Have any of you ever been a member of a local PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) group?
I am a member of our local chapter. We’ve been a chapter for over two years now and while things are going okay, I’d like to improve them. Several years ago, there was another PFLAG chapter in the region but due to lack of support, it died and I want to prevent that from happening again. PFLAG is desperately needed in this area as there is quite a bit of discrimination, fear and hostility toward LGBTQ individuals so I want to keep this chapter alive and well.
We have a large membership but not a lot of attendance at monthly meetings. I think one of the problems we are running into is that PFLAG must be all things to all people–we offer support, education and activism all in one. However, the problem is that people on the activism side are often not interested in being involved with the support side and vice versa–leading to decreased attendance at meetings. Our picnics typically have great turn out!
I was wondering if anyone had any experience being part of a chapter or better yet, being in a leadership role in a chapter. I could really use some information from others who have experienced the PFLAG dynamic and seen it work successfully.