PFLAG Convention

Members of the Phoenix chapter of Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays will attend the group's national convention.

By Laura Latzko

Local PFLAG members to attend national convention

Members of the Phoenix chapter of Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays will work with PFLAG members from throughout the country to help make schools safer during the 2011 national PFLAG convention in November in Washington, D.C.

The convention from Nov. 3 to 6 will feature a lobby day on Capitol Hill and two days of workshops on LGBT and non-profit related topics.

Sheila Lopez-Aguirre, chapter president for PFLAG Phoenix, said that she expects to learn how to better serve and reach certain populations, including Arizona's Hispanic population during the convention.

The mother of a 20-year-old lesbian daughter and 18-year-old gay son, Lopez-Aguirre said she she can inspire others to accept their children.

"My eyes are really open in terms of what adversity they will face being who they are and loving who they do," Lopez-Aguirre said. "I want to talk to moms and dads out there and tell them to love their children for who they are."

During the convention's lobby day local PFLAG members will meet with Arizona senators to discuss legislation centered around making schools safer and more inclusive for LGBT youth.

Lopez-Aguirre said she hopes to convince lawmakers about the importance of policies that help to stop bullying and discrimination. "I want to let my representatives to know I want inclusive policies that include gender identity and gender expression," Lopez-Aguirre said.

Mike Crum, former chapter president and current vice president of PFLAG Phoenix, said that the local chapter has improved because of what members learned at national conventions.

Crum, who has attended three previous national conventions, said that workshops helped PFLAG Phoenix to start its Hispanic and Native American support groups and to connect with regional PFLAG groups.

Liz Owen, director of communications for the national organization, said PFLAG members are often able to influence legislators because of their personal investment in advocacy. "The parent voice, it's an impassioned voice," she said. "It's hard to say no to people's parents."

Owen said that about 300 people from 150 PFLAG chapters come to the national convention, and the number of people attending the convention increases every year.

During the convention's closing night dinner, famous PFLAG mom Betty DeGeneres will speak. The mother of talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, she wrote the books Love, Ellen: A Mother Daughter Journey and Just a Mom.

"She speaks out for a lot of parents who don't have the platform that she does," Owen said. "It's that personal parent voice elevated to the national level." -E