06/05/2026
🌈 DID YOU KNOW? 🌈
PFLAG, now the nation's largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them, began because of one mother.
In 1972, Jeanne Manford marched alongside her son, Morty, in New York City's Christopher Street Liberation Day March after he had been targeted and assaulted for being gay. During the march, countless LGBTQ+ people approached her, asking if she would speak to their own parents. What began as a mother's public act of love became a movement.
The first formal PFLAG meeting was held in March 1973 with approximately 20 people in attendance. Over the following decades, PFLAG chapters spread across the country, creating safe spaces for families, friends, and allies to learn, connect, and support one another.
PFLAG became a powerful voice for equality, helping advance safe schools initiatives, advocating against discrimination, supporting LGBTQ+ youth, and expanding its mission to include bisexual and transgender individuals. Today, PFLAG continues to provide education, support, and advocacy in communities across the nation.
Here in the Wiregrass, PFLAG of Dothan and the Wiregrass has been serving our community since 2012. The local chapter provides peer support, advocacy, and educational programming for LGBTQ+ individuals, their families, friends, and allies throughout our region.
In rural communities, organizations like PFLAG play an especially important role. They remind people that they are not alone, that support exists, and that acceptance can begin with a conversation.
Interested in learning more or attending a meeting?
Contact PFLAG of Dothan and the Wiregrass at: [email protected]
Because everyone deserves support, acceptance, and community.
