Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Cleveland, a local chapter of the national nonprofit PFLAG organization, was founded by Jane Daroff and Jes Sellers in 1985. Daroff, a social worker, and Sellers, a licensed psychologist, established PFLAG Cleveland to “offer support, information, and shared experiences to parents, siblings, spouses, and other family members and friends of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and [transgender] individuals.” PFLAG Cleveland’s goal is to “work toward an environment of understanding and acceptance within families and in the community” and to “create a caring, just, and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.” Since its founding, PFLAG Cleveland has hosted monthly social support meetings for group members. Though PFLAG primarily focused its attention on meeting the needs of “parents and friends of lesbians and gays” between 1985-2000, it has since “moved away from the acronym to meet the needs of [the broader LGBT+] community.” PFLAG Cleveland’s monthly social and support meetings were initially held at Daroff’s home in Cleveland Heights before moving to Trinity Commons, 2230 Euclid Avenue. In addition to hosting monthly group meetings, PFLAG Cleveland has offered bimonthly Next Step group meetings for individuals interested in “[reaching] beyond the support group” to find ways to “[contribute] to the Cleveland community through outreach endeavors.” Together with GLSEN Cleveland, TransFamily of Cleveland, BlackOut Unlimited, and the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, PFLAG Cleveland has participated in the Safe Schools are For Everyone (SSAFE) program and hosted the annual Vigil For Our Children in order to “draw attention to the discrimination, prejudice and harassment that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered children face in their schools, churches, and communities, and to express our love, understanding, and support for them.”
Additional information coming soon.
Resources
- “4th Annual Vigil For Our Children.” PFLAG Cleveland. (Archived webpage ca. 2005).
- Boone, Bob. “P-FLAG: The Only Place Some Parents Can Talk About It.” Gay People’s Chronicle. Pride Guide 1997. Page B-19.
- Daroff, Jane. “A Brief History of PFLAG Cleveland.” PFLAG Cleveland.
- Daroff, Jane A. “Cleveland P-FLAG Celebrated Their Tenth Anniversary.” Gay People’s Chronicle. Pride Guide 1995. Page 41.
- Forbes, Dora. “Cleveland P-FLAG Forms.” Gay People’s Chronicle. July 1985. Page 12.
- Glassman, Anthony. “A Year of Milestones: PACT to Honor Long-Lived Groups.” Gay People’s Chronicle. May 13, 2005. Page 11.
- Kouba, Leslie. “For 37 Years and Counting, Cleveland PFLAG Has Supported Family, Friends, and Members of the LGBTQ Community.” Cleveland.com. August 28, 2022.
- Negron, Sidney. “PFLAG Cleveland.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
- “Parents, Friends Form Local P-FLAG Group.” Gay People’s Chronicle. June 1985. Page 8.
- “PFLAG Cleveland Monthly Support Group.” PFLAG Cleveland.
- “PFLAG Cleveland.” PFLAG Cleveland. (Archived webpage ca. 2006).
- Schneck, Ken. LGBTQ Cleveland. Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2018. Page 21.
- “Safe Schools are for Everyone (SSAFE).” LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland. (Archived webpage ca. 2006).