Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

MOMBIAN New PFLAG head is queer parent, professional
by Dana Rudolph
2018-01-24

This article shared 942 times since Wed Jan 24, 2018
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Both as a daughter and a parent, the new executive director of PFLAG, Dr. Jaime Grant, understands the organization's mission of uniting families, allies, and people who are LGBTQ.

"I'm a queer mom of a queer kid and my Irish family exiled me," she said in an interview. This led to an accelerating drug addiction. Grant, who was named head of PFLAG last September, is now 28 years sober and solo parenting her son, 19, who identifies as bisexual, and co-parenting her daughter, 10. "I can see the difference in a person's life between family acceptance and family rejection," she said. "I just know what it means."

Her qualifications are professional as well as personal, however. She has also been policy institute director at the National LGBTQ Task Force, founding executive director of the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership at Kalamazoo College, and founder and director of the Global Trans Research and Advocacy Project. She holds a Ph.D in women's studies from the Union Institute, and her academic research and other writings have appeared in numerous publications.

Despite her background in academia and policy, she said, "This particular political moment made me realize it was time to get back into a more active role."

She takes the reins at a key time. PFLAG is gearing up to celebrate its 45th anniversary this year. Founded by Jeanne Manford, a straight, cisgender mother, to support her gay son, PFLAG now has 400 chapters in every state except North Dakota and 200,000 supporters in communities of all sizes. "It's the LGBTQ group that has dug in locally," Grant said. PFLAG "really is a bunch of villages."

Leading such an organization presents multiple challenges. "We have every kind of parent on earth coming in to those [local PFLAG] meetings," she said. "How are we going to make sure we're centering the needs of people who need us the most? Are we meeting people where they are?"

Part of the answer is in their chapter-based structure. Chapters—and meetings within chapters—can focus on addressing local concerns. "The thing that's in the way is the thing you're going to work on," she said—for example, one chapter is working on compiling queer-inclusive mental health resources. PFLAG has also had "an enormous impact in schools" addressing "whatever is not working for local families."

And because "people are looking for culturally congruent spaces," there are chapters and meetings, for example, especially for Asian-Pacific Islander families and Spanish-speaking families, among others.

Within these structures, it is the personal connections that count. "We live and die by the stories every day—two people in a room trying to support each other," she said.

She feels the model has proven itself. During its first 45 years, PFLAG has helped define "what is meant by gold-standard parenting around having LGBTQ kids. That is a huge change," Grant said. "It is now commonplace for parents to accept their LGBTQ kids. That is some bad-ass work, PFLAG."

At the same time, the organization has an impact beyond its local chapters. "We do a good job mobilizing the community around big issues," she said. "We're here nationally to amplify and build on all that local labor."

In the current political climate, that's no easy task. The challenge for the entire LGBTQ movement, she said, is "to be true to our values and ourselves." Still, Grant sees some hopeful signs. "Various voices of leadership have been growing and accumulating," she asserted. And she noted, "There are some big breakthroughs happening because we're surviving this regime," such as the #metoo movement that is raising awareness of sexual assault. "It's a moment for us to think about how power is operating in our organizations and how to listen to survivors."

Listening to everyday PFLAG stories, too, such as those from parents standing up for their transgender children, she said, makes her think that "We're at another flashpoint around parental organizing," like when Manford founded PFLAG.

At the same time, she cautioned, "We've done ourselves a little bit of harm 'poster-childing' our families. This makes it hard when we do have problems. It's harder to get help if we're in 'everything's perfect' mode for the cameras or the legislators."

And the LGBTQ community's eagerness to show that LGBTQ parents don't "make" their kids LGBTQ has meant that those LGBTQ parents who do have LGBTQ kids are "sometimes accused of ruining it for all of us." She has personal evidence here. Her own son "wanted to wear spangles to school until age 12," she related. The school principals as well as some queer people accused her of pushing a "lesbian agenda" on him.

Her experience feeds into her ambitions for PFLAG. "I would love to have a more specific space for LGBTQ parents of LGBTQ kids within our chapters, making sure the welcome mat is there," she said.

Even now, though, she said there are a lot of LGBTQ adults in PFLAG chapters. Some, like her, are parents of LGBTQ kids; some are grown children of former PFLAG parents; others are "just there to help." Those who wish to become involved should visit PFLAG.org to find a local chapter, she advised.

Despite the challenges ahead, Grant remains positive about PFLAG's ability to continue making a difference in people's lives. "Every day is another great story," she attested.

Dana Rudolph is the founder and publisher of Mombian ( Mombian.com ), a GLAAD Media Award-winning blog and resource directory for LGBTQ parents.


This article shared 942 times since Wed Jan 24, 2018
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

VIEWS Mike Johnson: The smiling face of Christian tyranny 2024-02-14
- Mike Johnson wants to rewrite the constitution to make the United States a Christian nation. James Michael Johnson, Republican from Louisiana's Fourth District, is the 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was ...


Gay News

VIEWS Parents, not legislators, should be making decisions about medical options for children 2024-02-06
By Jeffery M. Leving - No matter the medical issue, when it comes to kids, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said something last December that every lawmaker in the country should realize when it comes to medical decisions for children. "Were House ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Sundance items, Green Day, 'Wednesday,' Queerties, 'The Wiz' 2024-01-26
- At the Sundance Film Festival, Jodie Foster told Variety that the $1.4-billion success of Barbie helps confirm that Hollywood no longer views women directors as too much of a risk. She said, "With a big success ...


Gay News

VIEWS Is the Pope Catholic? Francis faces opposition in steps toward LGBTQ+ inclusivity 2024-01-02
- The recent change in Vatican policy allowing priests to bless same-gender couples has provoked an unprecedented backlash against Pope Francis and his openness to LGBTQ+ people—a backlash that some fear might devolve into a schism in ...


Gay News

Bring Chicago Home: Guess who's saying no again 2023-12-04
Commentary by Bob Palmer and Mark Swartz - Chicago is ushering in an era of change with a new progressive mayor with a vision to invest in communities long ignored and a significant increase in like-minded city council members. We are excited to see ...


Gay News

Pope Francis's community of transwomen 2023-11-28
- It's a rare opportunity to meet the pope. It's even rarer if you're a transgender Catholic. However, on Nov. 19, in Torvaianica, Italy, a community of transwomen, many of them sex workers, were welcomed and seated ...


Gay News

Banning the Banning of Books: Illinois and California lead the way 2023-10-26
- In June, at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago, Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation banning book bans in Illinois public libraries. This legislation, initiated by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, passed the Illinois House and ...


Gay News

OPINION Renewing state's Invest in Kids program is investing in anti-LGBTQ+ hate 2023-10-23
- In February 2020, Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield warned transgender students in the Diocese's educational system that they "may be expelled from the school" if they live their lives authentically. Lansing Christian School ...


Gay News

Gilbert Baker Foundation reacts to death of shop owner who flew the rainbow flag 2023-08-29
--From a press release - In response to the murder of Laura Ann Carleton over flying the Rainbow flag in her shop in California, the Gilbert Baker Foundation released the statement below. Facebook refused to post the statement as it did not "...meet their standards." ...


Gay News

VIEWPOINT U.S. higher education under siege; freedom of inquiry and speech at risk 2023-07-03
- The Covid pandemic threw a harsh spotlight on higher education in America, exposing forces eating away at the foundations of college and university learning, calling into question the traditional purposes of such education in our post-modern, ...


Gay News

Guest essay by Florida mom Nicole Pejovich: What's Happening to Florida's Public Schools? 2023-06-19
Related video below - A queer Florida parent answers questions about recent laws, how Floridians are coping, and how you can help Books pulled from school library shelves by the dozens. All evidence of inclusivity stripped from classrooms. The politically ...


Gay News

VIEWPOINT For divorced parents, transgender children's health can present tricky dilemmas 2023-06-12
- Over the last few months, issues impacting individuals who identify as transgender and non-binary are getting a lot of attention in the media and among some politicians. Sadly, because it's become a political issue; a lot ...


Gay News

VIEWPOINT War in the 21st Century: mercenaries, private military companies, private armies 2023-05-20
- In 2022, $407 billion of the Pentagon budget—representing half of that year's funding —were obligated to private contractors, of which a significant number were Private Military Companies (PMCs) involved in ...


Gay News

VIEWPOINT Telling the world about my mental health disorders 2023-05-04
- Over the years, coming out as a lesbian hasn't been that hard for me—because I was always too busy hiding something else. Confessing queerness can be a breeze compared to revealing mental illness. But I decline ...


Gay News

VIEWPOINT German bishops endorse blessings of same-sex couples: Ancient rituals retturn 2023-03-31
- This March, at a national meeting of leaders of the German Catholic Church (referred to as a synod), a document titled Blessing Ceremonies for Couples who Love Each Other" received overwhelming support: 176 votes in favor, ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.