Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) are invited to participate in Eastern Shore PFLAG chapter activities.
PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), a national organization, has a new chapter based in Chestertown. This chapter is offering programs for residents from the mid and upper Eastern Shore of Maryland, from Easton through Cecil County. Since the first public meeting in March of this year the group has had an information table on Saturday mornings at the Chestertown Farmer’s Market.
The next local meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 20 at 7 pm. Walk in participants are welcome and confidentiality is automatically honored. This meeting will take place at 914 Gateway Drive in the Crestview subdivision of Chestertown at UUCR (Unitarian Universalists of the Chester River.) The effectiveness of PFLAG groups is enhanced when there is a large and varied membership base of allies, families and friends as well as LGBT members. We want our group to grow so that we can become more active and welcoming to folks of all ages and stages. There is much to be learned, shared and celebrated among a widely diverse membership without any need for labeling any one individual’s status or reasons for involvement.
In April a combined meeting was held on the Washington College campus with twenty in attendance. The Student Affairs Office assisted with hospitality and the participation of the student group EROS. EROS is an acronym for Encouraging Respect for Others Sexuality. PFLAG Chestertown also networks with the Easton based meet up group: Rainbow Alliance of Delmarva (https://www.meetup.com/Rainbow-Alliance-of-Delmarva/) and Washington College Pride ([email protected]). Delaware Renaissance (Delren.org) is another regional resource which serves the transgender community and is based in Wilmington.
Since the last meeting, local PFLAG leaders have been organizing for the months ahead. Official non profit status now allows the local chapter to offer a membership process and expand services. Support, education and advocacy projects are all available for interested participants. This new chapter bases its work on the models established by other PFLAG chapters and the interest of the local members.
The heart of most chapters work has been their ability to offer a safe place for support and education of families and friends as allies for the population. Monthly support meetings, as well as a telephone outreach service, are available locally. Information can be exchanged and confidentially will be honored by leaving a message at 410 810 4751 or by sending an email to [email protected].
.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.