PFLAG leaders and supporters gathered for an event, "Cocktails + Conversation," at Roosevelt University Nov. 20.
Attendees noshed on hors d'oeuvres from Food2You Catering and cocktails provided by Roosevelt University ahead of remarks by PFLAG National Executive Director Jody Huckaby and event co-hosts Pamela Tate, president and CEO of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning ( CAEL ), and Chuck Middleton, president of Roosevelt University.
Tate said that her stepdaughter is the reason why she got involved with PFLAG. Tate explained that both her and her husband were very supportive when their daughter came out late in life, however, Tate's new in-laws have rejected their daughter Jennifer, Tate's stepdaughter Kirsten and, by extension, Tate's grandchildren ( from Kirsten's prior relationship ). "I watched the struggle in their relationship over the course of a decade that was caused by Jennifer's parents rejecting them," said Tate. "I remember making a commitment to myself that I needed to become a vocal and visible supporter of this [LGBT] community. I didn't know there was a place to do it and then I learned about PFLAG from Chuck and here I am. I'm really delighted to be able to participate in some small way in the really important work that PFLAG is doing."
Middleton noted that the most recent issue of the Roosevelt University newspaper is the perfect prop for this evening. "Above the fold is a story about the work that RU Proud, which is our LGBTQ student group here, is doing on behalf of HIV prevention and on the bottom of the front page there is a story about Marsha Aizumi's, who is on the PFLAG board with me, speech about her transgender son. She is an amazing extraordinary person like all PFLAG people are," said Middleton. "I got involved with PFLAG back in the 1980s ... and over the years it's led to the opportunity to serve on the national board and support these amazing chapters around the country."
"It's an honor to be here at Roosevelt University. A university that has all the policies in place and lives those policies," said Jody Huckaby, executive director of PFLAG National. Huckaby recognized and thanked two local leaders who were in attendance that evening, Tony Dornacher ( treasurer of the PFLAG Council of Northern Illinois ) and John Hickey ( president of PFLAG DuPage ), for the work that they do locally on behalf of PFLAG.
"Across the country, the largest increase in new people coming to PFLAG are family members who are dealing with the reality of having a child who is either trans or gender non-conforming," said Huckaby. Huckaby noted that among their many new initiatives they have developed a resource guide called "A Guide to Being a Trans Ally" to help PFLAG members better understand trans people and trans issues.
Hickey also shared why he got involved with PFLAG. "I always thought I was an advocate of the LGBTQ movement and it wasn't until I found out that my son is gay that I realized that there's a big difference between being an advocate because you don't carry any prejudice and truly being an advocate," said Hickey. "After one or two PFLAG meetings, I realized that my calling was to help other people in this area. I actually got involved with my resource group at work so I'm an ally there as well. For the last five or six years, I've held a lot of leadership positions in the LGBTQ support community."
See www.community.pflag.org for more information .
