB Toronto when the PSA "Nobody's Memories" aired across Canada and North America.
See also
{{Portal, LGBT
*
Tehila (
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
)
*
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (FFLAG) is a voluntary organisation and registered charity in the United Kingdom which offers support to parents and their lesbian/gay/ bisexual and transgender children. They have a national telephone ...
(
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
)
*
COLAGE
COLAGE (originally abbreviated from Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) is an organization created in 1990 by the children of several lesbian and gay male couples who felt a need for support.
COLAGE is run and operated by people of all ages ...
*
Family Pride Canada
*
Brenda Howard Memorial Award
References
External links
PFLAG Canadahttp://fcbtoronto.com/our-work/nobodys-memories/
LGBT political advocacy groups in Canada
LGBT family and peer support groups